Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
A decade-long void was filled: the whooshing winds of the peloton, the whooping and cheery sounds of cowbells, the whiffs of greasy food, and sips of cold beer. <\/p>\n
All of it returned to the city\u2019s vistas Sunday<\/a> as the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, one of the nation\u2019s most storied races \u2014 drawing cycling\u2019s Olympians, national champions, and emerging talents to the City of Brotherly Love \u2014 made its resurgence<\/a>. Funding snafus and waning support begone; biking in Philly is back. <\/p>\n For an international field of riders, the 14.4-mile looping, winding, and climbing course<\/a> that weaved from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Manayunk<\/a> was a giant chessboard of strategy, aerodynamics, and aerobics. For revelers, it was a great equalizer, a unique, unfettered opportunity in sports to see athletic prowess, drama, and world-class competitors up close. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Philly Cycling Classic ’26 Course Guild<\/a><\/p>\n That rarity was not lost on spectators, some of whom experienced the legacy race, which ended in 2016, and others for whom this was a novelty. <\/p>\n Ashley O\u2019Neill\u2019s stepfather talked relentlessly about the classic of yore\u2019s folklore, but she never witnessed it herself. \u201cThe people [gathering] together, the happiness,\u201d O\u2019Neill, whose 41st birthday was also Sunday, recalled her stepdad saying, \u201cbut for years there was no race.\u201d <\/p>\n Dylan O\u2019Neill chimed in: \u201cTo have the city lose something like this is a huge loss for the entire community.\u201d <\/p>\n As the Trenton couple huffed through humid air to reach a lookout on the famed \u201cManayunk Wall<\/a>,\u201d they talked about plans to come back, year after year. <\/p>\n \u201cWe hope they keep doing it,\u201d Dylan O\u2019Neill said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a unique thing, and Philly is the perfect place to do it.\u201d <\/p>\n Remembering the old <\/p>\n During its run from 1985 to 2016, Philadelphia\u2019s criterium reigned, known for its theaterlike scene<\/a> and famed \u201cManayunk Wall,\u201c an incline with a maximum 17% gradient. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Climbing the Manayunk Wall<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI remember the first race, it was amazing: No one was here and they had a helicopter,\u201d said Thomas Gartside, 77, who moved to Manayunk, near the Wall, a year before the inaugural classic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over the years, as the race grew in prestige and attendance, his block got more crowded. In 2016, Gartside said he didn\u2019t watch the spectacle \u2014 unaware the cyclists\u2019 return would be an uphill battle. <\/p>\n The next year, the race had run its course; in 2017, organizers canceled the classic, citing increasing costs and decreasing sponsors, much to the chagrin of the city\u2019s cycling community. <\/p>\n \u201cI got a little tired of it, but this is reinvigorating,\u201d Gartside said, looking out at hundreds of merry people packed shoulder to shoulder. Gartside hosted his own small f\u00eate, with bagels and coffee. <\/p>\n \u201cLook at all the energy and all the neighbors,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Organizers have described the free-to-watch revitalized classic as \u201cthe people\u2019s race<\/a>.\u201d Road cycling is also one of the few professional sports where athletes brush right up against fans and front doors, bringing \u201cthe stadium to the streets,\u201d said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a>. <\/p>\n Michael Jones, a cyclist with Philly club Major Taylor, was among the throngs of fans who didn\u2019t want to miss a second of the action \u2014 a 10-year break was long enough. <\/p>\n Jones even brought his bike along to follow some of the race route. A passerby remarked, \u201cIt\u2019s like bringing a glove to a baseball game. But bigger.\u201d And Jones couldn\u2019t have agreed more. <\/p>\n Despite growing up in Philadelphia, the 48-year old was unfamiliar with the classic before getting into the sport himself, which he said transcends generations. Now, back and seemingly bigger than before, the race was electrifying, Jones said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so fantastic that so many people are down here taking in the scenes,\u201d he said about the Fan Fest crowd<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just beautiful to see.\u201d<\/p>\n If the verve of the morning\u2019s women\u2019s competition is any indication of the next era of cycling in Philly, it will be nothing short of \u201camazing,\u201d according to Stefy and Sean Beury of West Mount Airy<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThe hype, the buildup, and the media attention to get more awareness and attention, in general, to the event and to bring more cycling back to Philly,\u201d Stefy Beury, 47, said. \u201cIt\u2019s just been awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible, Sean Beury, 54, said, that success on Sunday could inspire future road races, but he hopes the race motivates younger Philadelphians to start riding. <\/p>\n Ushering in the new<\/p>\n