After a 10-year absence, the Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns to the U.S. racing calendar on Aug. 30 with a field that includes Olympic champions, national champions and riders from eight WorldTour teams.
The one-day race will feature 212 riders from 28 countries across 36 teams, with 123 women and 89 men scheduled to take the start. The women’s field includes 21 teams, while 15 teams will line up for the men’s race.
Both races will use the original Philadelphia course, which was designed in 1985. For years, it was the biggest one-day race on the American calendar. It served as the nationals for the pros would also attract notable Europeans. In the men’s race, known for decades as the USPRO Championships, the top American would take the stars-and-stripes jersey. It created some interesting tactics, as non-Americans would often play off that dynamic and go for the win while the Americans were infighting in the lead group.
Huge crowds and big purses made it a desirable stop for pro teams. In its heyday, there were also two or three lead-up races before it, making it a week of racing with big names that North Americans wouldn’t normally be able to see in person, only on TV. Canadians have done well there too.
Watch that time a Canadian won the U.S. pro championships
In 2002, Peterborough, Ont.s’ Mark Walters won the race. Olympians Lyne Bessette and Clara Hughes both won the women’s race, known then as the Liberty Classic. It was a separate international race but not a national championship that began in 1994.
The course
The 23-km circuit starts and finishes on Benjamin Franklin Parkway and includes the Manayunk Wall and Lemon Hill. Manayunk traditionally had huge crowds lining the tough ramp. The hill is around 800 m long, with an average grade just under 10 per cent—but sections get up to a leg-breaking 17 per cent.
The women will race 100 km, while the men will cover 200 km.
The return also comes with equal prize money, with $75,000 purses for both the men’s and women’s races.
National champ Maggie Coles-Lyster a favourite
Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Maggie Coles-Lyster will also be in Philadelphia, racing in her brand-new national champion’s jersey, and now, some sharp white shorts. The Human Powered Health rider will be among the contenders on a course that combines short climbs with fast sections and a difficult finish.
Two-time Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner will be one of the biggest names in the women’s race.
The EF Education-Oatly rider won both the road race and team pursuit at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Canyon SRAM is another big team in the field, with star rider Chiara Consonni among the favourites.
There are also three Canadian teams joining the field. Ottawa-based Cyclery-Abacus Data will be there with a fully Canuck squad. There’s also Quebec-based Équipe Dynamiks Féminine and Milton Revolution U23 Project coming to Philly.
Derek Gee-West to support Quinn Simmons
The men’s race will feature reigning U.S. road champion Quinn Simmons, who will race for Lidl-Trek in the stars and stripes jersey. He has a key teammate in Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West. The grand tour star will be using the race as part of his road worlds prep.
In Montreal, Gee-West will be joined by his former teammate, the retired-but-not-really Mike Woods. Woods has said his big goal for the road worlds will be to help the national TT champ.
American Gavin Hlady, multiple U.S. champion, will also be there with EF Education-EasyPost. He is the son of two Canadians, including his dad Mark, who raced Philly in 1999 with Toronto-based Contintental team, JetFuel Coffee.
Two former winners of the race, when it was the USPRO championships, will also be there, although neither will be racing. Fred Rodriguez, who won the men’s race in 2001, will work as a commentator for the live broadcast. Hincapie, winner in 1998, will be back with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, the team he founded with his brother Rich.
The women’s race starts at 8:35 a.m. EDT, with the men scheduled to start at noon. You can catch the action from both races on YouTube.