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So is Eschborn-Frankfurt a classic? No, probably not.
Could it be considered one soon? Yes.
A lot of this article is going to be about what is and isn’t a ‘Classic’ in cycling, a disputed subject which is more down to prestige than any official classification.
There’s no official definition of what is a classic in the UCI, cycling’s governing body, rules and definitions for road events. What clarification there is only extends to the five monuments of cycling; Paris-Roubaix, Milan San Remo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Giro Il Lombardia and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The ‘Classics’ are basically the high-profile one-day races that fall in a portion of the season, the most famous are the cobbled classics, the Ardennes classics and the Italian spring classics in that order.
There’s a confluence of history, proximity and fan response that goes into what gets bundled in each of these classics seasons, for example, a few races are called semi-classics like Brabantes Pijl, which straddles the divide between the cobbled classics and the Ardennes races, or Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which are raced over the same roads as the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but are removed by over a month from the monument.
Note that UCI classification of races doesn’t play much of a part in what gets called a classic. Omloop het Nieuwsblad is a WorldTour race, while Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne isn’t but they both get the same label, and for all Brugge De Panne actually calls itself the ‘Classic Brugge De Panne’ and has the WorldTour rating to match, nobody regards it on the same level of prestige as the ‘Classics’ and still remember it as the often forgettable ‘Driesdaage de Panne’ when it was a short stage race.
Eschborn-Frankfurt is a WorldTour race, and has over 60 editions under its belt, but falls foul of these rules of thumb for proximity of location and of theme, or at least it has in the past. Frankfurt is a 340-kilometre bike ride from the Ardennes and has been a race won by sprinters, and most riders competing in the Ardennes classics aren't sprinters and don’t add an extra week to their racing block and compete in the German race.
In addition, May 1 is the set date for the race, as it coincides with Labour Day in Germany, apparently not a public holiday for cyclists. This year it falls on a Monday, hardly a traditional cycling viewing day, and most of the world doesn’t have a public holiday off to watch along.
Those are the obstacles, but Eschborn-Frankfurt is repositioning itself as a race where the climbers and the sprinters have equal chances with the race taking in the highest mountain in the Taunus region, the Feldberg (7.6km at 6.5%), twice over its 203.8-kilometre distance. Quoting from the pre-race media release ‘Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023 will have a noticeably more classic character’.
With the added climbing and a shorter stretch to the finish from the final ascent of the Mammolshainer climb (2.3km at 8.3%), the chances of success for Taunus attacks increase. There have been attempts to break the race up in recent editions, Australian WorldTour team Jayco AlUla have been at the forefront in the past to advantage Michael Matthews for instance, but these moves have been neutralised well before the finish.
Australia has a good history at the race, with Phil Anderson winning consecutive editions in 1984-5 when it was called the Frankfurt Grand Prix.
Race director Fabian Wegman, himself a classic specialist who won the race on two occasions, heralded the new direction for Eschborn-Frankfurt by pointing towards the changed team compositions for the event.
"There is no clear trend to be seen in the teams' preliminary rider nominations,” said Wegman. “Pure sprinters are just as much part of it as the mountain-proof and classics-tested names.
“I'm curious to see how the riders take to the new course. A look back at the spring classics shows that many races were very open and early attacks often brought a preliminary decision or even the decision.
“We have prepared the right course for this - now it is up to the attack-minded riders to take advantage of this opportunity.”
It’s that final line that will determine whether the changes will bring true ‘classics’ status to Eschborn-Frankfurt, if it comes close enough to the Ardennes classics in type that the top riders see it as a worthwhile option to pursue, which will bring more exciting racing, more fan interest and more prestige.
The real decision point will be the Mammolshainer-Feldberg chained climbs at the midpoint of the race with the summit coming with 85 kilometres to go. It’s nearly 10 kilometres of steep, sustained climbing and the race should be in pieces by that point if the race is to reach the dramatic heights necessary to grip an audience coming off a classic season hangover.
One year’s racing won’t change whether Eschborn-Frankfurt gets moved into the classics category alongside its peers, but this year could be the start of a shift that sees it incorporated alongside Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege as the fourth Ardennes-ish classic.
You’ll be able to watch the 2023 Eschborn-Frankfurt on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND with LIVE and FREE coverage of the race on May 1.
Coverage begins on SBS On Demand from 8pm (AEST) on Monday, while you can catch LIVE action on SBS VICELAND from 11pm.
