Eschborn-Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz
Peloton during the race in Kronberg im Taunus
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| Date | 1 May |
|---|---|
| Region | Hesse, Germany |
| English name | Eschborn-Frankfurt - Lap of the Finanzplatz |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | One-day |
| Organiser | ASO |
| First edition | 1962 |
| Editions | 56 (as of 2017) |
| First winner |
 Armand Desmet (BEL)
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| Most wins |
 Erik Zabel (GER) Alexander Kristoff (NOR)(3 wins) |
| Most recent |
Alexander Kristoff (NOR)
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Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz, previously Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt, is an annual semi classic cycling race in Germany, starting in Eschborn and finishing in Frankfurt. The event, sometimes referred to as the Frankfurt Grand Prix, is held annually on 1 May, national Labour Day in Germany.
As from 2017, Eschborn–Frankfurt is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest-rated professional men's races, making it the second German World Tour event, together with the Hamburg Cyclassics in August. The event is organised by ASO.
The event was first held on 1 May, 1962, as Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt, starting and finishing in Frankfurt's city centre. Brothers Hermann and Erwin Moos sought to promote the Henninger Tower, a grain silo belonging to the Henninger Brewery, which opened in 1961. Henninger served as main sponsor of the cycling event from the inaugural race until 2008. Rund um den Henninger Turm received a status upgrade in 1967 when Paris–Brussels, organised in late April, was removed from the calendar due to traffic problems and the event became the pre-eminent one-day cycling race in West Germany.
The race's first winner was Belgian Armand Desmet in 1962. Barry Hoban became the first British winner in 1966 after a 50 km solo ride to the finish, holding the chasing pack at one minute. Cycling greatness Eddy Merckx won the race solo in 1971. Sprinters Erik Zabel (1999, 2002 and 2005) and Alexander Kristoff (2014, 2016 and 2017) hold the record with three wins. Seven further riders have won twice.
In 1995, Rund um den Henninger Turm was part of the UCI Road World Cup, cycling's season-long competition of the most important one-day races in the 1990s. The fixed date of the event however, every 1 May, was considered unfavourable as it was often midweek, and it was replaced with the newly-created HEW Cyclassics in Hamburg as the German leg of the series.
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