Philadelphia Cycling Classic Women 2026

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns for the women's peloton after a 10-year absence, last held as part of the Women's WorldTour on June 5, 2016. In 2026, the race will be held on August 30 as a UCI 1.1 women's event, taking place on the same day as a 1.1-level race for elite men.

The race is sponsored by AmeriGas Propane and owned by Race Street Partners, an organisation that includes Michael Nutter, the city's former mayor, along with Eric Robbins and Carlos Rogers. Robin Morton returns as race director.

Beginning in 1994, the early editions of the one-day race were held under the name Liberty Classic, which continued through 2012. The name was changed to Philadelphia Cycling Classic the next year and organisers moved the start-finish eight miles west of downtown Philadelphia to the top of the steep 500-metre climb in the Manayunk neighbourhood. The race moved to the UCI Women's Road World Cup in 2015 and then to the newly-created Women's WorldTour level for the final edition in 2016.

Petra Rossner of Germany was the most prolific winner of The Liberty Classic with six wins, while fellow German rider Ina-Yoko Teutenberg notched five victories. US rider Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) won the final edition, and went on to win the inaugural Women's WorldTour title.

There are 20 teams racing in 2026, led by a trio of Women's WorldTour squads - Canyon-SRAM, EF Education-Oatly and Human Powered Health. There are also four Continental and 13 elite teams rounding out the women's field.

The original course of the Liberty Classic featured a 23km circuit that began and ended near Logan Circle and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia and made four laps with a mid-lap climb at Manayunk Wall and an ascent at Lemon Hill on the return home.

When the route was changed for the final four years, the circuit had been shortened to close to 12km, with six laps completed and the start-finish at the top of Manayunk Wall.

The women’s race begins at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 30. A prize purse of $75,000 is up for grabs.

Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the women's 2026 Philadelphia Cycling Classic with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis.

Philadelphia Cycling Classic 2026 route

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The route for the 2026 Philadelphia Cycling Classic will return to the original circuit from the early years of the Liberty Classic, with a 23km (14.4-mile) circuit.

Like the Liberty Classic, this year's Philadelphia Cycling Classic Women course will have the peloton complete four laps for a total distance of 92km. Racing begins and ends near Logan Circle on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, and near the Philadelphia Museum of Art with the famous "Rocky" steps, made famous in the movie by the same name.

The long mid-race straightaway follows the Schuylkill River on Kelly Drive and Main Street, then makes several sharp turns in Manayunk for the signature climb of Manayunk Wall. The ascent is nearly 500 metres with pitches up to 17%, with fans having packed the entire distance for a wall of sound.

The route then enters Roxborough before the journey takes them back to Kelly Drive. After a short traverse through Strawberry Mansion, the peloton tackles Lemon Hill before a return to Logan Square.

Philadelphia Cycling Classic Women 2026 teams

• Canyon-SRAM (GER)
• EF Education-Oatly (USA)
• Human Powered Health (USA)
• Vini Fantini - BePink (ITA)
• PatoBike-BMC (MEX)
• Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 (USA)
• XDS China (CHN)
• 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)