Back and bigger: Maryland Cycling Classic adds women's race and new date in 2025

Following its cancellation in 2024, the Maryland Cycling Classic will return to the UCI calendar in 2025, bigger than ever before, with the addition of a women’s one-day event alongside its men's event on September 6.

The top-ranked UCI road event in the United States was cancelled in 2024 due to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The race vowed to return but some fans were doubtful. In the recent past, too many American races have gone on hiatus only to never return again.

Yet, that has proved not to be the case for "the most important race in America" as the race will return this September with a whole new addition of a women’s race that will run the same day as the men’s race along a similar course. Details and participating teams will be announced in the coming months.

“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,” Terry Hasseltine said in a press release. Hasseltine is the President of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, which owns and produces the event.

Along with the addition of a women’s race, the Maryland Cycling Classic is moving away from its Labor Day spot to the following week, Saturday, September 6th. This move brings the Maryland Classic closer to the Canadian one-day WorldTour events.

Previously, the two-week gap was just long enough that it proved difficult for the men’s WorldTour riders to manage. While the race organisers did not list this as a reason for the date switch, the six-day gap between the UCI events will make the trip across the Atlantic more viable for the European teams hunting for points.

There is currently no equivalent WorldTour pairing for the women's peloton in Canada. However, September is a big gap in the Women’s WorldTour schedule, and the Maryland Cycling Classic could bridge the summer race calendar with the UCI Road World Championship.

The Baltimore race also fills a big hole in the pro calendar for the women's peloton on U.S. soil.

“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,” Joanne Kiesanowski, the event's new competition manager, said. “Our goal is to attract a highly competitive field that showcases some of the best women in the world.”

Previous editions of the Maryland Cycling Classic ran in 2022 and 2023, with Sep Vanmarke (Israel-Premier Tech) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) winning the first two thrilling events, respectively. In both instances, the race broke apart early across Baltimore's rolling terrain before the peloton reached a fast finishing circuit around Baltimore’s inner harbour.

The 2025 edition promises a bigger European contingent and even more excitement in the men’s race. The women’s race could likely allow top Americans like Olympic medalists Kristen Faulkner and Chloé Dygert to fight for victory in front of a home crowd.