Race a global attraction
120.4-mile course through state draws elite riders
While some of the competition in Sunday’s Maryland Cycling Classic began to arrive at the teams’ hotel in Baltimore earlier this week — or in the case of Australian Michael Matthews, Thursday night — Scott McGill had a much simpler trek from his parents’ home in Fallston.
“I’m probably the only guy up here whose mom dropped him off at the hotel yesterday,” he quipped. “I’m only 30 minutes away. I was able to recon the course basically all summer. I’ve been riding some of the roads on the course for probably the better part of 10 years. So to be able to race on a course like that will definitely be very special.”
Two days before the inaugural start of the only road race in the United States sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s world governing body that also endorses, among others, the Tour de France, organizers, local and state officials and sponsors congregated at the Columbus Center in Baltimore to celebrate the impending debut of an event that was originally scheduled for 2020 but was delayed for two years by the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is one of the most important events we’ve had in quite some time,” said R. Michael Gill, secretary of commerce for Maryland. “This is a big deal. It’s the Masters, it’s the PGA for our country in the sport of cycling, and how important is that for all of us? So from the standpoint of Maryland and these big-deal events, they’re fabulous.”
Added John Kelly, event chair and chief strategy officer of Kelly Benefits: “To me, we’re sending a postcard to the world about what’s great about Maryland, about Baltimore, and where we live and work and play, and that’s awesome. We’re bringing the best athletes from around the world in one of the largest sports in the world. Cycling [is] where more people watch the Tour de France than the Super Bowl, and all eyes in the world are going to be watching.”
The race’s significance as the first UCI-sanctioned event since 2020, when the Tours of California and Utah went on hiatus, was not lost on the cyclists themselves.
“It’s always special when I can get some time to come back to America,” said Neilson Powless of EF Education-EasyPost, who was the top American finisher in the 2022 Tour de France. “I got to come back and get a little bit of time in America and train at altitude and really just stretch that time out at home. It’s pretty refreshing to speak English and not have to worry about translating or anything like that. I’m really relaxed, and I always race my best when I’m relaxed. So I’m
really happy to be racing in America.”
With the race less than 48 hours away, the 120.4-mile course emerged as the most-discussed subject among the competitors.
Sunday’s race will start at 1 p.m. at Kelly Benefits in Sparks, travel north of Butler, skirt the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line, circle Prettyboy Reservoir twice, move southward down the eastern edges of Upperco, Boring and Glyndon, and climb a total elevation of about 7,500 feet before entering Baltimore City.
In the city, the cyclists will make four laps of a 7.4-mile circuit featuring 19 turns and short climbs through districts such as Fells Point, Washington Hill, Old Town and Mount Vernon. The circuit is generally bounded by St. Paul Street to the west, Pratt Street to the south, North Broadway to the east, and East Lafayette Avenue to the north.
The end of the race features a flat stretch
finishing at the intersection of E. Pratt and Market streets. The first cyclist is expected to cross the finish line around 6 p.m.
Current U.S. road champion Kyle Murphy of HumanPoweredHealthsaidtheoutercourse in Baltimore County that features two loops around Prettyboy Reservoir and a total elevation climb of 7,500 feet is the most challenging portion of the route.
“The county loop is going to be super difficult,” he said. “Small roads, a lot of elevation, and you have some incredibly talented riders here. These so-called sprinters, they’re not just fast at the end of the race. They’re some of the fastest riders in the world. So I think that will surprise some newcomers to the sport to see how fast these big men can go uphill and how fast they can go downhill. ”
Powless said the course in the county could be the turning point for the race if a rider or group of riders can break away from the rest of the pack.
“If some riders get up the road, they’re going to be out of sight quick,” he said. “And we have
radios. So we’ll be hearing updates on where everybody’s at. But mentally, it’s more difficult if you can’t see the riders in front of you. So the first 30 miles is going to have a really big impact on what the rest of the race is going to look like because if a really big, strong group of guys gets away early, it’s going to be a hard course to chase from behind.”
McGill, a member of a Team USA group of under-23 cyclists and a 2022 Tour of Portugal double stage winner, agreed, adding that the county could determine the look of the finish in the city.
“Depending on how it’s raced, it could be a big bunch sprint or it could be a slightly reduced sprint or even a breakaway,” he said. “The first half of the race is definitely hard. There’s never really any bit of flat. It’s about as narrow of a road as we get in Maryland. So it should be interesting.”
Weather could also loom as a factor. Forecasts projecting a high temperature above 90 degrees and the typical humidity that blankets the Mid-Atlantic region could sap competitors
of their strength.
“There’s a good chance we’ll see some guys suffering in the heat,” Powless said. “But a lot of the guys, especially the guys that came from the Tour de France, I think they got pretty accustomed to the heat.”
Murphy pointed out that Europe was the site of several heatwaves this summer.
“So I think everyone will be fine,” he said. “At this level and at this time of the season, everyone’s prepared. Anyone coming here from Europe is the best of the best. They’ve got a plan to handle it.”
Organizers are expecting more than 50,000 people to turn out for Sunday’s race, which could generate an economic impact between $11 million to $14 million. Time will tell if the Baltimore region embraces the event, but Dylan Groenewegen of Team BikeExchange-Jayco was encouraged by what he saw during a training run Friday morning.
“We saw today on the ride, the people were waving,” he said. “It’s a small party, and it’s nice to be here.”*