All Eyes on Kristoff as he Heads to Eschborn Frankfurt as Race Favourite

April 30, 2018 - Dubai, UAE: UAE Team Emirates’ Alexander Kristoff will step up as team leader once again at a race he has dominated during its last three iterations. The Norwegian sprinter has now stood on the top step of the Eschborn Frankfurt podium three times, winning the race in 2014, 2016 and 2017. 

Kristoff will be supported by a strong team, which includes his fellow countryman Sven Erik Bystom, an Italian quartet of Filippo Ganna, Oliverio Troia, Simone Consonni and Roberto Ferrari along with the promising young Belarussian Alexandr Riabushenko.  The team will be under the guidance of Italian Sports Director, Daniele Righi.

Commenting ahead of the one day classic, Kristoff said: "I think the race will be difficult for me to win this year as the course will be shorter and more demanding. However, I have a good relationship with Eschborn-Frankfurt and I’d love to make history by becoming the first ever rider to take the top spot four times in a row."

The Eschborn-Frankfurt Classic, which is the most iconic cycling race in Germany, was staged for the first time in 1962 and sees riders take on the challenging Taunus Hills as they battle 212kms of road and over 3,500 vertical meters of climbing. The 57th edition will be more difficult than previous races, with a handful of legendary climbs making a comeback for 2017. These include the 1.3km, 6.7% gradient climb in Ruppertshain and the 3.5km long Billtalhöhe (max 8.4%) which has been reinstated after seven years of absence. Besides these changes, well-known challenges like the long ascent to the Feldberg (10.8km, 5.0%) and the brutal Mammolshainer Berg (1.0km, max 23%), which will be climbed four times this year, are on the menu. 

UAE Team Emirates’  participation on the UCI World Tour gives the local community the opportunity to come together and support world-class athletes as they aim to become one of the top cycling teams on the tour.