German showdown expected in Frankfurt

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The traditional May 1 race in Frankfurt, Germany, may well turn out to be a battle between German riders. HTC-Columbia sprinter Andre Greipel will look to win a mass sprint, while Team Milram's Fabian Wegmann hopes to defend his victory from last year.

Wegmann will have a high-powered helper at his side, Linus Gerdemann. But Wegmann is the captain in this race, which this year is known as Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt. “Winning the race last year was a dream for me,“ said Wegmann. “This year it will be more difficult for us, since because of the changed course, it is flat at the end longer than last year. We must ride attentively and force an early decision.“

The 29-year-old has only recently returned to racing after suffering a broken collarbone in a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico. He subsequently rode the Ardennes Classics, finishing 25th in Amstel Gold Race, crashing out of the Fleche Wallonne, and 17th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Greipel, with more wins that anyone else in the peloton, will look to Marcel Sieberg, Matthew Goss and Leigh Howard to lead him out for the expected sprint. He will hope to avoid a repetition of the results of the previous German race, Rund um Köln. In that sprint finale he was on his own and finished second.

Milram for Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt: Wim de Vocht, Linus Gerdemann, Christian Knees, Roy Sentjens, Niki Terpstra, Paul Voß, Fabian Wegmann, and Peter Wrolich

HTC-Columbia for Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt: Gert Dockx, Matthew Goss, Andre Greipel, Patrick Gretsch, Leigh Howard, Tony Martin, Aleksejs Saramotins, and Marcel Sieberg