Philly Cycling Classic

‘26 Course Guide

Published

After a decade-long hiatus, the long-awaited Philadelphia Cycling Classic is back. Some of the best cyclists from all over the world — some of whom have competed in the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España — will converge for one of the most prestigious races in American professional road cycling.

To Philadelphians, the event is simply known as “the Bike Race”. It was one of the best days of summer, an all-day party that attracted spectators and cycling enthusiasts from all over the city.

John Eustice, a former professional cyclist from Bucks County who will be broadcasting the race on 6abc said: “The thrill of the pelotonPeloton is a French word for the main group of riders, as opposed to a breakaway rider ahead whooshing by with the wind ruffling your clothes, especially for the kids, there’s nothing like it.”

Whether you’ve attended the Classic in the past or know nothing about the sport, here’s what you need to know for the event’s big return.

Here’s what to know

Race day is Sunday, Aug. 30, and it’s plenty long. The event will run from 8:30 a.m to around 4:45 p.m., giving you enough time to explore the course. And best of all, watching will “cost you nothing except your picnic food,” as Eustice put it.

Carlos Rogers, a Philly cyclist and member of Race Street Partners, who revived the race, emphasized that the group ensured the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, presented by AmeriGas, would be a free spectating event with no reserved seats. “You can basically show up anywhere on the course and move around the course at your discretion.”

  • For those coming, the race organizers recommend taking public transportation since there are no designated parking locations and plenty of road closures, which will be in effect from approximately 3 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30.

    Details about SEPTA stations nearby, and road and bus route diversions are available here.

    Spectators are encouraged to ride their bikes to the course via the Circuit Trails network, particularly the Schuylkill River Trail, which intersects the course in many places. Free bike valet parking is available at the Fan Fest and Lemon Hill.

    Let’s take a lap of the 14-mile course from start to finish and highlight the best places to watch the action unfold.

    story continues after advertisement

  • The starting line is on the Ben Franklin Parkway. The 62-mile women's race begins at 8:30 a.m., and will see them complete four laps of the course, while the 120-mile, eight-lap men’s race will start at noon.

    The start is also where the teams’ support staffs are located. Before each race, you’ll see riders warming up and staff members getting ready for the race.

  • Riders will pass the race’s Fan Fest, located at the Iroquois Sculpture area by the Art Museum. Here, there will be activities for kids, vendors, a beer garden, and live entertainment — along with a jumbotron for those locked into races, and the podium where the winners will be honored.

    Like the rest of the race, entry is free. The Fan Fest, which will be open the entire weekend, will go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

    During the race, this area will serve as the feed zone, where riders will pick up food and water (without stopping).

  • Riders will leave the Art Museum area and go up Kelly Drive. With cycling being a team sport, teams of riders wearing similar jerseys will ride in packs on this long and flat stretch along the river. This is for the benefit of draftingDrafting is when cyclists stay behind others, reducing the wind resistance they face and conserving energy.

    The Schuylkill River Trail will be accessible during the race.

  • Riders will take Ridge Avenue down onto Main Street in Manayunk. On this stretch, teams will jostle for the position as they turn onto the cobblestones of Cresson Street and approach …

  • The Wall: a steep 0.5-mile section at a 17% gradeGrade measures how steep a road goes up or down over a certain distance. incline up Levering Street, a climb so steep that walking is as efficient as cycling,

    Robin Carpenter, a local pro cyclist who will be taking part in the Classic, said climbs are usually where crowds end up gathering. “The riders are literally going slower, so you get a really close and personal look at some of the best athletes in the world.”

    Course elevation profile

    A mostly flat course with one big climb in the middle.
    0 ft100 ft200 ft300 ft2 mi4 mi6 mi8 mi10 mi12 mi14 mi

    It’s the most decisive portion of the race. There’s less drafting at climbing speeds, so this is where racers will drop their rivals.

    The Wall is also a raucous party scene. Back in the day, many houses along Levering Street would turn into house parties, drawing people from across the neighborhood. PHLASH will be running two buses that will ferry people from the Parkway to Manayunk for those who want to experience both locations.

  • story continues after advertisement

  • After climbing the Wall, the racers will descend down Pechin Street and then Manayunk Avenue. According to Carpenter, who grew up in the neighborhood, the speeds riders attain going downhill can be intimidatingly quick. “That's something that a lot of people don't really have a sense of, just how fast it is on some of the descents.”

    Riding on the narrow streets of Manayunk requires technical and tactical expertise. To a 16-year pro like Carpenter, biking through his hometown feels just like competing in the towns and cities of European races, a stark contrast from many American road cycling events that often take place on wide expanses of highway.

  • The designated sprint zone is in East Falls at Midvale Avenue and Kelly Drive. Here, racers who specialize in sprintingIn cycling, sprinting, refers to an explosive, high-power effort used to win races or close gaps. will try to win this segment of the race each lap and accumulate points. Aside from setting the fastest time overall, additional awards are given to riders who win the most points in categories like sprinting and climbing.

  • Before heading back onto the Parkway, riders will have a shallow climb up Reservoir Drive, and then another short but punchy one up Lemon Hill. On the final lap, riders will do two trips around Lemon Hill before the finish, which has the effect of gathering the riders together again for an exciting sprint to the line.

    Lemon Hill is another great viewing location for families to gather, not only because of the grassy areas around the climbing portion, but also because there will be a family-friendly bike skill zone, hosted by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), for kids up to 18 years old.

  • Road cycling finishes can be dramatic regardless of the $150,000 in total prizes, which will be split evenly between the men’s and women’s races. The finish is heightened by long rows of energetic fans on both sides of the barriers along the Parkway.

    “You feel like you're in a stadium when you're racing into the finish of the race. The fans are cheering loud and hard, and you feel it,” said Freddie Rodriguez, who won the men’s race in 2001.

Spectating etiquette

Cycling has a culture of accessibility when it comes to how close you can be to the athletes competing, which means riders can be very close to cheering crowds.

Kimberly Stoveld, a nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, will be competing in the women’s race. A novice cyclist when she last attended the Classic a decade ago as a spectator, she has “no doubt that my close friends and family will be on Lemon Hill drinking beer, screaming loudly.”

Carpenter said from the perspective of a racer, the more noise, the better: “Spectators are right on the side of the road, and we always notice when it's really raucous, and it seems like people are having a good time, and they're excited to watch.”

Carpenter’s childhood street intersected Levering Street, so he always felt an extra hometown boost when he climbed the Wall: “Every time I'd go by, there would just be like this crazy roar when they would spot me and it would literally carry me up the hill.”

“I would stop feeling my legs.”

Still, with spectators allowed so close to the competitors, you should not run alongside riders, spray water on them, stand on the course, or extend signs or limbs into the riders’ path. Riders can reach speeds of up to 60 mph, and the peloton is preceded and followed by support teams and TV camera crews on cars and motorcycles.

In some parts of the course, there will be riders potentially heading in both directions, too. It’s best to take extra care when the peloton is approaching or passing.

Robin Morton, the event’s race director and the first woman to ever own and manage a men’s professional cycling team in the 1980s, said that there will be volunteer marshals at high-density locations to help people cross the route safely.

“Don't try to cross and run across the street thinking you can make it. The next thing you know, the riders, the team cars, the police, motorcycles, and vehicles are upon you,” said Morton.

Take part (sort of)

Those who want to get a little closer to the action can actually ride the course ahead of the race — including a chance to climb the Wall — during the Philadelphia Cycling Classic Charity Ride. Hosted in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the ride, which begins at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, offers participants the chance to complete a loop while supporting cancer research.

For more experienced riders, an Amateur Time Trial will take place on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 29. Sanctioned by USA Cycling, the 8-mile individual time trialA time trial is a type of race where a single rider or a team rides against the clock. The person or team with the fastest time wins. on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive goes to the Falls Bridge and back. Adults and juniors can register in a variety of competitive categories.

story continues after advertisement

Unique among Philly’s big sporting events this year — like the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, or the PGA Championship — the Philly Cycling Classic is the only one that is entirely locally owned.

Eric Robbins, another member of Race Street Partners, said “there's nothing but smiles on people's faces when the Classic is discussed. People just have a unique relationship with it and feel a sense of ownership.”

“We just want people to come out, support one another, be kind to each other, enjoy the time together, forget about the insanity of the world, and just have fun,” said Robbins.

Staff Contributors

  • Design, Development, Reporting: Jasen Lo
  • Illustration: Brian Biggs
  • Editing: Sam Morris, Matt Mullin
  • Copy Editing: Brian Leighton

More about the Bike Race

Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer

Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today

Subscribe