59th Eschborn-Frankfurt (1.UWT), May 1st

[RedheadDane]

One of those WT races that doesn't quite feel WT.

Unlike most races it's held on the same date every year, namely May 1st, the German labour day. Except for last year, when it was moved to September.

Startlist for Eschborn-Frankfurt 2022 (procyclingstats.com)

Top competitors

• PHILIPSEN Jasper
• VAN POPPEL Danny
• KRISTOFF Alexander
• NIZZOLO Giacomo
• GIRMAY Biniam
• HOFSTETTER Hugo
• POLITT Nils
• ALLEGAERT Piet
• GAVIRIA Fernando
• DE LIE Arnaud

I'm surprised Gaviria is allowed to ride, since he was in Romandie, which finishes tomorrow.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Used to be a beautiful race, sadly now non-sprinters don't believe they have a chance and so most teams send the sprint squadron and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The organisers have tried a few times to shake up the parcours to encourage more balance like in the days when we had that edition when you didn't know who would finish first out of Pozzovivo and Greipel at 500m to go, but those flat laps in the city just kill off the hopes of any escape.

 

[Red Rick]

Used to be a beautiful race, sadly now non-sprinters don't believe they have a chance and so most teams send the sprint squadron and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The organisers have tried a few times to shake up the parcours to encourage more balance like in the days when we had that edition when you didn't know who would finish first out of Pozzovivo and Greipel at 500m to go, but those flat laps in the city just kill off the hopes of any escape.

I never watched this race but this route does look like a self fullilling prophecy. If you'd dedicate Ardennes/climber type domestiques to this race you can make it pretty selective, but nobody is gonna commit the riders to this race because of it's place on the calendar.

 

[SafeBet]

Could very well be the WT race I care the least about in Europe.
The fact it comes right after the big Classics and before the Giro plays a role but it has also become so predictable and uninspiring.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I never watched this race but this route does look like a self fullilling prophecy. If you'd dedicate Ardennes/climber type domestiques to this race you can make it pretty selective, but nobody is gonna commit the riders to this race because of it's place on the calendar.

For a long time it was nicely placed to be a kind of final hail mary to get something out of a failed classics campaign, also the improvement in the calibre of domestiques meaning it's far easier to tow back breakaways than it once was, means that the bunch escapes are trying to stay away from tend to be bigger than they used to be, and the low gradient grind of Großer Feldberg from Oberursel doesn't tend to get rid of many anymore. The old Hainer Weg circuit had no true major climb but it was a slightly uphill sprint and gave a bit of scope for attacks on the closing circuit. After they added the extra loop of the Mammolshainer Berg in 2012 there were a couple of better editions but as often happens, once the péloton gets used to a new route, racing settles down.

Also, the gradual erosion of the second tier has really hurt this race as it used to be a nice place on the calendar for Benelux classics teams who were just coming off peak and Italian wildcard teams looking for some final pre-Giro tune-up racing, notwithstanding that those teams often had a higher calibre of rider than they do now, and races like that were crucial to their status. Making it World Tour has been a double-edged sword for the race, as it's just increased the number of World Tour teams who were already sending B-squads and logging their kilometres, and you look at the startlist and it's like, how many of those teams are even interested in an outcome other than a sprint?

 

[topcat]

I don't like the route.
Seriously, who gives a flying *** about this race?

 

[search]

well, last year a ~15 men group including Teuns, Matthews and so on went clear on the penultimate climb. Sure, they still didn't even come close to winning, but usually there's still some action, and enough to drop the weak climbers (a.o. Groenewegen last year) among the sprinters at least. Less flat in the end would be better, but it's not a bad race

 

[Red Rick]

I think what also makes it less interesting for attackers is there's no hills in the final 40km so it's still basically a lottery out of a larger leading group even if you're the best in the race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think what also makes it less interesting for attackers is there's no hills in the final 40km so it's still basically a lottery out of a larger leading group even if you're the best in the race.

Well, that and that even if you do get some action like search describes in last year's edition, the problem is then that unless you've got a couple of teams who have sufficient numbers to go all in like Milram and Vacansoleil in 2010, if a rider like Matthews makes that group and nobody in that group fancies sprinting against them, it kills the cohesion and makes the break less likely to survive especially given the flat run-in. A bit of potential can be had on the twisty bit through the northern suburbs skirting the U-Bahn lines, but once it's onto the wide open boulevards in the centre the bunch is always favourite.

 

[Breh]

Could very well be the WT race I care the least about in Europe.
The fact it comes right after the big Classics and before the Giro plays a role but it has also become so predictable and uninspiring.

What about the BEMER Cyclassics?

 

[SafeBet]

What about the BEMER Cyclassics?

I forgot it even existed since they didn't ride it the past 2 years

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Frankfurt > Hamburg. While both share similar flaws, at least Frankfurt was good once upon a time. And I can see just how much of the Frankfurt I remember still remains.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

A success, that of the Bellunese from Feltre, which allows her to strengthen her leadership on her teammate, who is chasing after 50 points.
"Seeing the girls in this state of form is a pleasure ," says Luca Bramati , sporting director of the Trinx Factory Team. “Happy above all for Giorgia, who was returning after the virus that hit her in Brazil. Under 23 Noemi Plankensteiner also did well, showing continuous improvements from race to race .

Ok, it's getting a bit too weird now. This is an English translation of two paragraphs from an Italian article about a national MTB race earlier this week.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Frankfurt > Hamburg. While both share similar flaws, at least Frankfurt was good once upon a time. And I can see just how much of the Frankfurt I remember still remains.

Yes, I agree as well that Frankfurt is better.

 

[tobydawq]

Ok, it's getting a bit too weird now. This is an English translation of two paragraphs from an Italian article about a national MTB race earlier this week.

I thought that the first couple of posts from a new member were "checked" by a mod.

Maybe it would be advisable to introduce such a paradigm if it isn't in place.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Why do Quickstep not ride this race? Does Lefevere have a beef with the organisers?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought that the first couple of posts from a new member was "checked" by a mod.

Maybe it would be advisable to introduce such a paradigm if it isn't in place.

Hopefully that would keep us from getting multiple Pogacar threads and Van der Breggen strings, though the occasional alternate race threads could still pop up.

 

[Bonimenier]

Why do Quickstep not ride this race? Does Lefevere have a beef with the organisers?

Has something to do with it being a newer WT race. Rules state that WT teams aren't obligated to participate, and that the organization has to get at least 10 WT teams at the start to avoid getting relegated from WT status.

JV, Ineos and Movistar aren't present either.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Has something to do with it being a newer WT race. Rules state that WT teams aren't obligated to participate, and that the organization has to get at least 10 WT teams at the start to avoid getting relegated from WT status.

JV, Ineos and Movistar aren't present either.

Yeah I know about the WT rules but I would have thought the team that always has one of the very top sprinters would eye this one up.
Ineos and Movistar I can. understand.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Looks like a less mountainous stage into Pau.

 

[movingtarget]

Used to be a beautiful race, sadly now non-sprinters don't believe they have a chance and so most teams send the sprint squadron and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The organisers have tried a few times to shake up the parcours to encourage more balance like in the days when we had that edition when you didn't know who would finish first out of Pozzovivo and Greipel at 500m to go, but those flat laps in the city just kill off the hopes of any escape.

Prefer the two Canadian races to this one.

 

[screaming fist]

Frankfurt > Hamburg. While both share similar flaws, at least Frankfurt was good once upon a time. And I can see just how much of the Frankfurt I remember still remains.

I grew up in the region, so I wonder if I'm a bit too nostalgic about past editions, but still... When it was still Rund um den Henninger Turm the last couple of kilometres south of the Main where a bit more technical and much more interesting than the boring inner city finale they have now.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Fitting that the most boring WT one day race is at the same time as the most boring bigger WT stage race.
It's a shame that for obvious sponsoring and publicity reason the race has to finish in Frankfurt itself, Mammolshain and Ruppertshain are really good material for fantastic loops but with the massive flat following towards Frankfurt the race will always be doomed.

 

[RedheadDane]

Those people in the corner right after the finish are gonna have an amazing view of the sprint.
They might also have to catch a few riders not having time to brake.

 

[ciranda]

Never watch this race but the one time I did a long time ago Levi Leipheimer was in a long distance break through some forests all alone.