Early rider confirmations began to surface this week for the women’s and men’s elite fields at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic p/b AmeriGas on August 30, with reigning USPro road race champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and current Canadian road race champion Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) were announced by race organisers to compete in the pair of UCI 1.1 races.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) and three-time USPro criterium champion Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) also headline WorldTour team rosters.
Joining Simmons at Lidl-Trek are 2020 Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart of Great Britain and Canadian Derek Gee-West, who was fifth overall at this year’s Giro d’Italia. Riding alongside Lamperti will be former USPro road race champion Sean Quinn.
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In the men’s field of 15 teams, there are a total of five WorldTour squads – EF Education EasyPost, Lidl-Trek, Lotto–Intermarché, NSN Cycling Team, Jayco AlUla – plus three ProTeams and seven Continental teams.
Canyon-SRAM joins EF Education-Oatly and Human Powered Health from the Women’s WorldTour, with four Continental and 13 elite teams rounding out a 20-team lineup for the women’s field.
Two notable members of US women’s domestic squads will be Megan Guarnier, who won the last edition of the women’s Philadelphia Cycling Classic 10 years ago, and former USPro road champion Lauren Stephens, who was seventh in 2013.
Cyclingnews confirmed Guarnier will return to the ‘Philly’ race as a co-director for CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group, while Stephens will line up alongside Emma Langley for the Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment squad. Langley won the USPro road title in 2022, a year after Stephens.
The women’s race begins at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 30, with riders taking on a 14.4-mile (23.1km) circuit four times for a total of 62 miles (100km). The men’s race follows at 12:00 p.m. EDT, with the men completing eight circuits for nearly 120 miles (200km) of racing. Elite women and men will share a total prize purse of $150,000, split equally.
Beginning in 1985 for men and then adding a women’s race nine years later called The Liberty Classic, the Philadelphia races became a staple for the US calendar. Both races featured the signature 500-metre climb in the Manayunk neighbourhood, the gradient reaching 17% and known as the Manayunk Wall. That climb, and the Lemon Hill section, return for the middle of the course, which begins and ends on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on a circuit that replicates the original route.
“We’re bringing the stadium to the streets, giving fans a chance to experience elite cycling up close and be part of the action in a way you simply can’t in most other sports,” Carlos Rogers, a member of Race Street Partners, which owns the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, said in a recent press release.
Both races will be streamed live on 6abc.com, with special updates throughout the day for local television viewers in the Philadelphia market. Viewers across the US and internationally will also have access to the ABC coverage using paid subscriptions with Hulu and Disney+, according to organisers.
Philadelphia Cycling Classic 2026 women’s teams
Women’s WorldTour teams
- Canyon-SRAM (GER)
- EF Education-Oatly (USA)
- Human Powered Health (USA)
Continental teams
- Vini Fantini – BePink (ITA)
- PatoBike-BMC (MEX)
- Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 (USA)
- XDS China (CHN)
Elite teams
- 1KFlips-FTP Racing Jakroo Mixed (USA)
- Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment (USA)
- AUTOMATIC Racing (USA)
- CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group (USA)
- Competitive Edge Racing (USA)
- Cyclery Racing – Abacus Data (CAN)
- Équipe Dynamiks Féminine (CAN)
- Fearless Femme Racing p/b The Beasley Firm (USA)
- HigherDOSE | Renova (USA)
- Kingdom Elite Racing (USA)
- Milton Revolution Women’s U23 Project (CAN)
- Team Winston Salem (USA)
- United Cycling (USA)
Philadelphia Cycling Classic 2026 men’s teams
WorldTour teams
- EF Education EasyPost (USA)
- Lidl-Trek (GER)
- Lotto–Intermarché (BEL)
- NSN Cycling Team (SUI)
- Team Jayco AlUla (AUS)
Continental teams
- Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber (ITA)
- Modern Adventure Pro Cycling (USA)
- Team Novo Nordisk (USA)
Elite teams
- APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery (USA)
- Competitive Edge Racing (USA)
- L39ION of Los Angeles (USA)
- Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz (USA)
- Nu Colombia (COL)
- Project Echelon Racing (USA)
- Team Skyline (USA)
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