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.
