{"id":1034450,"date":"2026-08-31T06:27:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1034450\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T06:27:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:27:52","slug":"philadelphia-cycling-classic-returns-to-the-citys-streets-after-10-year-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1034450\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns to the city\u2019s streets after 10-year absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic<\/a> made a triumphant return to the city on Sunday after a 10-year hiatus that had many feeling it would never return.<\/p>\n

Top finishers\u00a0<\/p>\n

With strong fields in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s competition, Italian cyclist Chiara Consonni finished first in the women\u2019s race, with Alexandra Volstad and Ella Sabo in second and third, respectively. Germany\u2019s Tim Torn Teutenberg won the men\u2019s, finishing ahead of Robert Donaldson in second and Jonas Rutsch in third.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Olivia Cummins and David Lonzano Riba were crowned Queen and King of the Mountains for performing best in the race\u2019s Mayayunk Wall and Lemon Hill climbs. Lauren Stephen and Killian O\u2019Brien were the champions of the sprint zones in East Falls between Kelly Drive and Midvale Avenue.<\/p>\n

\"\"Riders in the men\u2019s competition of the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic race down the Ben Franklin Parkway. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Local finishers<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Local Philadelphians also made a strong showing among the 212 cyclists across both fields, including Fairmount resident Hannah Yeakey, who finished 53rd while racing with the local team KRT QRT Racing Automatic Racing.<\/p>\n

Brewerytown resident Kim Stoveld<\/a> led the women\u2019s race during one breakaway and eventually finished 71st. She said that nothing compares to how those moments at the front felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt so incredibly special; it\u2019s such a privilege to be able to race in my hometown,\u201d Stoveld said. \u201cI watched this race \u2026 when it was still going on, and I was just getting into cycling. To be on the other side of it 10 years later is just a dream come true. Just absolutely amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kim Stoveld poses with her husband John after finishing the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Stoveld said she had been making members of her Tuesday night group ride up the grueling Manayunk Wall to help her train for the Classic. After Sunday\u2019s race, she said she was walled out, at least until she starts preparing for next year\u2019s race.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I was hoping to win. I finished mid-pack,\u201d she lamented. \u201cSo, you know what? It\u2019ll come back next year, and hopefully I\u2019ll win.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robin Carpenter, 34, who grew up living half a block from the Manayunk Wall<\/a>, led the pack for much of the men\u2019s race before finishing 41st.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time going up the wall was just like hair-raising. I\u2019m getting it right now \u2026 just thinking about it,\u201d Carpenter said after the race. \u201cIt\u2019s just so loud. Your ears are literally ringing. You can\u2019t hear anything else. On top of that, half of them were straight up calling my name, which is unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Manayunk-native Robin Carter after the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic(Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Carpenter knew exactly where his family was watching him in Manayunk and even stopped for a couple of seconds to say \u201cHi\u201d to his wife Hannah and their newborn son. He also committed to next year\u2019s Philly Classic, saying he would retire from racing after that.<\/p>\n

Old City hair-stylist Carlos Rogers worked for years to bring the race back<\/a>, along with Race Street Partners Carlos Rogers, Eric Robbins and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Rogers spent Sunday basking in the fruits of that long grind, getting hugs and congratulations from the people he passed along the race\u2019s 14.4-mile circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody just loves this event, and you can see it. It gives me goosebumps,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Race organizer and Old City hair-dresser Carlos Rogers watches the action at the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Before the race, Rogers said he might try to crowd surf at the watch party at Lemon Hill to celebrate helping bring the race back after 10 years away. Alas, that didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019re ready for me to jump over the barricades \u2026 but I think [getting out of one of the race cars and] running up Lemon Hill was suitable,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone was cheering like crazy. They just know how hard it was to bring this race back; they miss the history of the race and they know the passion not only that I put in, but you can feel the passion of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race weekend also included a Saturday amateur time tria<\/a>l, a charity ride early Sunday morning to support cancer research and a two-day fan fest near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

Mayor Parker pledges future support\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the last major sporting event of Philadelphia\u2019s jam-packed semiquincentennial summer, organizers called it the \u201cpeople\u2019s race,\u201d since it was free for anyone to watch along a course that started and finished on the Ben Franklin Parkway and wound through neighborhoods including Roxborough, Strawberry Mansion and Lemon Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have literally brought the stadium to the neighborhood,\u201d said Philadelphia Mayor Parker, who helped start both races with former mayor Nutter.<\/p>\n

Through what she described as \u201cear hustling,\u201d Parker said that she had overheard the cyclists discussing how challenging Philly\u2019s course was.<\/p>\n

Cycling fan John Squeri brought his bike from Lansdale, Montgomery County, so he could also ride from one major popular watch spot to the next over the course of the day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"John Squeri came down from Lansdale, Montgomery County for the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Tim Kostolansky and Kai Shing were in the stands next to the start\/finish line during the women\u2019s race, both wearing polka-dotted Tour de France clothing. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds me a little of the atmosphere during the marathon, with people just out and supporting the racers,\u201d Kostolansky said. \u201cI think it\u2019s absolutely electric and super cool. I want it to come back.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kai Shing (left) and Tim Kostolansky watch the women\u2019s race of the 2016 Philadelphia Cycling Classic from the Ben Franklin Parkway. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Rogers, Robbins and Nutter have been confident about the race returning, and on Sunday they picked up a major backer in that effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as I\u2019m the mayor of the city of Philadelphia, we will have this cycling classic every year, and we should never allow it to go away,\u201d Parker said. \u201cIt\u2019s iconic, and it has a strong connection to our history. We\u2019ve got to preserve it and keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n

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