Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Carlos Rogers was devastated when the iconic Philadelphia Cycling Classic hosted its final race in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like a schism across my body,\u201d Rogers said. \u201cAs a fan, it was a big gash. It was a feeling of loss, as a passionate cyclist and as a fan.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, he and others both in and outside the Philly cycling community lamented the loss of the race. But while attending the Maryland Cycling Classic in 2022, Rogers decided he\u2019d \u201chad enough of people missing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone\u2019s got to step up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rogers, a salon owner in Old City<\/a>, had helped organize smaller bike races before, but never anything on the scale of the 14.4-mile course through Philadelphia. Virtually everyone he talked to in the community, from local government leaders and civic organizations to those formerly involved with the Philly Cycling Classic, was interested in bringing the race back. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: This Philly artist and bike enthusiast designed the Philadelphia Cycling Classic trophies for free.<\/a><\/p>\n The hard part, of course, was finding the money.<\/p>\n \u201cI was throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what would stick with any kind of corporate sponsors,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n One of his connections referred him to entrepreneur Eric Robbins, who lived in Manayunk<\/a> in the late 1990s and remembered how great an event the race used to be for the neighborhood. <\/p>\n Rogers\u2019 enthusiasm and determination made it a \u201cno-brainer\u201d to partner with him on bringing back the race. Robbins looped in former Mayor Michael Nutter, who used to represent the Manayunk and Roxborough<\/a> neighborhoods in City Council. But from there, it still took about a year and a half to secure the funding. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: A \u2018classic Philadelphia story\u2019: How the city\u2019s storied bike race came back to life<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere were a tremendous amount of no\u2019s,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cFor us, the vision of 2026, of bringing it back after a 10-year hiatus, it made perfect sense. It\u2019s the greatest year to bring it back, but also the most difficult one.\u201d<\/p>\n