A truly international field of riders is traveling across the Atlantic to contest the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic this Sunday, September 4.
With a UCI Class 1 ProSeries status, the Maryland Cycling Classic is both America’s newest and highest ranked one-day professional cycling race, and one of just four UCI race held on U.S. soil.
As such, the194-kilometer (120-mile) men’s only race is a rare opportunity for domestic elite riders to compete against the world’s best and perhaps even earn some coveted UCI points.
The competition is slated to be fierce with several WorldTour teams making the long trek across the Atlantic Ocean to contest the inaugural event.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco plans on bringing double sprint power in the form of Australian Michael Matthews and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen while Israel-Premier Tech will be lining up with Italian Giacomo Nizzolo and Belgian Sep Vanmarcke.
EF Education-EasyPost is bringing a varied team, including Tour de France stage winner and promising American talent Neilson Powless and young Dutch sprinter Marijn Van Den Berg.
Trek-Segafredo will also have an American young talent in their midst with Quinn Simmons who’ll be supported by multi-time Tour of California stage winner Tom Skuijns, who always seems to race well in the U.S.
America’s top ProTour team, Human Powered Health, will have the U.S. national champion Kyle Murphy in their line-up alongside Robin Carpenter and sprinter Arvid de Kleijn.
A total of 111 riders from 27 countries are slated to roll from the Baltimore start line at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 4, making it a truly international race.
“I am excited to be racing again in America, it has been a while since I have raced there,” said Matthews. “My last race in the United States was at the [2015] World Championship, and I am looking forward to meeting our American fans again. We have a strong team going there, and looking at the course, it seems to be set up for different type of racing. We’ll have to see how the race will evolve.”
The Maryland Cycling Classic will also be Neilson Powless first domestic race. The American opted out of the U.S. National Championships as it conflicted with his Tour de France prep.
“I’m really excited to race in America for my first time in 2022. I’m happy that it’s in a new place [for me]. I’m looking forward to the inaugural edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic and I think we have a really strong team. Hopefully we can put…