The Maryland Cycling Classic, America’s top-ranked cycling race, will return on Sunday, September 3, with a stellar cast of riders.
The men's only UCI 1.Pro race is one of just three remaining UCI road races in the country, along with the Joe Martin Stage Race and the Tour of the Gila. The race looks to continue its success from the previous year, which was the first time America hosted a truly International and world-class rider field since the Amgen Tour of California in 2019.
In its 2022 debut, it was Belgian Sep Vanmarcke (Israel-Premier Tech) who came out on top, and Brendan Quirk, the CEO of USA Cycling, lauded the race as the “most important bike race that’s happened in America in the last five years."
This Labor Day weekend fans can expect another world-class battle by some of cycling's biggest names including Tour de France stage winners Michael Woods (Team Isreal-Premier Tech) and Victor Lafay (Cofidis), and American polka dot jersey wearer, Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost).
The race organizers today announced the preliminary rosters for the second edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic, presented by UnitedHealthcare, which will see the peloton tackle an undulating 121.9-mile (196km) route from Sparks, Md., to Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor.
In addition to the names mentioned above, notable competitors on the preliminary start list include Britain's Simon Yates (Team Jayco AlUla), who's a former Vuelta a España winner and the fourth place finisher in this year’s Tour de France; Italy's Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), the Tour's 2023 KOM jersey winner; and Latvia’s Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), who finished fourth overall in last year’s Maryland Cycling Classic and eighth in this year’s brutal World Championship road race.
“This is going to be one of the most exciting fields to watch on American soil since 2019,” said Medalist Sports President Chris Aronhalt, the race’s event manager. “The strong mix of talented teams will surely provide a dynamic race from the rolling hills to the city center of Baltimore.”
There will be 17 teams competing for the win of what will be the biggest, high-level race in America this year. A selection of WorldTour riders will be facing some tough competition of the best domestic and continental teams including Human Powered Health, Novo Nordisk, L39ion of Los Angeles, Toronto Hustle and Team Medellin-EPM. One of the top U23 development teams in the world, Hagens Berman Axeon, will also be present for an opportunity to prove themselves against the world's best.
“I'm happy the race is back for another big year,” commented American top talent, Powless. “Last year, the race was really exciting. It seemed to open up from the get-go, and we tried to make it pretty hard as a team even after the front split got away. Being able to race around downtown in a major city like Baltimore was fun. I spent the days before the race walking along the waterfront and eating good food -Mexican, seafood and sushi - all things I miss when I'm in Europe. So, I'm really looking forward to being back to compete in America’s biggest race again.”
The Maryland Cycling Classic will take place Sunday, September 3, at 12 p.m. EDT. The race will be live-streamed on the race website, GCN+ and the Tour Tracker app.
