The 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic will make history on Saturday, Sept. 6, as America\u2019s premier professional cycling race debuts both men\u2019s and women\u2019s competitions together for the first time on an exciting new 17.9-mile (28.8km) circuit course entirely in the City of Baltimore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome the Maryland Cycling Classic back to our city this September. This year\u2019s event is going to be better than ever, not only because it features a new women\u2019s race, but because the entire course is officially within Baltimore City limits,\u201d Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott stated. He attended a press conference on Wednesday, July 23 to officially announce the course, accompanied by his wife, First Lady Hana Scott. \u201cIt\u2019s a special opportunity for folks here in Charm City to see free, world class racing\u2014and folks all around the world to see our beautiful city. I hope to see everybody out there cheering this fall!\u201d<\/p>\n
The technical circuit course will test every aspect of the world class field from bike-handling skills with 28 turns to 550 yards of centuries-old cobblestones to two explosive climbs to a flat, fast final 1000 yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old course was great, but we decided to move it into the city for a variety of reasons,\u201d said Jim Birrell, the event\u2019s race director, who manages the technical aspects of the race. \u201cBaltimore is a city of great neighborhoods. We wanted to highlight Baltimore\u2019s famous and beautiful waterfront while telling the story of the city\u2019s rich history. It\u2019s blending the old and new of one of America\u2019s most diverse cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s race, which starts at 8:30 am (EDT), will be comprised of four laps, covering 71.6 miles (115.2 kilometers). The men\u2019s race, comprised of six laps and covering 107.4 miles (172.8 kilometers), will begin at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). Both races will start at the Harbor Point District\u2019s Central Plaza and finish on East Pratt along Baltimore\u2019s famous Inner Harbor, less than a mile apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a team effort working back with the mayor\u2019s office, Baltimore Police Department, Department of Transportation and Public Works to get to this level,\u201d said Terry Hasseltine, the president of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, the event\u2019s owners. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be happier with the course and believe it will open up a unique level of engagement for new and existing fans while providing new hosting opportunities for our key supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The men\u2019s race will feature 5,682 feet (1,732 meters) of total climbing and 3,868 feet (1,179 meters) for the women. Points will be awarded for intermediate sprints after the first lap of each race as well as at the finish line. King\/Queen of the Mountain points will be awarded up to the top of Northern Parkway on each lap.<\/p>\n
The race course will feature various Fan Zones along the course (e.g., best places to watch) where some will include free cowbells, and thunder sticks to cheer athletes on and live race coverage on Big Screen TVs. Fan Zones will be located at Harbor Point (at the start), Thames Street cobblestones, Patterson Park, Mt. Vernon, and the finish line stretch on East Pratt Street.<\/p>\n
Course Highlights<\/p>\n
Starting with a Bang: The race will start at Harbor Point\u2019s Central Plaza immediately adjacent to the Harbor East district. It\u2019s where historic maritime heritage meets modern waterfront development. Riders will face their first test of nerves and skill within the opening mile, when the peloton encounters Fells Point\u2019s18th-century granite cobblestones \u2013 a 550-yard technical gauntlet that has the power to shatter race aspirations and create decisive gaps that could determine the day\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n
Racing through one of America\u2019s oldest urban parks: The course then sweeps through Canton neighborhood\u2019s fascinating blend of historic row houses and contemporary architecture before entering Patterson Park at mile 2. One of Baltimore\u2019s oldest parks dating to the War of 1812, Patterson Park becomes a crucial tactical battleground with a deceiving uphill on East Baltimore Street where teams will position for the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n
Passing by History: At mile 5, cyclists navigate past the towering Washington Monument (completed in 1829) and through Mount Vernon\u2019s tree-lined streets adorned with elegant 19th-century architecture. The route then powers through Hampden at mile 8, an eclectic neighborhood with blue-collar roots dating to 1802 as a millworker settlement, now transformed into one of Baltimore\u2019s most vibrant and artsy neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
The Decisive Moment: St. Mary\u2019s Seminary hosts the King\/Queen of the Mountain stage, where America\u2019s first Catholic seminary (established 1791) becomes the backdrop for the race\u2019s most crucial climb. This challenging 1000 yards (900-meters) ascent will most likely separate the strongest riders from the field, crowning the day\u2019s King or Queen of the Mountain. The climb may be a location where the race winner attacks, noting it\u2019s the high point before descending back down to the waterfront.<\/p>\n
Waterfront Finale: The race will conclude with a long, flat and fast drag down East Pratt Street in Baltimore\u2019s famous Inner Harbor, the site of the finish line in 2022 and 2023, which saw crowds grow to around 20,000 for the finale.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Maryland Cycling Classic press release <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic will make history on Saturday, Sept. 6, as America\u2019s premier professional cycling race…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-18518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}