Newly crowned national road champions Eric Marcotte (Team SmartStop) and Alison Powers (UnitedHealthcare) will be displaying their stars-and-stripes jerseys at the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic, held Sunday in Philadelphia.
On the men’s side, the second-year event is headlined by four UCI Pro Continental teams and 15 UCI Continental teams. The women’s peloton includes seven UCI Women’s pro teams. As a UCI 1.1 event, the Philly Cycling Classic is now the highest rated one-day race in the United States. The second-year event will once again focus equally on the men’s and women’s teams with equal prize money and separate races.
On a course that starts and finishes at the top of the steep Manayunk Wall — made famous by the former USPRO national championship event — the men will race 10 laps, for 120 miles, while the women will race five laps, for 60 miles. Like the former national championship course, the route will largely run along Philadlephia’s Schuylkill River, detouring only to tackle the blocks-long Manayunk Wall (Lyceum Avenue), which tops out at 17 percent.
“As we head into our second year, our upgrade allowed us to focus on a stronger and more competitive field for 2014 and the teams selected represent some of the best on the UCI Pro Continental and Continental tours,” said race director Robin Morton. “Racing and winning in Philadelphia is always mentioned as a top goal for both men’s and women’s teams. With the course changes from last year and upgraded field, teams are eager to return in June to compete in the highest rated one day race in the United States.”
Wearing bib no. 1 in the men’s race is UnitedHealthcare’s Kiel Reijnen. Last year, at the inaugural running of the event, Reijnen soloed to a comfortable victory over second-placed Jesse Anthony (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies). Hincapie Development rider Joey Rosskop finished third.
Reijnen finished 13th in Monday’s national road championship, 2:26 behind Marcotte.
Wearing bib no. 1 in the women’s race is 2013 winner, Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-lululemon). Last year, Stevens out-kicked Canadian Joelle Numainville (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) and German Claudia Häusler (Tibco-To the Top) for the win.
Stevens finished third in Monday’s national road championship, behind Powers and Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans).
Teams of the 2014 Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic
Men’s UCI Pro Continental teams
Drapac (Australia)
NetApp-Endura (Germany)
Novo Nordisk (USA)
UnitedHealthcare (USA)
Men’s UCI Continental teams
5-Hour Energy-Kenda (USA)
Airgas (USA)
Amore & Vita Selle SMP (Ukraine)
Astellas Cycling (USA)
Christina Watches Kuma (Denmark)
Budget Fork Lifts (Australia)
Firefighters Upsala CK, (Sweden)
Hincapie Sportswear (USA)
Incycle Predator Components (Puerto Rico)
Jamis Hagens Berman (USA)
Jelly Belly – Maxxis (USA)
Optum – Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
Quebecor Garneau (Canada)
Silbor (Canada)
Smartstop – Mountain Khakis (USA)
Women’s UCI teams
Astana BePink (Italy)
China Chongming-Giant-Champion System (China)
Forno D’Asolo (Lithuania)
Optum – Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
Specialized lululemon (USA)
TIBCO-To The Top (USA)
UnitedHealthcare (USA)
Women’s Elite club teams
Colavita-Fine Cooking (USA)
CRCA/CityMD (USA)
EPS/CSS/Riptide (USA)
Fearless Femmes, (USA)
FCS/Zngine – Mr. Restore (USA)
Firefighters Upsala Ck, (Sweden)
LG Factory Team (USA)
Mellow Mushroom (USA)
MidAtlantic BZH/Hilltop (USA)
NCCH – DEC Express (Canada)
Peanut Butter & Co-Human Zoom (USA)
SAS Mazda-Macogep – Specialized (Canada)
Stan’s NoTubes – Endurance Werx (USA)
Stevens Racing (Canada)
Twenty I6 and Co. (USA)
Vanderkitten, (USA)
Zimmer Capital (USA)
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