Preview this weekend’s Maryland Cycling Classic and its updated course
BACK IN BALTIMORE THIS WEEKEND. IT COMES AFTER LAST YEAR’S RACE WAS CANCELED FOLLOWING THE KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE. NOW, ORGANIZERS ARE ROLLING OUT SOME NEW CHANGES THIS YEAR, AND HERE TO TALK ALL ABOUT IT IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MARYLAND CYCLING CLASSIC, STEVE BRUNNER, ALONG WITH PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, TERRY HASSELTINE. THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING IN. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANKS FOR HAVING US. SO THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR FOR THE RACE. WHAT’S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? WELL, WE’VE INAUGURAL WOMEN’S RACE, WHICH IS HUGE. THAT’S HUGE. SO WE’VE GOT A DOUBLE HEADER 830 START FOR THE WOMEN’S RACE, 1230 FOR THE MEN’S. THE SECOND BIG THING IS WE’VE BROUGHT THE ENTIRE RACE INTO A CIRCUIT IN BALTIMORE. IN THE PAST YEAR, IT STARTED OUT IN THE COUNTY AND FINISHED WITH A CIRCUIT HERE. SO WE’VE GOT 18 MILE CIRCUIT GOES ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE HAMPDEN AREA. ONTO THE NORTHERN EXPRESSWAY, AND THEN BACK DOWN IN THROUGH CENTRAL BALTIMORE. WE ALSO HIT THE COBBLESTONES ON THAMES, WHICH WILL BE INTERESTING FOR THE TEAM AND ATHLETES TO NAVIGATE THAT. DO YOU THINK IT’S TOUGH? BECAUSE I KNOW FOR THE MARATHON, RUNNERS COMPLAINED THAT IT’S VERY HILLY. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? WOULD YOU AGREE THAT THAT’S. WELL, IT’S ACTUALLY FLATTER. OH IS IT. COMPARATIVELY TO A LOT OF THE RACES IN EUROPE AND A LOT OF THE BIG MOUNTAINS THAT THEY HAVE THERE, BUT I THINK THE COBBLESTONES ARE DEFINITELY DIFFERENT. WRINKLE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE CLIMB IS 900 METER SHORT. CLIMB UP NORTH THERE. SO I THINK THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING IN THIS RACE FOR SURE. SO WHAT DOES HOSTING AN EVENT LIKE THIS MEAN FOR BALTIMORE? WELL, IT MEANS THE EYEBALLS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD WILL BE ON THE CITY OF BALTIMORE. WE’RE BASICALLY CREATING A GATEWAY TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND THE DOMESTIC COMMUNITY TO SEE THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CYCLING, BOTH ON THE MEN AND WOMEN’S SIDE. IT ALSO MEANS THAT VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE GOING TO HIT HIT THE STREETS OF BALTIMORE TO WATCH THIS RACE. SO THE ECONOMIC RETURN ON THIS EVENT IS HUGE. THE VISIBILITY OF A GREAT CITY LIKE BALTIMORE AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND IS HUGE. AND THEN SHOWING, SHOWING WORLD CLASS RACING SOMETHING YOU CAN GET CLOSE WITH THE ATHLETES ON. UNLIKE SOME OTHER SPORTING EVENTS WHERE YOU’RE SITTING 25 ROWS BACK OR WHATEVER, YOU CAN GET RIGHT ON THE RAIL AND WATCH THESE ATHLETES COME BY YOU AND COMPARE IT TO THE TOUR DE FRANCE. THAT’S REALLY COOL. YEAH. ARE THERE SOME ATHLETES, PEOPLE, ATHLETES THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR, IN PARTICULAR, ON THE MEN’S SIDE, THE US NATIONAL CHAMPION, QUINN SIMMONS, WHO WAS IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. MATTHIAS HARD NAME TO SAY, BUT HE’S THE WINNER FROM 2023 ON THE MEN’S SIDE. ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE, MEGAN STEVENS, WHO WAS THE RUNNER UP IN THE US CHAMPIONSHIPS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE US CHAMPION, WHO IS ALSO THE PARIS GOLD MEDALIST, KRISTEN FAULKNER, SHE CRASHED DURING THE WOMEN’S TOUR DE FRANCE, HURT HER SHOULDER AND UNFORTUNATELY, SHE’S NOW OUT OF THE RACE BECAUSE SHE’S HAVING SHOULDER SURGERY. BUT STILL A LOT OF BIG STARS. YEAH, A LOT OF BIG NAMES. YEAH, YEAH. YES. SO WHAT WILL THE DAY LOOK LIKE ITSELF IN BALTIMORE ON SATURDAY? ORGANIZED CHAOS? NO. IN ALL FAIRNESS, IT’S A OBVIOUSLY STEVE ALLUDED TO IT. IT’S A CIRCUIT. SO 18 PLUS MILES OF CIRCUIT. SO THE WOMEN BEING OUT ON THE COURSE FIRST YOU’LL SEE PRATT STREET WILL COME ALIVE. THERE’S MUSIC, THERE’S ENTERTAINMENT, THERE’S FOOD. YOU’LL SEE A LOT OF THAT. AND THEN OVER IN THE HARBOR POINT AREA IS WHERE THE START OF THE RACE IS. SO YOU’LL SEE THE GATHERING ESPECIALLY EARLY IN THE DAY AND THEN MIDDAY AGAIN WHEN YOU GET READY FOR PUTTING THE PELOTON. SEE IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHAT PELOTON IS BETTER THAN I CAN, BUT IT’S WHERE THE MASS OF EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS THE RACE AND LEADS TO RACE ALL GATHERS AND COMES OUT OF THE GATE, HEADING TOWARDS FELLS POINT. SO YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND TRYING TO GET TO THOSE VANTAGE POINTS TO WATCH THE RACE, AND THAT’S WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THE CIRCUIT, IS THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE VISIBILITY POINTS THAT ARE REALLY KEY TO WATCHING THE RACE. SO PEOPLE, LIKE I SAID, CAN GET UP CLOSE, FEEL THE ACTION AND THEN TRY TO MOVE FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION AS THE DAY GOES ON. THIS SOUNDS REALLY AWESOME. AND YOU’RE PEAKING MY INTEREST. SO WHAT? WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO IF I WANT TO COME SEE THIS? YOU JUST HAVE TO COME OUT AND WE’LL TAKE. WE’LL MAKE SURE YOU TAKE CARE. BUT REALLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S A FREE TO THE PUBLIC EVENT, WHICH IS AWESOME. THERE ARE SOME AREAS THAT ARE YOUR TICKETS ARE SOLD FOR VIP HOSPITALITY, LIKE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO TO HELPING US GET TO THE BOTTOM LINE OF MAKING THIS THING SUCCESSFUL FOR THE CITY OF BALTIMORE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. BUT REALLY, IT’S IT’S GET OUT, FIND THE PLACE THAT YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO BE MOST INTRIGUED BY, AND THEN SIT THERE, BRING OUT A LAWN CHAIR, OR BRING ON YOUR YOUR YOUR RUNNING SNEAKERS SO YOU CAN GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, BUT JUST TAKING THE WHOLE DAY, YOU’LL SEE A LITERALLY MUSIC TO FOOD, TO BEVERAGE, TO JUST PEOPLE CELEBRATING THE SPORT OF CYCLING, WHICH IS STILL THE MOST EFFICIENT FORM OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE WORLD. WELL, IT SURE IS. AND I THINK IT’S GROWING IN POPULARITY TOO, IT SEEMS TO ME ANYWAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH. THANK YOU. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND THE THIRD ANNUAL MARYLAND CYCLING CLASSIC WILL BE HELD THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH, STARTING WITH THE WOMEN’S RACE. AS WE MENTIONED, 8:30 A.M. LEADING TO THE MEN’S RACE AT 1230. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE COURSE DETAILS AND PARKING, YOU CA
Preview this weekend’s Maryland Cycling Classic and its updated course
Updated: 12:28 PM EDT Sep 1, 2025
The Maryland Cycling Classic returns this weekend to Baltimore after last year’s race was canceled following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.Steve Brunner, the event’s executive director, and Terry Hassletine, the president and chairman of the Sport and Entertainment Corp. of Maryland, explain how the event is rolling out some new changes this year.
BALTIMORE —
The Maryland Cycling Classic returns this weekend to Baltimore after last year’s race was canceled following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Steve Brunner, the event’s executive director, and Terry Hassletine, the president and chairman of the Sport and Entertainment Corp. of Maryland, explain how the event is rolling out some new changes this year.