The Return of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic was a staple of Philadelphia sports from 1985-2016. It eventually lost funding and died out. Then on September 16, 2025 at City Hall, race co-owner Carlos Rogers P’27, along with his team, announced that after a ten year hiatus the Philadelphia Cycling Classic would return. Yet the work to resurrect this race started much earlier. 

When asked about the initial preparation, Rodgers said, “So for me that (the preparation) started in September of 2022…This new race came on the calendar called the Maryland Cycling Classic in 2022, and basically after watching that race streaming it sparked my interest to try and revitalize and resurrect the Philadelphia race…(I) contacted one of the previous race directors, who, her name is Robin Morton, who has a wealth of knowledge in the sport and uniquely within the Philadelphia race, directed the race for a number of years… I wasn't successful in finding any financial partners. And that is not the job of the race director. That's the job of an event owner and promoter is to find the funds. So after about two years of trying I used the support of a client of ours at Hush Salon, Eric Robbins, who is a Philadelphia entrepreneur and Philadelphia connector, knows a lot of people. Including previous Mayor Michael Nutter ’75… And so then from there, the three of us work together to try and find a title sponsor. And that did take another year or so. When we were able to land AmeriGas”.

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic is an international professional road cycling race. The route is a 14.4 mile loop starting at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, down Kelly Drive, into Manayunk and up “The Wall”. The men ride this loop eight times and the women four times. On August 30, I had the pleasure of watching the race and witnessing the culmination of Rogers and his team's hard work. I was there from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and loved every second. The Fan Fest on Pennsylvania Ave was everything one could hope for. From free drinks and gear, to live music and top tier bikes, the energy was unbelievable. Even the Philly Phanatic was there. Then, of course, the purpose of the day, the racing. From Olympians, National Champions, and World Tour riders, to upcoming pros, the range of riders was vast. 

As a cycling fan, this could not have been a more amazing event for me to watch. I was able to watch the racers climb Lemon Hill and fly by me on Kelly Drive. Then, after hours of competing, both races ended in a sprint finish. On the women's side, Italian rider, Chiara Consonni racing for Canyon/Sram, took the win. On the men's side, German rider, Tim Torn Teutenberg racing for Lidl-Trek, crossed the finish line in first place. This was a full circle moment for the Teutenbergs because Tim's aunt Ina-Yoko Teutenberg previously won the women's race five times.  

The element that made this race so special was how much this race meant to the fans. I asked Mr. Pinto P '25 as a coach, member of the Philadelphia cycling community, and spectator of the original race what the race meant to him and the community. “One of the things that's great about the Philadelphia cycling community, it's a very, small, close knit community, and a lot of people know each other just through, either mountain biking or cyclocross. I’ve gained a lot of friends through the sport. And so it was just wonderful to have everyone experience cycling in Philadelphia”. 

The Philadelphia  Cycling Classic was truly a day of intense competition and treasured community. It showed what one can accomplish with extreme dedication and passion. Hopefully it is here to stay.