5-08-2023 4:05am

124-MILE RACE TO

Maryland Cycling Classic announces 2023 route

The Maryland Cycling Classic presented by UnitedHealthcare today announced the route for the 2023 edition, scheduled for September 3.

The 196-kilometer (124-mile) route for the second running of the highest ranked UCI road race in the United States sticks to a similar game plan as last year's inaugural edition. It will once again start in Sparks, Maryland at the headquarters of event sponsor Kelly Benefits before finishing with a city circuit in downtown Baltimore.

In between, the race passes through rural countryside and includes 6,664 feet of total climbing thanks in part to two hilly outer circuits before reaching Baltimore. The route will then pass along the waterfront of central Baltimore and Harbor East district before finishing along East Pratt Street and Market Place in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area.

Once riders enter the city, they will still have to face four finishing laps of a 12-kilometer (7.4-mile) city circuit that contains 19 turns and 71 meters (234 feet) of elevation gain per lap.

The final 3 kilometers of the loop features a descent down St. Paul Street onto East Pratt Street before flattening out, which should make for a fast finish.

Producers of the race were happy with the inaugural edition and are ready to welcome back fans for a second go Labor Day Weekend.

"The Maryland Cycling Classic was met with phenomenal support and fan engagement in its first year, with an estimated 70,000 people along the course," said Terry Hasseltine, the president of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, the event owners and producers. He went on to say that "We are very excited to be back in 2023."

Seventeen teams will be participating in the race, including American WorldTour squads EF Education EasyPost and Trek-Segafredo. Also confirmed so far are Human Powered Health, Novo Nordisk, L39ION of Los Angeles, Hagens Berman Axeon, Toronto Hustle, and Team Medellin-EPM. Nine more are yet to be announced.

Belgian classics specialist Sep Vanmarcke won last year's edition, beating out Human Powered Health's Nickolas Zukowsky and EF Education EasyPost's Neilson Powless.