8-25-2025 7:52am

New Course Is

New punchy city-centre circuit revealed for 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic Women race

Organizers of the Maryland Cycling Classic have unveiled a technical new 28.8km city-centre circuit in Baltimore for this year’s races, including the women’s UCI 1.1 event scheduled for Saturday 6th September. The course brings a fresh challenge for the women’s peloton, packed with short climbs, cobbles, and over 1,100 metres of elevation gain across four laps.

This is the first time the race will be held entirely within the Baltimore city limits, with the revamped circuit replacing the previous mixed rural-urban format. Riders will cover 115.2km in total, starting at 1:30pm BST (8:30am local time) and finishing between 4:20 and 4:40pm BST.

Technical and selective, with cobbles and climbs

The route loops through some of Baltimore’s most iconic and historic areas, including a challenging 900-metre climb at St. Mary’s Seminary that will offer Queen of the Mountain points on every lap. It also features a 500-metre stretch of granite cobblestones early on, a 1,000-metre drag along East Baltimore Street through Patterson Park, and over 25 corners per lap – creating a tough circuit that blends power, positioning and technique.

From the off, the peloton will face pressure. Within the first mile, the riders hit the 18th-century cobbles of Fells Point, which could splinter the field early and force teams to commit to the chase. The main climb at St. Mary’s arrives at roughly halfway around the circuit and is likely to be the main launchpad for any serious attacks.

A course built for racing

Baltimore race director Jim Birrell said the decision to shift fully into the city was intentional: “Baltimore is a city of great neighbourhoods. We wanted to highlight the waterfront and the city’s rich history, while also creating a race route that’s technical, selective and full of character.”

The city-centre loop takes in Mount Vernon, Hampden, Canton and the Inner Harbor, finishing on East Pratt Street where big crowds gathered for the men’s race in previous editions. Spectators will also be catered for at six designated fan zones, with big screens and giveaways along the route.

The women’s race will see intermediate sprint points after the first lap and bonus seconds on the finish line, as well as Queen of the Mountain points on the key climb. With teams already confirmed, including Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, EF Education-Oatly and Ceratizit Pro Cycling, the flat finish could favour a strong sprinter from a reduced group – if the punchy course doesn’t split things up first.

A stage for aggressive racing

This revised course is likely to encourage attacks, with each lap providing several launchpads and little opportunity for rest. A sprinter in top form will still be in the mix, but only if they survive the climbing and stay well-positioned on the technical run-ins. Teamwork will be crucial, and with 15 squads confirmed – from WorldTour to national teams – there’s scope for surprises.

With the women’s race now a mainstay of the Maryland Cycling Classic weekend, the 2025 route marks a step forward in race design, offering a modern and visually striking course that should deliver compelling action from start to finish.