Vic Fangio wasn’t wrong when he warned time after time that Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru — the two first-time football players who joined the Eagles this offseason — have “a long way to go” and are “light-years away.”
The Eagles used a seventh-round pick on Bernard, a defensive tackle from Nigeria with off-the-charts athleticism. They signed Weru, a Kenyan rugby convert, as an undrafted free agent. Neither had played a padded football game before the Eagles and Ravens met in the first preseason game earlier this month, and getting on the field in a real NFL contest is a whole different beast.
But the Eagles’ decision to waive both players ahead of the 6 p.m. roster deadline Sunday means another NFL team could decide to claim them off waivers and put them on their 53-man roster.
That result is unlikely. Again, as Fangio says, his “exchange students” are a long way away from being ready to play in NFL games, and a claiming team would be taking on a big project, and using a roster spot to do so.
But assuming both of them clear waivers and land on the team’s practice squad come Monday, the Eagles will be able to make only one of them the designated IPP player — the program allows teams to keep one extra player on the practice squad, 17 instead of 16 — and the other would be free to sign to another team’s active roster at any point during the season.
That’s obviously a risk Howie Roseman was willing to take.
While Bernard was the more talked-about prospect after the Eagles used a draft pick on him, it was Weru, an edge rusher, who flashed more during camp and in the preseason contests. If one of the two was going to get cut, Bernard seemed the more likely candidate given the possibility the Eagles could use Weru on special teams.
Eagles linebacker Joshua Weru goes after New England Patriots quarterback Behren Morton during a preseason game earlier this month. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Weru made a few impact plays during the preseason, including a sack in the New England game that had his teammates celebrating on the sideline. After the game Friday night vs. Cincinnati, Weru spoke proudly about the progress he had made since OTAs but said he didn’t have any expectations about what his roster fate would be throughout the process.
“I tried not to think too far ahead because I knew there were so many unpredictable things,” he said.
Making the team, he said, would “mean a lot.”
“I guess it would validate all of the work,” he said, “but I think just even being able to stay in this building and them showing how much they’re willing to invest in me already has shown the work that I’ve put in is actually paying off.”
Bernard, meanwhile, said his biggest change from the beginning of training camp to Friday night was his confidence. The Eagles had him break down the huddle before the game, too.
“Two, three months ago I was not this confident,” he said.
“It was amazing to learn the game and at the same time play.”
His next chance to play likely will be with the practice squad. Bernard and Weru, like the rest of the players waived Sunday, will first have to clear waivers.
The Eagles kept five edge rushers on the roster: Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie, and A.J. Epenesa. In leaving Bernard off the roster, the Eagles also kept just five interior linemen: Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and Ty Robinson.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — One fastball missed in. Another missed low, and a third missed way high.
As Zack Wheeler issued a leadoff walk to Angels outfielder Wade Meckler to start Sunday’s series finale, it appeared his recent troubles with command were back in full force. And when Los Angeles loaded the bases before the Phillies’ ace right-hander could secure an out, things already teetered on disaster.
But Wheeler found a way to battle back. It helped that Moisés Ballesteros chased a splitter down and outside to end a seven-pitch at-bat with a grounder up the middle. So did the fact that shortstop Trea Turner was in the perfect position to field it, touch second, and fire to first for a key double play.
“I think it just kind of settled him down, because those first few batters he wasn’t as sharp, and he looked really good in the bullpen,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “So I knew that once he got that double play, got out of it, I felt pretty confident that he was going to be himself today.”
The Phillies conceded one run on the play, but the first inning suddenly seemed much more manageable. And that turned out to be the only run Wheeler allowed as he went on to complete six innings in the 5-2 win over the Angels. Backed by another go-ahead home run from Edmundo Sosa, the Phillies pulled off the three-game sweep in Anaheim.
It wasn’t exactly perfect. Wheeler didn’t appear to have much command of his splitter throughout, and he issued three total walks. But he turned in six innings for the first time in more than a month as he posted a solid start to build upon, outside of the first three batters of the game.
“You know what he can be and what he can do, and this was a good start to head in that direction,” said interim manager Don Mattingly.
In his first seven starts after the All-Star break entering Sunday, Wheeler had a 7.18 ERA. His previous outing in Seattle had marked a new low, as he was charged with eight runs in four innings.
In the four days since then, Wheeler has been submerged in data and charts. He and the Phillies examined his biomechanics to try to identify what has been going wrong on a deeper level than just looking at traditional film.
“They have the balls of your joints, where you can see the smallest little difference,” Wheeler said.
What they found was that Wheeler’s glove was placed 2 inches further down in Seattle than it has been all year. And a graph of his glove placement over the season showed that it had been trending in that direction in the second half.
“So, what do we do? Just bring that front arm up a little bit, and go from there,” Wheeler said. “And you kind of got to sync everything else up off of that. Getting that front arm up, not kind of over-rotating, shooting towards the third-base on-deck circle. … Getting that weight over the back leg, and being more direct, rather than the rotational.”
It was actually the first pitch of the fourth inning — a fastball that Christian Moore took for a called strike — where Wheeler thought something clicked. It felt like the timing of everything had fallen into place.
Realmuto thought Wheeler’s four-seam fastball had more life again, and his curveball was also effective. In total, he allowed four hits, sidestepping a leadoff double in the third. Derek Hill helped him out with that, laying out to catch a line drive in center field and rob Ballesteros of a hit.
Wheeler started to tire in the sixth and wound up walking consecutive batters with two out. His pitch count had crept into the triple digits, but Mattingly decided to give him a shot to finish the inning himself against Angels right-handed hitter José Siri. Wheeler won another seven-pitch battle by going back to his curveball, which Siri whiffed on for Wheeler’s sixth strikeout.
Realmuto helped his batterymate by delivering the Phillies’ first hit and run of the game in the third. He sent a game-tying homer to the rock formation in left-center field of Angel Stadium.
The veteran catcher typically sits out on day games that directly follow night games, as part of the 35-year-old’s workload management. Realmuto caught 10 innings in Saturday night’s win.
But so long as he’s healthy, Realmuto wouldn’t typically miss catching a Wheeler start, no matter what happened the night prior.
“Other than the heat today, yeah, body felt fine,” Realmuto said. “We’ve done a good job this year, I think, of mixing my off days in at the right times. It’s time to go, because it’s that time of year where it’s time to start chasing the division.”
The Phillies’ offense mostly slumbered against lefty Yusei Kikuchi after Realmuto’s homer, until Sosa’s second big swing of the series. He followed up his go-ahead grand slam on Friday with a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning, turning on a splitter inside and depositing it over the left field wall to break the tie.
With Jonathan Bowlan and Jhoan Duran both unavailable — Bowlan had pitched two nights in a row and Duran pitched two innings Saturday — the Phillies were down their go-to high-leverage bullpen arms. Alex McFarlane, José Alvarado, and Orion Kerkering split the job in relief.
Kyle Schwarber is greeted by teammates after scoring during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.Caroline Brehman
Another late outburst against the Angels bullpen gave the pitching staff some breathing room. Kyle Schwarber began the eighth-inning rally with a walk, before a Turner single and another walk to Alec Bohm loaded the bases.
Luis Arraez pinch-hit for Sosa against right-handed José Fermin, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field. Brandon Marsh cashed in another run with a pinch-hit single. In the ninth inning, the Phillies tacked on one more with an RBI double from Bryce Harper.
McFarlane recovered from a leadoff walk for a scoreless seventh. Alvarado secured two outs in the eighth, but left two runners on for Kerkering after back-to-back singles.
Kerkering did his job, securing a groundout from the right-handed Siri to end the threat. He returned for the ninth and conceded a run but ended the game with a strikeout.
It ensured that Wheeler was credited with his first win since July 12. He knows one start doesn’t necessarily mean the struggles are completely behind him, but he feels he has taken a step toward getting back to himself.
“He’s close. I’m sure he would tell you the same,” Realmuto said. “He felt closer to it today than he did his last start. And I know he’s working hard on it. We have all the faith in the world.”
After a 10-year hiatus, the Philadelphia Cycling Classic brought crowds in from every corner of the city to watch some of the world’s most talented cyclists compete.
They were not disappointed. Both the women’s and men’s classics saw competitive races, coming down to the final meters. Italian cyclist Chiara Consonni placed first in the women’s classic, and Germany’s Tim Torn Teutenberg won the men’s classic.
Women’s classic
After finishing first in the women’s classic, Consonni did not have much time to celebrate. The Italian professional cyclist had a flight to catch.
“I’m coming home and [will] focus on the last effort for the season,” said Consonni, who competed for Canyon-SRAM. “It was a really long season. Philadelphia was in my plan from the beginning. I’m really happy to be here and do this race. And for sure, winning is always something great.”
Following a crash in the race’s final mile, Consonni made a late push to overtake Canadian cyclist Alexandra Volstad. Consonni finished the 62-mile race in just under 2 hours, 35 minutes. Volstad placed second and Ella Sabo, a native of California, came in third.
A look at Chiara Consonni's first place finish in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.
This is Consonni’s third major race this month, having already competed in the Tour de France and Tour of Britain. The former boasts more impressive inclines but neither European race features a flat route. Consonni felt that both races prepared her for the steep inclines she faced in Philadelphia.
“The climb made some action and also something that the people can watch, something different than the flat race,” Consonni said.
“It’s my first time here, first time doing this race after a lot of years,” Consonni added. “I think the organization was amazing by my side. I hope this race will increase year by year and a lot of European teams can come and play for the victory.”
From left, second-place finisher Alexandra Volstad of Canada, of EF Education-Oatly, winner Chiara Consonni of Italy, of Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, and third-place finisher Ella Sabo of the United States, of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, celebrate on the podium after the Philly Cycling Classic on Sunday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Men’s classic
After crossing the finish line, Teutenberg did a victory lap. Pumping his arms in the air, the German cyclist was overcome with joy after winning what he described as a “technical race.”
In the final mile, he broke away from the pack alongside British cyclist Robert Donaldson and another German competitor in Jonas Rutsch. Teutenberg was able to create distance from the two, finishing the 120-mile race in just under 4 hours, 21 minutes.
From left, second-place finisher Ronald Donaldson of Jayco AlUla, winner Tim Torn Teutenberg of Germany of Lidl-Trek, and third-place finisher Jonas Rutsch of Lotto-Intermarché celebrate on the podium after the men’s race at the Philly Cycling Classic on Sunday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
“We had some people that we left in front of me, so I tried to get a bit of shelter behind them, it was a bit of a cat-and-mouse [game] waiting,” Teutenberg said. “And then I don’t know … I just went, [with] all I had.”
Although he had never competed in Philadelphia, Teutenberg had heard about the race from his aunt, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg — who placed first in the classic four times between 2007 and 2012.
“It was a super good atmosphere today,” Teutenberg said.
A ‘dream come true’
Kim Stoveld, a Philadelphia native, took an unconventional route to participate in the women’s classic.
The former University at Buffalo swimmer did not pick up competitive cycling until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six years later, the 37-year-old competed in her hometown race, placing 71st with a time of 2:37:59.
“I watched this race in 2013, 2014, ’15, and ’16 when it was still going on, and I was just getting into cycling,” Stoveld said. “And then to be on the other side of it, 10 years later, is just like a dream come true. Just absolutely amazing.”
One reporter asked Stoveld what her advice would be to young women looking to take up cycling.
“If I can do this good in my late 30s, picking it up at 30, you as an 8-year-old getting into sports will dominate,” Stoveld said. “Please keep riding your bike.”
On the men’s side, Robin Carpenter gave Philadelphians another local cyclist to cheer on. The 34-year-old, who competed in Classic before its hiatus, finished 43rd with a time of 4:27:59.
Like Stoveld, Carpenter has plenty of experience with The Wall. Carpenter grew up in Manayunk and learned to master the steep incline at 11. As he made it through the final lap in his neighborhood, Carpenter spotted his family cheering him on from the sidewalk.
“I always know exactly where they’re going to be because it’s always just down the street from the house I grew up in. On the last lap, my wife Anna was holding the baby over the barrier.
“[There] is no better atmosphere in the United States than Philly for cycling, in my opinion. It’s so cool to have it back. I’m so grateful to everybody who was involved.”
Police said two women were found dead inside a home on the 1600 block of Conlyn Street in the Ogontz neighborhood on Sunday afternoon in what is being investigated as a murder-suicide.
Police did not release the identities of the women.
Officers responded to the scene around 1:50 p.m., after a gunshot was heard from inside the home, police said. A “barricade” was declared and ended about an hour later, police said.
Two adult women were found inside the home and pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
Police said preliminary information indicated that it was a murder-suicide. The relationship between the women has not been established and the motive was unknown. An investigation is ongoing, police said.
The Eagles will carry four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster to start the season.
All three depth quarterbacks behind Jalen Hurts in training camp — Tanner McKee, Andy Dalton, and Cole Payton — made the cut when the Eagles announced the active roster out of camp at the 6 p.m. Sunday deadline.
McKee, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford, and Dalton, the 16-year veteran trade acquisition, competed in camp and the preseason for the top backup job behind Hurts. Neither quarterback separated himself significantly in the competition, and their inclusion on the initial 53 reinforces the lack of clarity regarding the victor.
“I feel good about both guys,” coach Nick Sirianni said after Friday night’s preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I feel like it’s a good room and I feel good about Cole [Payton] and the things that he can do as well and be able to develop. I feel good. I view it as a good thing that I feel good about both those guys, and our staff feels good about both those guys.”
The initial 53 is initial for a reason — the Eagles will continue to rework the roster as Week 1 approaches on Sept. 13.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Greenard, the 29-year-old outside linebacker who has been sidelined throughout training camp with a strained pectoral muscle, made the initial 53-man roster. Had the Eagles placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list with a designation to return, he would have had to miss at least the first four games of the season.
Neither Uar Bernard nor Joshua Weru, products of the International Player Pathway program, made the initial 53.
The Eagles cut three of their 2026 draft picks — Bernard; Cole Wisniewski, the seventh-round safety out of Texas Tech; and Keyshawn James-Newby, the seventh-round outside linebacker out of New Mexico. If the Eagles want to sign them to the practice squad, they must clear waivers first, as would Bernard and Weru.
Elijah Moore and E.J. Jenkins are among the depth skill players on offense who made the team. Moore, the 26-year-old receiver, joined the Eagles in free agency after spending the 2025 season with the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos. Jenkins, the 27-year-old tight end, has spent about 2½ seasons with the Eagles (a portion of 2023, all of 2024-25), primarily on the practice squad.
Howie Roseman began trimming the roster on Saturday, the day after their final preseason game. Those cuts on offense included RB Carson Steele, WR Quez Watkins, WR Samori Toure, OL Michael Jordan, OL Myles Hinton, CB Shaun Wade, TE Stone Smartt, RB Dameon Pierce, WR Britain Covey, WR Danny Gray, C Zeke Correll, WR Erik Ezukanma, TE Cameron Latu, OL Jake Majors, RB Jordan Mims, OT John Ojukwu, WR Tahj Washington, and OT Cameron Williams.
On defense, the Eagles cut Bernard, Weru, Wisniewski, James-Newby, OLB Tarron Jackson, DB Maximus Pulley, DT Gabe Hall, CB Ambry Thomas, DT Zion Wilson, CB Shaun Wade, S Jaylen Mahoney, ILB Chance Campbell, DT David Blay, CB Isaiah Bolden, DB Kapena Gushiken, ILB Deontae Lawson, OLB Jose Ramirez, and S Andre Sam (injured).
The Eagles also placed cornerback Jakorian Bennett and tight end Grant Calcaterra on injured reserve (designated for return). They must miss at least the first four games of the season.
Here is the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster:
Quarterback (4)
Jalen Hurts, Cole Payton, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee
Running back (3)
Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley
Wide receiver (6)
DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, Darius Cooper
Tight end (4)
Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, Eli Stowers, E.J. Jenkins
Offensive line (10)
Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, Tyler Steen, Willie Lampkin, Drew Kendall, Markel Bell, Fred Johnson, Micah Morris
Interior defensive line (5)
Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, Byron Young
Outside linebacker (5)
Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Jonathan Greenard, Arnold Ebiketie, A.J. Epenesa
Inside linebacker (4)
Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Smael Mondon Jr.
Defensive back (9)
Quinyon Mitchell, Riq Woolen, Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter II, Kelee Ringo, Mac McWilliams, Jonathan Jones
Specialist (3)
Jake Elliott (kicker), Braden Mann (punter), Rocco Underwood (long snapper)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Phillies’ series against the Angels this week has had several sloppy moments on the base paths.
Although they wound up winning both times thanks to late rallies, the Phillies gifted Los Angeles four outs at either third base or home plate across the first two games of the series. Even so, interim manager Don Mattingly doesn’t think there is an overarching concern about the team’s baserunning that needs to be addressed teamwide.
“I think it’s something that’s going to happen now and then,” Mattingly said.
Instead, he has been having individual conversations on a case-by-case basis. For example, Mattingly said he spoke to Derek Hill about the play on Friday night that led to Bryan De La Cruz getting tagged out at home.
With De La Cruz on second and Hill on first, Kyle Schwarber laced a single to right field to advance both runners. De La Cruz initially pulled up after rounding third, but Hill was running with his head down and didn’t see the stop sign from third base coach Anthony Contreras. He continued toward third base, forcing De La Cruz to then try to score, or else get doubled off.
De La Cruz was tagged out easily at the plate, costing the Phillies a potential run and ending the inning.
“I talked to D-Hill about it,” Mattingly said. “AC was stopping him from the beginning of that play; D-Hill has got to keep his head up. So that’s nothing more than just the technique of baserunning.”
Derek Hill missed third base coach’s stop sign on Friday night and it led to Bryan De La Cruz getting tagged out at home.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Mattingly said he didn’t have as much as an issue with the aggressiveness from Trea Turner and Bryce Harper on Saturday that resulted in outs. In a game the Phillies were leading 1-0 at the time, Turner was picked off attempting to steal third, while Bryce Harper was tagged out attempting to steal home.
“Being aggressive is fine. Harp’s is to me, not a bad play either,” Mattingly said. “Just from the standpoint of [Alec] Bohm’s in a bad count, he’s 0-2, so it’s worth taking a shot. And third base is way back, so that one I don’t mind.”
Later in the game, though, Brandon Marsh handed the Angels the first out of the 10th inning by attempting to advance to third on a grounder to shortstop. That play was a mistake both he and the Phillies would like to have back.
“The Marsh one’s just principles of you’re not going on any ball that’s in that spot,” Mattingly said. “You’re in scoring position already. If it’s to his left, I’d feel a little better about it, but it’s kind of right at the guy, and it wasn’t really a tough play. It was a pretty easy play.
“I know it looks like over the last couple days, it looks bad … but in general, I think two of them are OK, and one of them’s D-Hill not looking up, and the other one’s just bad baserunning.”
Day off for Arraez
Second baseman Luis Arraez was out of the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Angels for a regular day off, according to Mattingly.
“Felt like it was the right time,” Mattingly said.
Bryson Stott moved back to second base, while Edmundo Sosa drew into the lineup at third. It was just the second time Arraez was out of the starting lineup since the Aug. 3 trade that brought him to Philadelphia. The second baseman also sat on Aug. 23 against the Cardinals due to low body cramping, but he later appeared in that game as a pinch-hitter.
Luis Arraez is out of the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Angels.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
In addition to giving Arraez a break, Mattingly wanted all three of his right-handed bench bats — Sosa, Hill, and De La Cruz — to start against Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi.
To open an infield spot for Sosa, Mattingly also considered giving Turner a day off. But Turner was coming off back-to-back multihit games after an ice-cold start to the road trip, and Mattingly did not want to halt any potential momentum.
Extra bases
Aaron Nola (5-10, 5.03 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday’s series opener in Arizona. Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.51) is set to take the mound for the Diamondbacks.
Drivers who are found speeding on portions of Route 13 monitored by new automated cameras will begin receiving warnings on Monday morning.
The 60-day warning period is part of the rollout of new traffic safety measures that city officials hope will reduce traffic deaths. The efforts are part of Vision Zero, which aims to cut traffic deaths in Philadelphia to zero.
The newly installed cameras are stationed along Route 13 in West Philadelphia and parts of North Philadelphia.
The Route 13 corridor — identified by the city as a particularly dangerous stretch of road — spans Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia, Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia and Roosevelt Boulevard in the Northeast before leaving the city by way of Frankford Avenue.
A 60 day warning period for newly installed speed cameras goes into effect on August 31, 2026 on the yellow part of Route 13.City of Philadelphia
The city pointed to earlier installments of speed cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard, which cut speeding by 95% and sharply reduced crashes and fatalities since being installed in 2020, according to state data. Those cameras, which started as part of a pilot program, became permanent in 2023.
“Our goal is to continue saving lives,” said Gabe Roberts, acting executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, in a statement.
Drivers who travel more than 11 mph over the posted speed limit will eventually be ticketed, with fines starting at $100 and rising to $150 for those driving more than 30 mph over. Ticketing will begin October 30.
For now, drivers recorded speeding will receive warnings in the mail.
The revenue from the speed camera tickets goes towards other traffic safety improvements across Philadelphia, according to the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.
The city said there are now 80 automated cameras in total; the new ones follow those installed along Broad Street, Frankford Avenue, and Roosevelt Boulevard.
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.
All of it returned to the city’s vistas Sunday as the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, one of the nation’s most storied races — drawing cycling’s Olympians, national champions, and emerging talents to the City of Brotherly Love — made its resurgence. Funding snafus and waning support begone; biking in Philly is back.
For an international field of riders, the 14.4-mile looping, winding, and climbing course that weaved from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Manayunk 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.
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.
Ashley O’Neill’s stepfather talked relentlessly about the classic of yore’s folklore, but she never witnessed it herself. “The people [gathering] together, the happiness,” O’Neill, whose 41st birthday was also Sunday, recalled her stepdad saying, “but for years there was no race.”
Dylan O’Neill chimed in: “To have the city lose something like this is a huge loss for the entire community.”
As the Trenton couple huffed through humid air to reach a lookout on the famed “Manayunk Wall,” they talked about plans to come back, year after year.
“We hope they keep doing it,” Dylan O’Neill said. “It’s such a unique thing, and Philly is the perfect place to do it.”
Remembering the old
During its run from 1985 to 2016, Philadelphia’s criterium reigned, known for its theaterlike scene and famed “Manayunk Wall,“ an incline with a maximum 17% gradient.
“I remember the first race, it was amazing: No one was here and they had a helicopter,” said Thomas Gartside, 77, who moved to Manayunk, near the Wall, a year before the inaugural classic.
Over the years, as the race grew in prestige and attendance, his block got more crowded. In 2016, Gartside said he didn’t watch the spectacle — unaware the cyclists’ return would be an uphill battle.
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’s cycling community.
“I got a little tired of it, but this is reinvigorating,” Gartside said, looking out at hundreds of merry people packed shoulder to shoulder. Gartside hosted his own small fête, with bagels and coffee.
“Look at all the energy and all the neighbors,” he said.
Cyclists climb the Wall in Manayunk during the men’s race in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on Sunday, Aug. 30.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Organizers have described the free-to-watch revitalized classic as “the people’s race.” Road cycling is also one of the few professional sports where athletes brush right up against fans and front doors, bringing “the stadium to the streets,” said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
Michael Jones, a cyclist with Philly club Major Taylor, was among the throngs of fans who didn’t want to miss a second of the action — a 10-year break was long enough.
Jones even brought his bike along to follow some of the race route. A passerby remarked, “It’s like bringing a glove to a baseball game. But bigger.” And Jones couldn’t have agreed more.
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.
“It’s just so fantastic that so many people are down here taking in the scenes,” he said about the Fan Fest crowd.
“It’s just beautiful to see.”
If the verve of the morning’s women’s competition is any indication of the next era of cycling in Philly, it will be nothing short of “amazing,” according to Stefy and Sean Beury of West Mount Airy.
“The 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,” Stefy Beury, 47, said. “It’s just been awesome.”
It’s 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.
Spectators wearing orange cone costumes cheer in Manayunk during the men’s race in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on Sunday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Ushering in the new
Eyes glued to a phone, siblings Tess and Fitz Dolan counted down the seconds it took the women’s field to arrive at the Wall, tracking their movements on a livestream of the race.
The teen mountain bikers’ ages were in the single digits when the race went away and they never had a chance to see it in person. On Sunday, they refused to lose sight of the riders.
“It’s so cool to see them do this,” said 16-year-old Tess Dolan, “we are used to these roads and we bike there. The women are putting in a lot of work and they are just rocking it.”
Her older brother, Fitz, was equally in awe by the bikers’ performance. The 18-year-old has biked the Manayunk Wall once and considers it to be a challenge for any cyclist. “They made it look so effortless,” he said.
Seeing the women’s strength and the jolliness of the spectators inspired Tess to put the Wall on her bucket list.
“It’s important for us to see them,” she said.
“It gives us inspiration to go outside and get on the bike.”
Bikers celebrate on the podium after placing in the Philly Cycling Classic on Sunday. From left are second-place finisher Alexandra Volstad of Canada, of EF Education-Oatly; winner Chiara Consonni of Italy, of Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto; and third-place finisher Ella Sabo of the United States, of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Early Saturday morning, I clambered out of bed and pulled on the required brown Spandex. With my hair slicked back into a ponytail, I hustled down to Friends Select School in Center City, a yoga mat slung over my shoulder. There, on the private school’s rooftop turf, awaited hundreds of my peers all clad in the variations of the same Jacklyn.fit-branded workout set, the allure of complimentary energy drinks and facials, and the promise of rapper Waka Flocka Flame.
This was Sweat & Sculpt, a mat Pilates class slash wellness bazaar slash concert. It’s the brainchild of influencer and Sea Isle City native Jacklyn Romano (aka Jacklyn.fit online), who bills the women’s workout-palooza as a “one-of-a-kind celebration of female empowerment, fitness, and community” and the “largest women’s event” in Philadelphia. That’s a difficult superlative to quantify, but organizers said there were more than 800 women in attendance.
“A lot of people are like, ‘Wait, is this real? Like 800 girls in matching workout sets and Waka Flocka?’” Romano told me. (Nearly everyone I told about this event had a similar reaction, with notably more expletives. One friend texted me, “I can’t even believe that’s a real sentence.”)
That singularity is what interested me — how someone could successfully marry a $120 “viral Pilates event” and the song “No Hands.” A TikTok commenter said it best: “Pilates & Waka is a diabolical combo.”
So I went, I worked out, I Waka’ed. And I didn’t expect to leave feeling so girly and giddy and genuinely moved by the body-positivity of the same man who wrote “Round of Applause.”
Influencer Jacklyn Romano leads Sweat & Sculpt at the Friends Select School on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Sweat & Sculpt’s mantra
Six years ago, Romano’s brick-and-mortar fitness business was thwarted by COVID-19, so she pivoted to Zoom classes. Then, three years ago, she parlayed her online success (some 111,000 followers on Instagram and 20,600 on TikTok) into in-person activations — a burgeoning trend of social media stars taking their shtick on the road. This spring, for example, I wrote about another influencer, TikTok’s “Dense Bean Salad Girl,” who sold takeout containers of her signature salads at a pop-up near Rittenhouse Square.
A trainer for nearly a decade, Romano said she had always looked for an event like the one she ended up creating with Sweat & Sculpt: An inclusive space for women to get fit, make connections, and feel powerful. Despite the steep admission fee — which included the brown bra and your choice of leggings or capris, with an optional, additional $20 tank top — Saturday’s Sweat & Sculpt was the largest yet, according to Romano. (Full disclosure, I was comped my ticket and athletic garb because I was writing about the event.)
“Once [these women] leave here, they’re also shining from the inside out,” Romano said. At 8:45 a.m., she was already bubbly and energetic, bouncing from fan to fan and selfie to selfie. As we chatted briefly, her tooth gem caught the morning sun and her red-ink patchwork tattoos peeked out from her capris.
“They’re leaving with new friends, they’re leaving with a new form of confidence, they’re trying something new,” she said.
Cousins Dakota Hurwitz, Caitlyn McHugh, and Crystal McHugh have followed Romano for years. They’ve watched as her events grew fortyfold, from 20-person classes in Sea Isle to filling up soccer fields. Here, they said, they found community.
“It’s more than just a workout class,” Hurwitz, 26, of Bucks County, said.
Crystal McHugh, 31, of Northeast Philly, added: “It’s not just [about] confidence, it’s empowerment.”
Admittedly, before this event, I was not familiar with Romano. I recently deleted most social media apps from my phone, expressly because of the constant barrage of body checking, nutrition misinformation, ads for fat-loss miracle drugs, and commentary on what women should or shouldn’t look like. It started to feel like a nightmarish echo chamber of shame.
Romano’s brand, she said, defies that: The workout sets come in an expansive size range, from XS to 4X, and she encourages people to “worry about how you feel” but “not how you look.”
“I try to take a positive spin onto social media,” she said. “On our page, you get to see every different kind of person. No matter what size, what fitness level, what race, what religion — we all come together and we all want to empower each other.”
The workout
Sweat & Sculpt was promoted as low-impact, body-weight mat Pilates.
Don’t be fooled. That doesn’t mean easy.
I’m an ex-ballerina who’s been doing Pilates since age 11. I’m 27 now, so that’s more than 15 years of — albeit on again, off again — Pilates practice. At one point, I was taking as many as five mat classes a week; nowadays, my exercise routine consists of long walks, occasional reformer Pilates, and a weekly gym session with a personal trainer.
Yet by the second set of single-leg glute bridges, my hamstrings were burning. Then came a three-minute ab circuit. According to my Apple Watch, over 42 minutes, I burned 144 calories and my heart rate reached 167 beats per minute, more than double my resting rate.
As my arms and legs started to shake, I certainly felt that sense of camaraderie and support Romano talked about: her steady stream of affirmations — “Hang tight, ladies!” — blasting over the speakers; the smiles from the women around me; finding comfort knowing that I was not alone, that we all signed up to be breaking a sweat at 9 a.m.
Eleven mats down from me, 6-foot-6 Waka Flocka Flame cried, “Call the paramedics!”
“Why not bring in someone who’s iconic to our generation of women and just make it fun?” Romano said. The chorus “Girl, the way you’re moving got me in a trance. …” once filled gymnasiums on prom night; hearing “‘Rain, rain, go away,’ that’s what all my haters say,” teleported me back to a college bar, my heeled booties sticking to a White Claw-laden floor.
Waka Flocka Flame performs some of his hit songs after the Sweat & Sculpt Pilates class at the Friends Select School on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Philadelphia.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
But before he performed his medley, Waka, whose given name is Juaquin Malphurs, took time to answer audience questions, offering reassurance to one new mom in the crowd:
“I need you not to be hard on yourself postpartum,” Malphurs, who is also a new dad, said. “The woman that you’re gonna be is not the woman you see today, and you’ll get there — don’t worry.”
“Give your body some time … then fight the fight.”
Afterward, I spoke to Tamika Ford, who was coincidentally also seven weeks postpartum.
She came Saturday morning worrying — “I’m going to be so out of shape,” she thought — and left feeling fun and light-hearted and buzzing with encouragement.
When he started as an intern 27 years ago,Mike Grigalonis never expected to become CEO at the Chester County Economic Development Council. But now he’s taken the top job, leading an organization that propels business growth in the county.
Since then, he’s seen the council grow from a six-person operation to one that boasts more than 40 employees, with teams dedicated to building out the workforce, supporting agriculture, and directing hundreds of millions of dollars to projects in the county. Grigalonis succeeds his longtime boss, Gary Smith, who stepped down July 1.
As the council has grown, so too has Chester County, which remains the richest of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
“I’m excited and grateful and humbled for this opportunity,” said Grigalonis, 53, who lives in Upper Uwchlan Township. “I don’t take it for granted, and I’m really excited about what’s to come.”
The Inquirer talked with Grigalonis about the current economic landscape of the county.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What’s changed most since you started in 1998?
In some ways there has been a lot of change, but in some ways there haven’t. I think about open space preservation, for example. … I think what this county, over generations of leaders, has done an amazing job of is balancing, making sure that we continue to have that open space, which is a big part of our culture, a big part of I think what makes us attractive and successful, but still having development and job creation and innovation and all those things happening at the same time.
How do you balance preserving the culture of Chester County while fulfilling the council’s mission?
Very carefully. … I always start by saying up front that I totally support open space preservation. I completely acknowledge the value that it’s brought to the county.
Do I feel that sometimes we sometimes lean maybe a little too heavily with the open space? Maybe. The planning commission does what they call a non-residential construction report. They look at institutional, they look at industrial, and they look at commercial. And in 2025, which is the most recent data, that was down pretty dramatically, the lowest it’s been in like 10 or 11 years. Is that a trend? Is it an aberration? It’s too early to tell.
And why is that? There’s lots of reasons — construction costs are high, borrowing rates are high. There are tariffs that maybe were at play. There’s lots of reasons, but do people sometimes shy away from doing projects in Chester County? I don’t know that.
I want to make sure that we strike the balance again.
What do you see as the future for farming in Chester County?
I think the future remains bright. I think we, as an organization, are highly committed to supporting ag[riculture]. … It’s a really strong ag team that’s grown over the last couple years. We have something called AgConnect, which is an awesome partnership with the county, and I’m seeing a lot of a lot more awareness and visibility.
We’ll see how that, longer term, translates to some of the economic metrics, but I think that awareness, engagement, visibility with the ag community is stronger because of the efforts of AgConnect and others.
What do you see as the future of suburban office development in the county?
I don’t know the answer. I wish I did. What I do see is obviously everybody’s aware of it. Developers are thinking smart about it. … Obviously, King of Prussia has the main street, adjacent to the mall. … In Philadelphia, this is a huge thing where they’re converting office buildings to residential. There hasn’t been a ton of that out here, but there’s been a few of those that have happened. … You’re probably going to see some more destination mixed-use creative amenities, maybe some conversion to residential, and then a refresh of office space.
What’s the future of Coatesville?
I think, obviously, there’s been some starts and stops, and there’s been some successes and some things that haven’t worked. But I think there’s some great people in that community. There’s a lot of people that are dedicated to making sure that redevelopment happens there. I think there are signs. The train station obviously has made tremendous progress. There’s a new energy around The Flats. There’s some things that are going to happen on Lancaster Ave[nue] that are on the verge. Ash Park was just completed, so there’s a lot of things happening there. I just don’t want it to be forgotten.
We’re seeing some proposed redevelopment of Superfund or brownfield sites. Do you see this as a viable way of reusing this land?
We’ve always been super supportive of that. … I think that will absolutely continue, and it should always be a top priority, because that enables us to strike that balance to take already developed sites and buildings and kind of repurpose them. That should be a huge part of our strategy moving forward.
Do you think the proposed data centers will actually be built here?
There are concerns that need to be addressed. I do think that data centers aren’t all evil. I think there are some positives that can come out of it. There’s construction jobs and there’s tax ratables. … We’ve always competed as a county, as a region, really as a nation, on innovation. So I think data centers, we’re going to have to figure out: How do we construct them the right way? It should not be the Wild West. It needs to be very thoughtful and very careful.
What’s the future of QVC and its campus in West Chester?
QVC is an incredible success story. So, no matter what happens, we’ll always be super proud and grateful that QVC was born in Chester County. … I don’t know how to forecast the future[as the company emerges from bankruptcy]. … We certainly want to be supportive. We certainly hope they succeed.
