today, 5:00 PM | by Tom van der Salm
Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) managed to win Eschborn-Frankfurt 2024 on a warm day in Germany. After a fiercely fought race, he showed himself to be the best after a crazy race in and around the German city. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) got caught up in the sprint and was therefore unable to sprint at full speed, resulting in fourteenth place.
Whether it is seen as a spring classic or not, this edition of Eschborn-Frankfurt did distort the spring. On May 1, Labor Day in Germany, the riders were exposed to the sun for five hours and two hundred kilometers. So for many riders it was either a nice extension of the spring or a nice start of a new block, as well as a good snack.
At 12.05 pm the drivers in Eschborn were started on their course, after which three men were immediately successful with the first attempt: surprisingly John Degenkolb, normally the leader of DSM company PostNL. Jacopo Mosca (Lidl-Trek teammate of Thibau Nys) and Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) also joined the home favorite, which the peloton was happy with.
The blow bought the trio seven minutes, after which several teams joined forces: Lotto-Dstny (Van Gils), Alpecin-Deceuninck (Kragh Andersen and Laurance) and UAE-Team Emirates (Hirschi and Politt) each posted a male at the head of the large group towards the hill zone, including the Mannolshein and Feldberg.
Eenkhoorn and Bax provide crucial work for leaders Van Gils and Hirschi
While Degenkolb was still riding from the front, teammate Kevin Vermaerke – who will also ride the Giro – decided to make the first pinprick from the background. The American let go of the remainder of the peloton, after which he quickly realized the futility of his attempt. UAE-Team Emirates and Lotto-Dstny then continued to set the pace in the service of their leaders, which ensured natural selection on the Feldberg.
The first attack on that referee came from UAE youngster Jan Christen, with Emanuel Buchmann also more than awake after his non-selection for the Giro. Ultimately, a group of approximately thirty drivers rounded the top of the Feldberg, after which the entire game fell back on the car in the long descent of that hill.
Ultimately it was Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) who set out, together with Buchmann. The German and Irish champions worked well together, with their teammates behind them providing the necessary blocking work. However, Sjoerd Bax ensured that the attempt was neutralized with a strong header.
Christian shows himself best uphill,
On the Mannolshein, the Dutchman’s work turned out not to be in vain: Christen immediately thundered away, while teammate Marc Hirschi controlled the counter-attacks. Christen thus passed the top with about fifteen seconds of lead, which he was then able to quickly increase to half a minute. In the chasing group of about twenty riders, several teams tried to reduce the gap.
When entering Frankfurt, the 19-year-old driver’s lead dropped noticeably, but he continued to persevere. As a result, the lead remained at just under ten seconds for quite some time, but in the last three kilometers he had to make do. From that moment on it was time to prepare for a sprint with a select group.
Van Gils followed the other teams and overcame competitors Alex Aranburu and Marc Hirschi in the absolute final phase, which gave him the victory in Frankfurt. Aranburu came second on behalf of Movistar, ahead of Israel-Premier Tech rider Rhiley Sheehan.
Result Eschborn-Frankfurt 2024
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2024-05-01 15:00:00
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