John Degenkolb will return to racing in Sunday's Rund um den Finanzplatz.

It will be his first competition since the training accident as Degenkolb was one of the six riders of the team involved in the accident on January 23rd in Spain. It left Degenkolb with a fracture to his forearm and injury to his index finger putting his racing future in question. Degenkolb has shown remarkable perseverance and determination to overcome this terrible setback to make his comeback.

John Degenkolb said: “First of all, I am really happy to pin my race number on again and to be at the starting line. It’s my home race on Sunday which makes it even more special for me. I am really thankful to all the people who have supported me and who have made it possible for me to race again.

“I am certainly not here to aim for the win. The goal is to get back the feeling of riding in the peloton again and of course this is my first test on competition ground since January. Let’s not forget what I have been through the last few months and keep it all in perspective. For Sunday, I hope I can finish the race in a good way.”

The 55th edition of Germany's one-day race is 206km long and features a steep climb, the Mammolshainer Berg with a 26% ramp in sections. The peloton has to climb it four times before hitting the finishing circuit in Frankfurt, which will make it a lot harder compared to previous editions.

Coach Mattias Reck said: "It has been a challenging few months but we saw in the Ardennes classics that the results started to get better and I hope we will continue in the same direction. It's great to have John back in the team since the training accident. It 's been a long period of recovery and working hard on his comeback. For Sunday, it's just about regaining the feeling of racing again with no immediate pressure on him for results.

"I expect it to be a tough race and the weather can be a factor throughout the day so we will have to be vigilant. The last time the riders tackle the Mammolshainer Berg will be a key moment so we need to be in a good position before it begins. If the race becomes really hard and uncontrolled, we have Simon and Sam who are able to follow the attacks. If the riders are still all together then we will prepare the sprint for Ramon and we can aim for a top 10 result."

Line-up

John Degenkolb (GER)
Caleb Fairly (USA)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (NOR)
Sam Oomen (NED)
Ramon Sinkeldam (NED)
Zico Waeytens (BEL)