Sam Bennett won Eschborn-Frankfurt 2022 and is now competing again to defend his title.
Eschborn-Frankfurt, Germany's only classic in professional cycling, is scheduled for the traditional date of 1 May. However, the race, which has been dominated by sprinters in the recent past, is now changing its profile so that other types of riders also have a chance of winning.
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The event was first held in 1962, back then under the name Rund um den Henninger Turm (Around the Henninger Tower), in honour of the brewery sponsor who financed the race at the time. It was not until 2009 that the name changed to the Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop, and just one year later it was renamed Rund um den Finanzplatz. Since 2018, only the start and finish locations have been included in the name.
A year earlier, the Tour de France organiser interfered in the fate of the race. The Amaury Sports Organisation (A.S.O.) took over the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Radsports (GFR), which had always organised Eschborn-Frankfurt - and still does today. The influence of the French also enhanced the sporting significance of the race. It has been part of the World Tour, the highest racing category, since 2017.
U23 back in the programme, everyman race long since fully booked
Eschborn-Frankfurt will be held for the 60th time in 2023. The coronavirus pandemic prevented the event from being held in 2020. In 2015, the event had to be cancelled at short notice because the police had evidence of a planned terrorist attack by a Salafist couple.
This year, however, the sporting headlines will once again take centre stage. A long-since fully-booked amateur race with 8,000 starters on three different routes and the return of the U23 version after a three-year break due to the pandemic, as well as numerous youth races, are a worthy setting for the elite event.
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Record winner Kristoff and sprint world champion Philipsen at the start
And it is characterised by a renowned field, led by two strong sprinters who have already attracted attention as Classics chasers. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the most successful sprinter of the season. Four victories, including two stages at Tirreno-AdriaticoThe Belgian has won the Brugge-De Panne classic and the unofficial sprinter world championship, the Scheldeprijs. He also came second in the cobblestone monument Paris-Roubaix.
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Photo: GettyVeloWith four victories, Norwegian Alexander Kristoff is the record winner of Eschborn-Frankfurt. He won his last title in 2018 in the jersey of the European champion, back then for UAE Team Emirates.
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), the record winner of Eschborn-Frankfurt, will also be at the start. The Norwegian has won the race four times (2014 to 2018). In eight starts, he has also finished third three times (2019, 2021, 2022), finishing sixth on his debut in 2012. Erik Zabel is second behind Kristoff with three victories and is the best German in the all-time leaderboard. Several riders have celebrated two victories, including Fabian Wegmann, who is now the sporting director at Eschborn-Frankfurt.
The Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023 route
After the start in Eschborn, the course first makes a detour to Frankfurt and through the finish at the Alte Oper before heading into the countryside. Two laps through the Taunus are planned, where the topographical difficulties of the day await.
After years in which a bunch sprint was almost inevitable due to the course profile, this may change this year. Compared to previous years, the course has not only become longer, but also more difficult. There are 203.8 kilometres to complete this year.
Photo: VeranstalterThe route of Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023
With the 879 metre-high Großer Feldberg, the highest elevation in the Taunus has to be ridden over twice, plus the Mammolshainer Berg three times, a relatively short but up to 15 per cent steep ascent.
In total, the riders face more than 3,000 metres of elevation gain. In combination with its length, this makes the race a classic that deserves its name. However, most of the altitude metres are covered in the first two thirds of the race, so there is still a chance that everything will come together again. The finale of the race also remains basically unchanged and is largely flat.
Photo: VeranstalterThe profile of Eschborn-Frankfurt
Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023: TV broadcast and live stream
Eschborn-Frankfurt will be broadcast live on all continents and in more than 150 countries around the world. In Germany, Hessischer Rundfunk will even broadcast the race free-to-air from the very first minute. The linear broadcast on TV and live stream will begin at 12 noon.
Eurosport 2 will switch on at 2.15pm, while Discovery+ and GCN+ (both via paid subscription) will be streaming the race live from 2pm.
They are joined by the second division riders Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto-Dstny, Bingoal WB, Burgos-BH, Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizane, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Team Flanders - Baloise, TotalEnergies and Uno-X Pro Cycling Team.