PREVIEW | Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023 - Philipsen, De Lie, Bennett and Kristoff among big favourites for tricky classic
Cycling
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.
Eschborn - Frankfurt, 203 kilometers
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.
Read also
Mammolshain: 2.3Km; 7.9%; 112, 96 & 36.5Km to go
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.
Eschborn-Frankfurt finale
The Weather
Map Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023
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
** 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
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
Loading
Ein starkes Starterfeld meldet sich für den #Radklassiker an. Zehn Mannschaften der UCI WorldTour und neun ProTeams werden bei der diesjährigen Ausgabe starten. Mit dabei sind alle Mannschaften der aktiven Radklassiker-Sieger.
Write a comment