EA loop through the Taunus on May 1st when others put their feet up? The Everyman faction is, presumably, voluntarily on the way. It can be a beautiful one. Just don’t overdo it right away, because at the start in Eschborn things get straight to the point.
Ambitious amateur cyclists with poor starting positions want to get ahead in order to be pulled along in the slipstream. This creates a hectic pace in the field, which calms down by the time you enter Frankfurt, but which blossoms again because of the tight curves in the city: the accordion effect drifts out of the saddle.
“That’s terrible!”
After around 20 kilometers on the way to Oberursel, things get quieter. There, small inclines prepare you for the ascent. A good test of the daily form. How high is the pulse, how sure is the feeling of getting over the mountain with the frequency? There should still be room to speak. From the start of the “mountain classification”, at the Hohemark roundabout, an eloquent silence spreads. Unless a previous Tour de France winner cackles by.
The ascent is rhythmic over eleven kilometers with an average gradient of 4.8 percent. There are always small recovery meters, at the latest in the “applause curve” hairpin bend. The first descent leads quickly and twice sharply down to Niederreifenberg, where the village policeman will have to accept 80 km/h and more.
Watch out: Down in the village, take a sharp left on a road riddled with potholes up to the Kittelhütte, the refreshment station, and from there down to the ascent from Oberems to Glashütten. In recent years, experienced people have held back because they thought of the poisonous climb before Ruppertshain and Grandma’s cleverness: “Boy, 100 kilometers? – That’s terrible! Do not you have a car?”
Instead of climbing to Ruppertshain, the field rushes home over a few hills via Eppstein and his short Paris-Roubaix moment thanks to cobblestones. If not the Mammolshainer Berg was waiting with its 20 percent stab in the thigh. The fans of the pros on the mountain are grateful for the pre-program. You also get something: an impression of the stark difference in speed.
There’s cheering up and a boost for the stretching incline to Königstein. Those who are at the top are drawn to the Eschborn lowlands with relish. But beware: the descent into Kronberg has an ascending left bend ready, which does not forgive any steering errors. Because there are many sprinters among everyone, the last few meters become hectic again. Our recommendation: Remember grandma’s advice: “Boy, you don’t have to be first in a few thousand. Tenth is enough.”
