The 63rd edition of the World Tour one-day race takes place this Friday.
Arguably Germany’s most popular race, and the Classics specialists’ last chance of glory before the first Grand Tour of the season, Eschborn-Frankfurt has designed for this year a selective route regarded by many as the hardest in history, spanning 211 kilometers and covering 3300 vertical meters.
Once again, after leaving Eschborn and the flat opening 30 kilometers behind, the riders will head into the Taunus hills before making their way to Frankfurt, where the winner will be crowned. There are a total of nine climbs spread out over the course on Friday, the most important of which are Mammolshain and Feldberg.
The race’s most emblematic ascent, Mammolshain averages 7.9% over just 2.3 kilometers and will be climbed three times, the last of these ascents coming with just 35 kilometers to go, but the one expected to do the most damage will be the Feldberg (7.7km, 6%), on whose gradients the fast men can be dropped by those hoping to prevent the race from coming down to a bunch sprint, as was the case in the past two years.
Ayco Bastiaens, Alberto Dainese, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Yves Lampaert, Andrea Raccagni - the first Italian to win the Tour Down Under white jersey - Pepijn Reinderink, and Mauri Vansevenant, who finished a solid seventh at Amstel Gold Race two weeks ago, are the Soudal Quick-Step riders who’ll be in action at the season’s 21st World Tour race.
Eschborn-Frankfurt is not an easy race, as the many climbs on the course can make differences and whittle down the peloton before arriving in the center of Frankfurt.
“A small group of climbers can break away on the hilly section, but having a reduced bunch sprint is also a possibility, and we take there a team that gives us options regardless of the scenario. We are ready to do our best, and hopefully, we’ll get a good result as we bring our spring classics campaign to a conclusion”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
