Marcel Kittel and Fernando Gaviria will spearhead the team at the German race, which this year has received World Tour status.
Created in 1962 and won by such names as Jean Stablinski, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens or Phil Anderson, the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt is held in the Taunus Mountains, with the Mammolshainer ascent – which will be climbed several times – the main attraction of the course. Several riders will use it as springboard and attack, but despite this and the splits which will occure in the peloton, it's very likely it will all come down to a bunch sprint, as the final 25 kilometers, in and out of Frankurt, are pan flat.
Marcel Kittel, who racked up seven successes this year, including a record fifth triumph at Scheldeprijs, is set to return to racing on home turf and make his debut at the 217km-long Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt, where Germany hasn't tasted victory since 2011.
"I'm happy to be back after the break I took following my Scheldeprijs win. To make my return in the peloton at Frankfurt, where I'll race for the first time in my career, makes things even more special. I'm excited I will have the chance to discover this race and to meet new fans. We are heading there with a strong team and I'm ready to help the squad do a nice race and get a good result, even though the parcours is a demanding one, with around 3000 meters of vertical gain and many challenges", said Marcel Kittel ahead of his Frankfurt debut.
Winner of four races this season and one of the most talented riders of the new wave, Fernando Gaviria will line up at the 55th edition of the race after spending the past few weeks in Colombia, preparing the Giro d'Italia, his maiden Grand Tour appearance. The 22-year-old will test his legs in Frankfurt, before traveling to Sardinia, where the 100th edition of the Corsa Rosa will kick off on May 5.
Rounding out the Quick-Step Floors team for Monday's race are Dwars door Vlaanderen champion Yves Lampaert, Maximiliano Richeze, Fabio Sabatini, Pieter Serry (who will return following a collarbone injury that kept him out of the Ardennes Classics), Petr Vakoč and Julien Vermote.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
