1-28-2025 4:21am

After Hiatus Top

Women’s Race Announced for 2025

The Maryland Cycling Classic, America’s biggest and highest-ranked professional road race, officially announced the addition of a women’s race and a departure from Labor Day weekend.

The race will move from its Sunday, Labor Day, slot from 2022 and 2023 to Saturday, September 6, 2025. The women’s race will be contested on the same day as the men’s race with plans to utilize many parts of the same route.

“We’re excited to announce the event dates and the addition of a women’s event, which we have been developing plans for since the inception of the project,” said Terry Hasseltine, the President of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, which owns and produces the event.

John Kelly, the event’s chair added: “Adding the women’s race is a great added component and will continue to help the event grow and diversify. It will be exciting for broadcast and spectator audiences to see a ‘double-header of sorts’ on race day. This will be unique to international pro bike racing and underscore America’s Biggest Race designation.”

Details of the men’s and women’s event, including course details, will be announced in the coming weeks. The women’s race is expected to attract some of the top women’s teams in the world while providing opportunities for the top continental squads in North America.

“It’s exciting to see world-class women’s professional cycling return to the United States, and I’m glad to be part of the team,” said Joanne Kiesanowski, the Maryland Cycling Classic’s new competition manager for the women’s race. Kiesonowski is a three-time Olympian and was a long-time pro rider. “Our goal is to attract a highly-competitive field that showcases some of the best women in the world.”

In addition to Kiesanowski’s appointment, Hasseltine also announced several key leadership updates for the event.

Steve Brunner, who has been involved in a key role on the project since its inception in 2020, has been named Executive Director. Brunner comes with more than 30 years of world-class international sport promotion and management, including senior executive positions at the U.S. Olympic Committee and Turner Sports before founding his company KOM Sports Marketing, where he worked in senior management roles for the Tour of California, USA Pro Challenge (Colorado), Tour of Alberta, Colorado Classic, Tour of Missouri and Tour de Georgia.
Contact: steve@sportcorpmaryland.us

Jim Birrell, who has more than 35 years of elite sports management, has been named Race Director. Birrell’s vast experience spans all levels of event race management for many of America’s biggest bike races over the past three decades, including the Tour of California, USA Pro Challenge (Colorado), Tour of Alberta, Tour of Missouri, Tour de Georgia and the Tour DuPont and Tour de Trump that routed through Maryland. He also has worked and fostered growth for numerous cause-related charitable rides.
Contact: jim@sportcorpmaryland.us

Bill Schoonmaker joined the Sport & Entertainment Corp. of Maryland staff as Chief Commercial Officer in November 2024, after serving on the company’s Board of Directors. Bill will help lead sponsorship efforts for the Maryland Cycling Classic while enhancing the overall commercial value of corporate partnerships across SECMD’s growing portfolio of world-class events. Most recently, Schoonmaker was Vice President, Sales & Development for Sport Fishing Championship and Founder of Motivate Sports Group
Contact: bill@sportcorpmaryland.us

Joanne Kiesnowski has been named Competition Manager for the women’s race. She will be responsible for team and competition management services, including working on team invitations. Kiesnowski is a three-time Olympian in road cycling for New Zealand and a long-time pro. She was most recently a director for the Human Powered Health team.
Contact: joanne@marylandcyclingclassic.us

Bobby Julich has been named Competition Manager for the men’s race. He will be responsible for team and competition management services, including working on team invitations. Julich is a two-time Olympian in cycling, winning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the individual time trial. He was a podium finisher at the 1998 Tour de France. As a long-time professional, his first major race at age 18 was the 1990 Tour de Trump, which raced through Baltimore. He finished 5th overall in that race, which was one of the biggest races in the world.
Contact: bobby@marylandcyclingclassic.us

The men’s and women’s race will be conducted on the same day, Saturday, September 6, with course and additional details to be released in the coming months.

The Maryland Cycling Classic is America’s biggest and highest-ranked road race. It is owned and operated by the Sport Corporation of Maryland and chartered as a 501(c)-3 non-profit organization and located at 351 Camden Yards, Baltimore, Md. The Maryland Cycling Classic was contested in 2022 and 2023 and was postponed due to the Key Bridge collapse in 2024. The 2025 event returns September 6, 2025, with both a men’s and women’s race.

World-class professional cycling is showcased in Baltimore, Maryland with the best cyclists from around the World featuring Tour de France participants, World Champions, National Champions, Olympians and cycling heroes from 30 countries. The Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare, America’s Top One-Day Pro Cycling Race, is a UCI ProSeries one-day international cycling race sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and USA Cycling.

The Maryland Cycling Classic Supported by UnitedHealthcare will be broadcasted internationally to more than 100 countries with the color and pageantry against the backdrop of Maryland’s beautiful scenery.

The cycling race will be part of a three-day weekend community celebration of healthy lifestyle and living with participatory events, festival with interactive exhibits, local foods and drinks along with other fun activities.

The event is endorsed by Maryland and Baltimore Civic Leaders while owned and operated by Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (Sport Corp).