Baltimore business owners say they are concerned about significant road closures caused by this weekend’s Maryland Cycling Classic.
The road race is returning to Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 6, bringing professional cyclists from 30 countries.Â
For the first time, the race will take place entirely within Baltimore’s city limits, starting at Harbor Point Central Plaza and finishing on East Pratt Street along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.Â
The 17.9-mile circuit course will cause traffic and parking disruptions in the city.
The impact on Baltimore businesses
Other businesses on Falls Road in Hampden will be open for the race, but they are expecting a dip in customers.
Melissa Salzman, owner of Lovelyarns, says she is frustrated by the closure. She says a large portion of her customer base travels to her storefront from outside of the city limits.
“It’s not my preferred thing to have happen on what would normally be a very busy Saturday,” Salzman said. “Usually on Saturdays, we have a bunch of classes. I had to push some classes out because I wanted to keep a low frustration for students coming in. You know, sometimes parking can be an issue, and I certainly wouldn’t want somebody who’s not as familiar with the area to get stuck.”
Cloud 9 Clothing on “The Avenue” will also be open during the race.Â
While 36th Street will be open, the owners say they rely on car and foot traffic from Falls Road. The store believes the impact is isolated to just one day.
“In the future, it’s a great free advertisement. It’s a good thing to pull people into the city,” said Megan McCargish, a sales associate at the store. “I have seen people come here for different festivals and come back because they remember us in other locations. If that’s any indicator, it should be great. I’m hopeful.”
“That’s a tough loss for us”
Businesses in the Hampden neighborhood told WJZ they feel frustrated and left out of the planning process for the event.
The Maryland SPCA, on Falls Road, will be closed Saturday, which is typically the busiest pet adoption day of the week.
“Saturday is our highest adoption day. That’s a tough loss for us,” said Ethan Salem, the director of marketing and communications for MDSPCA.
MDSPCA says it found out about the road closures last Friday and tried to find a way to stay open.Â
When it was deemed impossible, they had to quickly create a plan so their care team could still gain access to the building to take care of the animals inside.
 “We had to go to some extensive lengths just to get off-site, parking blocks away, for a small group of our staff to come in and care for our animals in our custody,” Salem said.
Business owners wanted more notice
Moving forward, these businesses would like to have more notice and even a say in what happens with major festivals and events. But they want neighbors to know: Hampden is open for business.
“Hopefully, in the future, we can work with local politicians and everyone who organized this event to make it a little bit more accessible for everybody,” Salem said.
“We are still open. Hampden will still be open for business. Please come support your favorite shops and restaurants. We would love to see you,” Salzman added.
A spokesperson for the Maryland Cycling Classic sent a statement to WJZ in response to these concerns:
“This Saturday, September 6, Baltimore will host the Maryland Cycling Classic, America’s biggest bike race. To provide a safe and spectacular race for the world’s best cyclists, there will be temporary rolling road closures in the morning and afternoon.”
Baltimoreans and visitors should review the course map and plan their day, whether they are spectating or traveling through the city. For updated traffic information, please visit this website.Â
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