Thousands Of Cyclists Headed To Baltimore County This Fall For The Maryland Cycling Classic

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Hundreds of cyclists will flock to Baltimore County roads this fall for the second annual Maryland Cycling Classic.

Cyclists from 17 professional teams will race along the 124-mile course, snaking their way through Baltimore County and into the city. This year’s route is the same as last year, starting in Sparks and ending at the Inner Harbor.

Credit: The Maryland Cycling Classic

The event hopes to build on a successful 2022 race, showing more viewers the diverse landscapes and architecture of the Baltimore area.

Neilson Powless of Team EF-Education-EasyPost will be among this year’s competitors. He was a top American and 3rd place finisher in the 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic and the top American finisher at the 2022 Tour de France.

“Racing in Maryland was a pretty awesome experience! It’s always so nice to be able to race in America, and the Maryland Cycling Classic is a pretty big one at that. I’m happy the race is back for another year, and it looks like it’s here to stay. I hope I keep racing it every year,” Powless said in a news release from the race organizers.

Maryland Public Television will broadcast the entire five hours of the race and will feature a 30-minute pre-event and post-event show from a location at the finish line.

WBAL reports that in 2022, over 100,000 people watched the race on live TV. It was seen in 62 countries worldwide and had 2.3 million media impressions internationally.

The event features more than just a professional race. A four-day weekend of family-friendly activities kicks off on Thursday, August 31, with a community engagement day highlighted by a series of school visits by athletes and community ambassadors to educate children on bike and helmet safety.

On Friday, September 1, Baltimore’s “Community Bike Jam” will occur at Patterson Park. The event is free to the public and open to everyone.

On September 2, the UHCCF Bridges of Hope Ride will see cyclists ride parts of the Maryland Cycling Classic professional course to support the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Fund.

The main event starts on Sunday, September 3.

For more information about the race, visit the Maryland Cycling Classic’s website