By Michael Tanenbaum

Copyright phillyvoice

After a decade-long hiatus, the Philadelphia Cycling Classic will return to the city in 2026 with men’s and women’s races on the original 14.4-mile course that winds through scenic stretches of Center City, Fairmount Park and Manayunk.

The revival of the international road race, a tradition that began in 1985, was spearheaded by a group that includes former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Next year’s race on Sunday, Aug. 30, will mark the end of a summer calendar packed with marquee sporting events in Philadelphia — including the World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game — that coincide with the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.

MORE: City starts working to upgrade Lemon Hill Park for 2026 World Cup fan festival

“Sports can be a force for unity, for economic development and civic pride,” Nutter said during a news conference Tuesday announcing the event’s return. “… This is Philadelphia’s race. It is the people’s race.”

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic is a professional race sanctioned by both USA Cycling and Union Cycliste Internationale, the world’s governing body for competitive cycling. After the race was last held in 2016, the loss of an ongoing sponsor led to the disappearance of one of UCI’s few premiere events outside Europe.

Last year, Nutter was approached by local businessmen Eric Robbins and Carlos Rogers to form Race Street Partners as an organizer for the event. They secured a new sponsor — AmeriGas Propane — and committed to using the original course instead of the shortened version that had been adopted in the race’s later years.

The start and finish on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, modeled after the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where the Tour de France concludes, has long been regarded as Philadelphia’s major draw for pro racers and spectators alike.

“My motto was to go big or go home,” said Rogers, a former pro cyclist who became a promoter and launched New Jersey’s Historic Riverton Criterium more than a decade ago. “I knew it was going to cost more money, but … we had to have the (Benjamin Franklin) Parkway.”

The course in Philadelphia starts at the art museum and takes Kelly Drive up to the Manayunk Wall along Levering Street, where cyclists pedal up a grueling 17% grade climb. From there, the course continues through Strawberry Mansion, returns to the Ben Franklin Parkway, and enters Fairmount Park with a scenic stretch past Lemon Hill and Boathouse Row.

The men’s race totals about 120 miles and the women’s race, historically held first, covers about 62 miles. Both races will have top prizes of $75,000. At one of the most recent races in 2015, the event drew around 50 international teams with roughly 230 men and 160 women competing.

Retired cyclist Freddie Rodriguez won three of his four U.S. Pro Championships in Philadelphia, including his outright victory over racers of all nationalities in 2001. He described the course as a defining circuit for U.S. pro racers, one that gave him goosebumps during a career that took him to the Olympics and the Tour de France.

“From a rider’s perspective, when you think about the race, you think about the fans out there when you’re coming into Manayunk,” Rodriguez said. “You hear the crowd. You hear the cheering. You hear them having fun. You come up to that climb and you just feel the energy from the crowd.”

In years past, the race regularly drew cycling fans and neighbors to Lemon Hill for barbecues and transformed the parkway into a scene that Rodriguez likened to a stadium environment.

“To be able to call a race ‘home’ is big — and so that’s what Philly became to me,” Rodriguez said.

Nutter said Tuesday the return of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic is about more than racing. He said he felt invested in bringing it back as a way to continue giving to the city. Nutter served four City Council terms in the Fourth District — which covers many of neighborhoods on the race route — before serving two mayoral terms from 2008-2016.

“I’m a public servant. It’s who I am. It’s what I’m about,” Nutter said. “This is a different form of public service.”

He expressed confidence that the race will stick around well beyond 2026.

“There are so many Philadelphians who remember growing up with this race, and we are beyond excited to be bringing it back in spectacular fashion for generations to come,” Nutter said.