The one-day Eschborn-Frankfurt has remained a constant for 60 editions, taking place on May 1, Labour Day in Germany. The 2023 races marks the seventh year the race has been at the highest level as a UCI WorldTour event, which serves as a transition from the spring Classics to the major stage races.
The first edition of Eschborn-Frankfurt, named Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt, was held in 1962 with a start/finish in the city centre of Frankfurt. It took on the new name in 2009, when Eschborn became the start location. The race was not held in 2015 due to a local security issue and in 2020 due to the coronavirus global pandemic.
The first champion was Belgian Armand Desmet. The most wins to date have been taken by Norway’s Alexander Kristoff, who won across four consecutive edition, 2014 to 2018. Germany’s Erik Zabel was a popular three-time champion, 1999, 2005 and 2007. Ireland’s Sam Bennett won the 2022 race.
The route is a twisting, hilly affair that traditionally covers close to 2,000 metres of climbing and upwards of 220 kilometres in the hills west of Frankfurt. The 2023 edition promise to increase the climbing to 3,000 metres of elevation gain, making it a more serious challenge for the sprinters.
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