Cycle race on May 1st: decision at Opernplatz

Most residents of Frankfurt and Taunus know it, and newcomers learn it: on May 1st, a lot revolves around bikes in the region. Since 1962, one cycle race has followed the next on Labor Day, from children's competitions to professional slugfest.

Eschborn-Frankfurt, the former Henninger race, has always had thousands of spectators along the route and in the finish area - and many drivers stuck at roadblocks.

A major sporting event such as the cycling classic is naturally accompanied by traffic delays.

This applies primarily to May 1st, but partly from Saturday due to the construction work in Eschborn (from 10 p.m.) and in the city of Frankfurt (from 12 p.m.).

"Anyone who informs themselves will find all the necessary information," says organization manager Matthias Pietsch.

"I hope that the traditional date of 1.

After the corona-related cancellation in 2020 and the postponement to September 2021, Eschborn-Frankfurt is returning to its original place on the calendar.

Many residents have received a letter in their mailboxes that provides information about the traffic disruptions.

provides good and detailed information .

An interactive traffic map shows the closures and the set up lock points at which drivers can cross the cycle routes at certain times.

The transit times of the cyclists are also listed.

The organizer advises all roadside residents who want to use their car on May 1st to park their car outside the restricted zones beforehand.

A total of 540 marshals and many police forces will be on duty at the race course.

In addition, the organizers are offering an information hotline for citizens, which can be reached during the day from Friday on 08 00/5 89 20 07.

Cycling pros within reach

Spectators are asked to travel by public transport.

With the exception of the U 3 in Oberursel, S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains run without restrictions, sometimes even more frequently and with more cars.

In contrast, 16 tram and bus lines in Frankfurt have to be interrupted or diverted.

The desired connections can be planned

using the online timetable information at

Frankfurt's Opernplatz, where the professional race is expected to finish shortly before 5 p.m., will be transformed into a cycling exhibition area.

In the Taunus, the Mammolshainer Berg in Königstein is traditionally the most atmospheric.

The street is extensively painted, the smell of barbecue is in the air, and after the thousands of participants in the amateur race have finished, the pros have to master the up to 23 percent steep pass four times on their 184-kilometer Taunusschleife.

Nowhere else can you get so close to some of the world's best professional cyclists.

Hands-on cycling can already be experienced on Sunday morning, when the children's and youth races take place on the Frankfurt inner-city course, which is closed from around 6 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

The passage of the approximately 6,000 participants in the everyone's race, the bike tour, with the sound of whirring chains, clicking gears and one or the other soft curse on the lips is a small spectacle.

This year, the racers will drive from the start in Eschborn via the Katharinenkreisel and then on to Frankfurt via Theodor-Heuss-Allee and Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage.

The route was changed for cyclists' safety reasons.

The Opel Zoo in Kronberg cannot be reached by road for a few hours on May 1st.