Ben Tulett podiums at Eschborn-Frankfurt: A strong day in Germany continues spring comeback

11 April 2026: Visma | Lease a Bike hope that Ben Tulett can recover in time for the Ardennes Classics after a heavy crash in the Basque Country. 22 April: Tulett on the podium at La Flèche Wallonne. 1 May: Tulett on the podium at Eschborn-Frankfurt. After the race in Germany, Tulett told IDL Pro Cycling about his incredible last few weeks.

Tulett and the Basque Country curse — it nearly struck for the third year running. When Visma | Lease a Bike signed the young Briton ahead of 2024, then-sporting director Merijn Zeeman saw a bright future for him in the Ardennes. For a rider who had finished seventeenth at Amstel Gold Race and twelfth at La Flèche Wallonne at the age of just 19, you did not need to be a Visma director to see it.

Yet the first two years delivered nothing in the Ardennes. In 2024, Tulett fell seriously ill during the Basque Country. Last year, fatigue forced him to abandon the stage race, and he never fully recovered in time for the Classics that followed. When this year's edition went wrong in stage five — while he was sitting sixth overall — with another crash, the frustration was real. Not again.

"My crash in the Basque Country was a serious one and it's true that it was genuinely uncertain whether I'd be able to start the hill Classics," Tulett reflected. "We handled it very carefully to manage the pain in my knee, which made it hard to ride."

"At the same time, I knew my form was good and that things would be okay as long as the pain stayed manageable. Standing on the podium here in Frankfurt is another good confirmation of how we approached it," he said with satisfaction — two podium finishes from the three races that remained after the crash.

"We had already finished third at La Flèche Wallonne, and at Liège I was in good shape too — I just missed the top ten because I slightly messed up my sprint. Today I made up for that and I'm closing the spring on a high."

At Frankfurt, Tulett was the best climber in the decisive finale. "The plan was to make the final ascent of the Mammolshain as hard as possible and use it to shed the sprinters, so we could get to the finish with a smaller, select group."

It worked — just. "I'm a fan of the course changes they made, because it was considerably harder than in previous years. At the same time it was still an open race where many different types of rider could play a role. That's exactly the kind of race I love."

"The gap looked sufficient for a long time, but it came down sharply in the final kilometres. If it had been one kilometre longer, I probably wouldn't have been on the podium. I was well-positioned in the last 600 metres and managed to hold on to the finish."

"This podium makes me very happy, because it's another confirmation that these are the races that suit me." Now let's hope the Basque Country finally plays ball next year.