'By a whisker' – Canyon//SRAM's Agnieszka Sójka wins inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic women’s race in photo finish

Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto) wrote her name into history as the first women’s winner of the Maryland Cycling Classic, beating Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly) in a razor-thin photo finish on Pratt Street.

The Polish rider launched her sprint early from a four-rider move and just managed to hold off Jackson’s late surge. Emma Langley (Aegis) finished third, while Jackson’s teammate Clara Emond rounded out the quartet in fourth.

“I’m super happy. I’m happy to be here and win this race in America, in Maryland,” Skalniak-Sójka said. “The course was super nice and fast. In the last lap, there were so many attacks—two riders from EF were in the break with me, attacking all the time. I knew I could do well in the sprint, but I also had to follow. It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy I did it.”

Jackson, however, was convinced the win had been within her grasp. “I did the bike throw, but just a bit too early, and her one extra pedal stroke got me at the line,” she said. “I should have won the race. Maybe I needed to sprint earlier, or micro a little later, but that’s bike racing. That’s why you tune in—because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Langley, who animated the race by initiating the break on the final lap, said the finale was as brutal as it looked. “We were away for almost a whole lap, and that whole lap was brutal. It was just attack after attack, everyone burning matches,” she said. “I’m pretty excited. I was right in the action, initiating moves. Getting to be here and on the podium is huge for Aegis. It feels really special.”

How the race unfolded

Baltimore hosted the inaugural women’s Maryland Cycling Classic on a 115.2km course made up of four laps of a 28.8km city circuit. Riders faced cobbles through Fells Point, two short climbs including the punishing ascent past St. Mary’s Seminary, and a downhill run-in to the Inner Harbor.

Early on, Emma Langley lit things up with a move on lap one, followed by attacks from Emily Newsom (Fearless Femmes) and EF’s Henrietta Christie, who locked up the QOM classification with repeated aggression. Marta Jaskulska (Ceratizit) and others also tried their hand before the decisive split formed on the final lap.

Langley attacked on the Seminary climb, drawing out Jackson, Skalniak-Sójka, and Jaskulska. Emond bridged across soon after, giving EF a two-to-one advantage. The climbs and pace shed Jaskulska, leaving four riders at the front.

Inside the final three kilometers, Emond attacked twice, Jackson countered, Langley tried her turn—each time shut down. The four hit the final corners together. Emond led them into Pratt Street, Skalniak-Sójka on her wheel, Jackson hovering.

Skalniak-Sójka jumped first, Jackson came by, and then the Canadian threw her bike for the line—only to be denied by the Pole’s last surge and perfectly timed bike throw.

“After the finish, I wasn’t sure who had won,” Skalniak-Sójka admitted. “When they told me I was first, I was so happy.”

Jackson, though visibly disappointed, said EF achieved what they came for. “We planned to make it hard, to have numbers in the final,” she said. “It would have been better to arrive solo, but with a small group, our odds were good. We’re not here to fluff around—we train for hard, not easy.”

Langley added, “It was just a race of attrition all day. The Seminary climb looked small on paper, but lap after lap, it was brutal. Every time, it was a sting in the legs. Honestly, I was on the back foot a couple of times. To come away with third is huge for me and for Aegis.”

Women’s Top 10 – Maryland Cycling Classic 2025

1. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka – 2:51:59

2. Alison Jackson – +0:00

3. Emma Langley – +0:00

4. Clara Emond – +0:04

5. Marta Jaskulska – +0:55

6. Natalie Quinn – +1:16

7. Mylène De Zoete – +2:24

8. Alexandra Volstad – +2:24

9. Caoimhe O’Brien – +2:24

10. Kenna Pfeiffer – +2:24