Jon Barrenetxea edges Neilson Powless for final spot on podium
Eschborn-Frankfurt: Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) celebrates the victory in one-day German race ahead of Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility)(Image credit: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
An elated Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) celebrated his first victory of the 2025 season, taking his maiden win in the Eschborn-Frankfurt over Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) and Jon Barrenetxea (Movsitar).
Uno-X Mobility led for most of the final 10 kilometres, having the most men in the front peloton, but Matthews got the jump on Cort just as his final lead-out man pulled off and won by a clean set of wheels.
Matthews was fourth in Milan-San Remo and fifth at the Amstel Gold Race this season, but hasn't been able to ascend to the podium until taking the top step in Frankfurt - improving on his second place in 2018 and third in 2011 in this race.
"I think my shape through the through the spring was good, but not [enough] to be on the top step. It's nice to finish off this block with a win here in Frankfurt - it's been a race that really suits me for a lot of years, and haven't been able to win it. To come here today with the team the way we rode - we rode perfectly - and to execute a performance like my team did for me today, it just puts the icing on top of the cake."
Jayco-AlUla used a mid-race climb to shatter the peloton, then drove the pace to ensure that Matthews had only 30 riders to contend with in the German WorldTour race.
"I didn't expect my team to go so hard on that second long climb," Matthews said. "But we split the bunch and got rid a lot of the fast guys, which was the goal. My team's performance today was exceptional, and to finish it off the way I did - I'm just so thankful to my teammates."
How it unfolded
Pierre Thierry of Arkéa-BB&Hotels and Laurence Pithie of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe compete in the breakaway (Image credit: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
The peloton enjoyed sunny skies and perfect temperatures for the 62nd edition of Eschborn-Frankfurt and they clipped off from kilometre zero for the 197.8-kilometre race at a high pace.
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Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Pierre Thierry (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) were the first to make a successful attack after 10 kilometres, holding a slim lead before a slide-out from a rider near the head of the chasing bunch helped them establish a substantial gap.
The peloton gave the pair a long leash, with their gap increasing over the first hour of racing. The pair's gap to the peloton ballooned to 6:15 with 161km to go before Thierry led the breakaway over the first mountain sprint after 41.3km. However, with Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek pulling with earnest, their lead began to tumble over the next 60 kilometres.
Pithie began to struggle to hold the pace of the Frenchman with 118km to go as the leaders had 3:30 on the peloton. He dropped back to the car for some nutrition, but it was too late. Pithie lost contact with Thierry on the Mammolshain climb with 115km to go.
Now that Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe were no longer represented in the breakaway, the team came to the front and slashed at the sole leader's advantage, finally bringing him back with 97.5km to go on the second trip over the Mammolshain.
From there, the peloton stayed together even over the 7.8km-long Feldberg climb, where a furious pace set by Jayco-AlUla and Cofidis split the peloton. Among those missing out on the lead group were Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), and Jayco-AlUla kept the pace high to make sure the rest couldn't rejoin over the next 50 kilometres.
The peloton cross the Feldman climb (Image credit: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
On the final trip over the Mammolshain, Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) put in a surge to try to further decimate the peloton along with Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek). A surge from Soudal-Quickstep's Max Schachmann over the summit drew out Georg Mühlberger (Movistar) and Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility).
The trio couldn't hold much of a lead, barely ekeing out 10 seconds and, with Leknessund refusing to take turns with team leader Magnus Cort in the group behind, the breakaway didn't stand a chance.
They kept pressing on, however, but when an attack from Powless, marked by Uno-X's Fredrik Dversnes with 20km to go, threatened to make the lead group five riders strong, the chasing bunch surged and quickly reeled in the two chasers and then the three leaders as well.
Uno-X Mobility, with three riders to protect Cort, and Movistar with four riders, kept on the gas with only 32 men left in the front peloton. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe joined in the pace-making with 10km to go but Uno-X quickly resumed control with confidence.
The Norwegian team led out into the final kilometre with Cort in prime position, but Matthews was keen to their tactic and powered past Cort to claim the victory.
Final podium (L to R): Magnus Cort of Uno-X Mobility on second place, race winner Michael Matthews of Jayco-AlUla and Jon Barrenetxea of Movistar on third place (Image credit: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
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