PREVIEW | Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023 - Philipsen, De Lie, Bennett and Kristoff among big favourites for tricky classic

Preview. On the 1st day of May the riders will have one of the most sprinter-suited World Tour classics of the year at the Eschborn-Frankfurt race. Although frequently for the sprinters, it is a race in which the profile provides opportunities for attacks.

The race is 203 kilometers long and features a circuit with two main climbs. The Felberg features two ascents of around 11 kilometers at 5%, and the shorter but steeper Mammolshain is 2.3 kilometers at 8%. The climbs are not easy and this year the route has been made tougher. It likely remains a classic for the sprinter, but the balance has definitely shifted more towards early attackers.

Estimated start and finish times for Eschborn-Frankfurt: 12:10-17:10CET.

The opening 30 kilometers are flat, and lead to an 11 kilometer climb at 4.8%, however this early in the race it doesn’t usually play a role, except for fatigue build up. There will then be a combination of small climbs, however they won’t be easy. With 112 and 96 kilometers to go the riders go through Mammolshain, the toughest climb of the race, it's 2.3 kilometers at 8% but features ramps of up to 15% near it's end.

However the organizers have implemented a meaningful change this year, as after the second ascent the riders go up Feldberg once again, another 8 kilometers at 5.9% where attacks can be dealt and consolidated, or if the pace is pushed sprinters can absolutely be dropped. From there on the same descent with several hilltops will follow that is perfect for attackers.

The sprinter teams will have some time to reorganize but they will face the decisive ascent one more time, finally summiting with 36.5 kilometers to go. After the short and fast descent the riders then find mostly pan-flat roads where a chase can thoroughly be organized and executed between those who remains.

Although the race can be somewhat selective, the dynamics usually tilt towards an organized chase between several teams who will not hesitate to work to bring in better chances for their leaders to fight for the win. If it comes down to the fast men they will have an urban sprint to tackle, with the finishing straight being 500 meters long.

The Weather

Some far from good weather. On the day there is the chance that rain will fall and the wind will blow from the north rather meaningfully. The roads won't be very exposed but Mammolshein will see a cross-headwind in it's ascents. Overall the climbing has a lot of headwind, but following the final climb there is a cross-tailwind into Frankfurt and the final kilometers so the balance continues.

The Favourites

Jasper Philipsen - Having won Classic Brugge-De Panne, Scheldeprijs and two stages at Tirreno-Adriatico, it's easy to see why he was the first rider to mention. His breakthrough second place at Paris-Roubaix was an astonishing performance, and it's safe to say the longer efforts won't be complicated for him. Philipsen can survive the climbs and Alpecin have the likes of Soren Kragh Andersen, Dries de Bondt and Gianni Vermeersch to help keep control of the race.

Arnaud De Lie - De Lie will be one of the contenders. He's climbed great this year, now he's racing with the big boys so the winning streak is not as visually impressive, but he's ridden a great spring. Now entering another phase of the season, he will be a big contender to win Frankfurt - which would be his first World Tour win if it was to happen.

Michael Matthews - Matthews had Covid-19 wrecking his spring, and he was outright absent from the cobbled classics (and Ardennes). After recovery and some training again he's a contender to Frankfurt. The question is the same as always however, the tougher the race is the better for him, but the better it is for attackers. If it's conservative he won't likely have the speed to beat the competition. I expect him to be up there no matter what but it won't be easy to find the winning formula.

Sam Bennett - Bennett hasn't raced in April. He's got the sprint power but this race is more than that. If Bennett has the form of late last year he's a big contender for the win, with Danny van Poppel a great leadout but also second option. If he doesn't have his legs I expect him to be dropped. BORA have cards in Nils Politt, Marco Haller and Patrick Konrad in riders who can attack and are well suited to this race.

UAE - Pascal Ackermann has won here in the past but he's not the same currently. An outsider, but UAE have better options in Matteo Trentin who would be good for late attacks, and also Marc Hirschi who showed good form in the Ardennes and could be one of the main instigators in the ascents.

Phil Bauhaus - Racing in Germany Bauhaus will be quite motivated. He's won a stage at the Tour Down Under but over the past year he's shown in many occasions a lot of speed. If he can hang on in the climbs - which won't be easy, he's not the strongest of climbers - he will be a contender, even with a modest Bahrain lineup.

Alexander Kristoff - Winner of Eschborn-Frankfurt on four different occasions, no-one knows better than the Norwegian how to win here. He's shown his speed at the Volta ao Algarve earlier this year, he definitely can't be excluded. Uno-X not only have the veteran but also Soren Waerenskjold, who can both do leadout work or sprint for himself in Kristoff's absence.

Cofidis - Home rider Max Walscheid and Simone Consonni will both be sprinters to take into considerations. Both could well feature within the first spots and the French team won't have the pressure to put in work. They can sit in the wheels and do their all to survive the climbs. If so at least one of them is certain to be in contention for a top result.

Arkéa - Nacer Bouhanni will be the fastest man of the French team but it's hard at this point to figure if he'll be able to handle the climbs. However the French team has two other strong cards in both Hugo Hofstetter and Jenthe Biermans who should be waiting for a sprint and could well feature in the Top10.

Matteo Moschetti - A name worth mentioning. He's moved into the sole lead of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and has since won, he beat several of the names above at the Clásica de Almeria. He also finished fifth at Milano-Torino, he'll be an interesting rider to keep into attention.

A few other sprinters could hope to be in the mix. I would expect attempts from the likes of John Degenkolb, Corbin Strong, Filippo Fiorelli, Marijn van den Berg, Arne Marit and Edvald Boasson Hagen, who aren't immediate favourites under current conditions however are very valid outsiders for such a day.

When it comes to riders who may attack, I could also expect some other riders to have ideas. Mathieu Burgaudeau, Sven Erik Bystrom, Lorenzo Rota and Alessandro Fedeli could also be among the attackers in the climbs.

Prediction Eschborn - Frankfurt 2023:

*** Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie
** Michael Matthews, Phil Bauhaus, Alexander Kristoff
* Sam Bennett, Danny van Poppel, Matteo Trentin, Pascal Ackermann, Max Walscheid, Simone Consonni, Hugo Hofstetter, Matteo Moschetti

Pick: Jasper Philipsen