Love Philly? So do we. Let’s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today.
Ten years ago, Philly’s cycling community mourned as the Philadelphia Cycling Classic was shuttered indefinitely.
Most were resigned to the belief that it would never return.
Not Race Street Partners Carlos Rogers, Eric Robbins and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Now, the trio is just days away from seeing years of grinding finally pay off.
Rogers said he’s been telling his clients at Hush Salon in Old City that he still doesn’t know how to feel. Someone compared his dogged, often frustrating quest to bring the race back for the first time since 2016 to Sisyphus, the figure in Greek Mythology who was condemned to roll a boulder up a hill.
“We have worked tirelessly and extremely hard, and I guess the boulder’s almost at the top, you could say,” Rogers said.
Rogers, who competed in the race himself, connected with Robbins and then Nutter to bring together the team from Philly’s cycling community that will see 36 professional teams compete for a $75,000 prize purse — $15,000 for the first-place riders — in both the men’s and women’s competition.
They enlisted the race’s former director, Robin Morton, to run the race and provide a relatively seamless organizing process with the many city officials familiar with the previous year’s races. They secured Amerigas as a main sponsor, helped by the fact that Rob Flexon, the CEO of parent company UGI Corp, is a cycling fan, having picked up the sport to help one of his sons recover from a knee injury.
“I will have to really check myself, I think, when that first air horn goes off, I’m literally thinking I might burst out in tears,” Nutter, who described this as the most intense activity he’s embarked on since leaving office, said. “It’s that much passion and commitment and focus on this particular effort.”
The Cycling Classic was shifted from its usual June spot on the calendar to August so it wouldn’t have to compete with the jam-packed 2026 sporting summer that included the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game, and also to line up just before the Maryland Cycling Classic.
Borrowing from cycling parlance, Nutter said the benefit of that switch was they got to draft off those events, mentioning Classic at each one, and now have the streets of Philly all to themselves.
“All of those events created an environment and a foundation and a platform for the Philadelphia Cycling Classic to stand on and be considered one of the primary events of the year. Because that’s what everybody was talking about all summer long,” he said.
“And we’re the only one that will be back in ‘27,” Robbins added.
Robbins described the classic as “the people’s race,” because it will be completely free for the estimated 100,000 spectators on race day to find a spot along Lemon Hill, Roxborough, or the daunting Manayunk Wall and watch the race.
“This city deserves this race, and we’re just proud to be able to bring it back,” he said.
Carlos recalled that in the years he was spectating, because the race is a 14.4-mile circuit, people had about 25 to 30 minutes to commune and connect while the riders were in other parts of the city. That party would only break once people started to hear sound of the helicopter or the rumble of the motorcycles following the cyclists.
“Then you get that buzz, you get the goosebumps and you start gravitating towards the barricades to see the riders come by,” he recalled. “That’s just an awesome thrill.”
The Race Street Partners won’t have too long to bask in after Sunday’s race is over. They will have to get right back on the proverbial bike to start organizing next year’s race.
Even with a race in the rearview mirror and a much less crowded summer sports schedule to look forward to, None of the trio think the Sisyphian boulder will be any easier to push up the hill again.
“I think the rock is the rock, we just get stronger … That rock is not diminishing,” Nutter said as the three laughed.
Locals to follow
Sunday’s race starts with the women’s competition from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m, followed by the men from noon till 4:45 p.m. The awards ceremony for the women is at 1 p.m. and the men’s is at 5:30 p.m., with both happening at the start/finish line on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Brewerytown resident Kim Stoveld is competing in the women’s field for Automatic Racing, which competes in orange jerseys. Originally from North Carolina, she’s also a registered nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Hannah Yeakey, a Fairmount resident, is competing with Philly-based KRT QRT Racing, led by team director and Mount Airy native Curran Swint. Yeakey and her teammates will be wearing red jerseys with white crowns in the design.
In the men’s competition, you can cheer for Robin Carpenter on the Modern Adventure team, which will be in maroon jerseys with gold pinstriping and lettering. Carpenter grew up in Manayunk next to the Wall and even set up a lemonade stand for spectators during race days.
The race will be airing live on 6abc, but there will be plenty of great spots around the city to see the riders go by in person. Parks on Tap is also conveniently overlooking the course at Lemon Hill on Sunday during the race.
