The German Classic on May, 1st - since 1962.
Pros | ŠKODA Velotour | U23-Race | Süwag Energie Youth Cup | kinder Joy of Moving mini tour| Expo
1 May will once again be a cycling classic celebration day for all fans. The places and opportunities along the route where spectators can follow the race and also take part in the event themselves via the extensive supporting programme are more varied than ever before. In addition to the two expos at the XXXLutz car park at the start in Eschborn and at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt at the finish, there will once again be many route festivals in the Taunus region. New this year: a party at the highest point of the race on the Feldberg.
The entire race can be followed from the summit of the 881 metre high Feldberg with a video screen and culinary treats. Hessischer Rundfunk will be broadcasting live right on time for the start of the professional race at 12.05 pm. There will also be an opportunity to see the riders up close as they climb the mountain at one of the most difficult points on the more than 200 kilometre route - and from two different directions. The first time the pros will pass the Feldberg at around 13:15. The second time they are expected at around 3.00 pm.
April 16th, 2024
The cycling classic will take place again in two weeks' time - once again with a renowned starting field. 19 teams, including 14 UCI WorldTour teams for the first time, have nominated their provisional riders for Eschborn-Frankfurt.
Søren Kragh Andersen leads the provisional start list. Winning the cycling classics trophy was the highlight of the past season for the 29-year-old. This year, his team Alpecin - Deceuninck is dominating the big classics and has achieved a hat-trick of monuments. Whether the team will now also claim the cycling classics triple after 2021 (Jasper Philipsen) and 2023 will be revealed in two weeks' time in front of the Alte Oper.
German cycling fans can keep their fingers crossed for more than a dozen local pros. Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) is riding an outstanding spring, which was crowned with a podium at the Tour of Flanders and 4th place at Paris-Roubaix. Emanuel Buchmann (BORA - hansgrohe) will present the champion's jersey on May 1st and wants to fine-tune his skills for the Giro d'Italia, which starts just three days later.
The Škoda Velotour goes from record to record. Last year, the starting places had to be limited for the first time in the race's history. The new record of 8000 participants was quickly reached and the race was fully booked. This record is now also history. More starters have already registered for May 1 than ever before. The countdown for the last places is now underway.
The Škoda Velotour has developed into one of the largest and most popular hobby bike races in Germany. "6000 - 8000 - 10000" sums up the record growth of the last three years. For 2024, the capacity has been increased to 10,000 starting places in order to meet the cycling boom and the high demand.
The countdown to the remaining places has now begun! Just over 1500 registrations are still possible. If you are not yet there, you need to book your starting place quickly. The current rate level ends on Sunday (March 31). Many athletes are taking advantage of this week, booking at a very good price.
The Frankfurt Hero series kicked off last weekend. The Frankfurt half marathon set a record in perfect running weather and was sold out with 9,000 registrations. A great start for the Frankfurt sporting events. Anyone who also takes part in the Škoda Velotour on May 1 and then the Frankfurt City Triathlon (July 28) after the half marathon is a "Frankfurt Hero".
The "Frankfurt Heroes" are an ambitious group of athletes in the Main metropolis: they have run a half marathon and completed a cycling race and a triathlon, each at their favorite distance.
The top of these ambitious athletes even opted for the longest distances and thus qualified for the special "Frankfurt Hero Champion" classification. In addition to the half marathon and the middle distance of the triathlon, they also mastered the Škoda Velotour Taunus Classic. The athlete with the fastest overall time in all three events will be honored with the champion title and awarded free starts and non-cash prizes.
The U23 race at Eschborn-Frankfurt will once again be held with a large starting field. 26 junior teams have been selected for May 1st. Like the WorldTour pros, the talented youngsters will also start in Eschborn and ride through the Taunus to the finish in front of the Alte Oper.
This year, the route of the junior race will take on an even more professional character. For the young riders, there will be the premiere of the double Feldberg passage. This will make the U23 race longer, more challenging and further strengthen its classic character. 129 kilometers with 2000 meters of elevation gain are on the program.
No fewer than five German UCI Continental teams will be on show for the home fans. Three German amateur teams, including the local heroes from Hessen-Frankfurt-Opelit, will also be taking part on May 1st. Even though Germany dominates the team list with its contingent, the race is international. Teams from 15 other nations have set their sights on the difficult course in the Taunus. In the last three editions, the junior version of the cycling classic was firmly in Danish hands. Last year, Joshua Gudnitz won the comeback edition - his team ColoQuick will be the defending champions.
"Bike Academy by kinder Joy of Moving" - the joint school project of the Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling classic and the kinder Joy of Moving initiative teaches schoolchildren how to ride a bike safely in a fun way. More than 900 children from Frankfurt have already been inspired to cycle since fall 2022. The program is now being extended to Eschborn schools.
As soon as the temperatures get a little warmer, the "Bike Academy by kinder Joy of Moving" picks up speed again. Once again, hundreds of kids in grades 1 to 6 will be trained as part of their PE lessons. In this free school project, certified and experienced bike trainers work together with PE teachers. The content of the lessons depends on the age and therefore the cycling experience of the children.
It is a project with a track record of success: 118 teaching units with 42 classes at 13 Frankfurt schools have already been completed. This year, the project is celebrating its premiere in Eschborn. From now on, it is no longer just the classic bike race on May 1 that connects Eschborn and Frankfurt - the Bike Academy is now also present at primary and secondary schools in both cities.
There are still 55 days to go until the cycling classic, but a look at the team selection already promises an exciting May 1st. With 13 teams from the UCI WorldTour and five ProTeams, Eschborn-Frankfurt 2024 will take place. Never in the long history of the race has there been such a high level of first-class teams in the starting field.
The team selection is led by Alpecin-Deceuninck and BORA - hansgrohe, who have alternately won the last four editions. Last year, the Belgian team spoiled the German team's home race and will now start as defending champions. The teams of local heroes John Degenkolb (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Jonas Rutsch (EF Education - EasyPost) as well as record winner Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) will also be there on May 1st. Many international teams of German riders have also announced their participation once again. They all want to crown the end of the spring with the trophy of the German WorldTour race.
The track update at Eschborn-Frankfurt has proven its worth and provided fans with an exciting race right up to the final on 1 May. True to the motto "never change a winning team", the successful course remains unchanged for 2024. More than 200 kilometres, two climbs on the Feldberg and three on the Mammolshainer Stich will once again attract the best classic specialists to the Taunus next year.
The première was straight away a success for the new Feldberg Passage. On 1 May, the preliminary decision that the team around Eschborn-Frankfurt Sports Director Fabian Wegmann had hoped for was made here. The new challenging climbing sequence of Feldberg, twice Mammolshainer and directly over the Billtalhöhe to the more difficult Feldberg ascent made the difference in the final of the German classic. The last climb to the Mammolshainer then produced the small leading group, which decided the victory among themselves before the Alte Oper.
It was an exciting German classic for the fans, which is why the classic course will also be used for the next edition. With 203.8 kilometres, it will remain unchanged in 2024.
More kilometres and metres in altitude as well as a plus in Taunus atmosphere. The recipe for success of the last professional edition is now being applied to the U23 edition. At the upcoming 1 May, the young talents will also ride twice over the Feldberg. The race will be longer, more demanding and thus further strengthen its classic character.
As with the professionals, the race day also begins for the young cyclists in Eschborn. 129 kilometres with 2000 metres of altitude are awaiting them. From the start, they will first head into Frankfurt city centre through the finish area. On the familiar route through the Taunus, the field arrives at the Feldberg for the first time after 46 kilometres of racing. After the descent, the Taunus icon is approached for the second time via the Red Cross. Like the pros this year, the U23 riders now also have to conquer the climb from the steeper side. At the midpoint of the race, the selective section is completed. The course leads back through the Taunus to Eschborn and on to the finish in front of the Alte Oper.
Once again, more than 150 young riders are expected to compete for the cycling classic title in the U23 category on 1 May. This year, the Danish talents have dominated the race. In the bunch sprint, Joshua Gudnitz won ahead of Gustav Wang. Only time will tell if they will pursue a career like their compatriot Mads Pedersen. He won the U23 cycling classic in 2014 - five years later he became world champion. Fabio Jakobsen, Jonas Rutsch and Nils Politt are other prominent names who already stood on the podium in the junior class on 1 May.
