Prades wins Philadelphia Cycling Classic

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Eduard Prades gave Caja Rural Seguros-RGA their second consecutive victory at the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. The Spaniard sprinted to the victory atop Manayunk Wall ahead of Travis McCabe (Holowesko-Citadel) and Marco Canola (UnitedHealthcare).

"I knew coming into the last lap that I could win this race," said Prades, whose teammate Carlos Barbero won the race last year. "When we caught the breakaway, I had my teammates at the front and I told them that I knew that I could do this today. I needed to be in the top 10 going into the climb; I was, and I knew that I could win."

On the last lap, race veteran Danny Pate (Rally Cycling) launched a solo attack and carried his weight as a course expert along Kelly Drive to build a 15-second advantage. At the same time, the event’s other veteran, Chris Horner (Lupus), who had previously been in the day’s breakaway, waved his arm in the air as he lost ground due to a mechanical off the back of the bunch. It was a stark contrast to the breakaway they companioned in 2005, along with eventual race winner Chris Wherry, in a heated battle for the US Pro Championship victory on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Although Pate has been second and third in Philadelphia in past years, and many would have enjoyed watching him finally get the victory on Manayunk Wall, it wasn’t meant to be. He was caught by the field on the run-in to Main Street Manayunk, and teams set up their designated punchy climbers for the victory.

UnitedHealthcare led the field along the long uphill drag through Main Street Manayunk, catching Pate, and into the decisive chicane before the base of the final 17 per cent climb up Manayunk Wall. The team was overtaken by Rally Cycling and then Holowesko-Citadel, vying for their local rider Robin Carpenter and McCabe, who had also been in the day's breakaway and helped his teammate Robbie Squire win the KOM jersey.

Carpenter and McCabe hit the bottom of the climb in third wheel, perfect position. McCabe started his sprint early and was caught by Canola partway up. But both were passed by Prades, who made the victory look easy, winning by more than a few metres.

How it Unfolded

Fourteen national flags were posted and waving in the breeze along Lyceum Avenue, the uphill finishing drag of the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, representing the nations of the 37 teams on the start lines of the men’s UCI 1.1 race and the Women’s WorldTour race. But lively morning crowds roared for their Manayunk native Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel) as he was called up start at 8 a.m.

The 32nd edition of the men’s race has finished for the past three years at the top of the circuit’s iconic climb up Manayunk Wall (for KOM points each lap and the finish line). The men followed a 19.7km course that also included climbs over Strawberry Mansion and Lemon Hill (for KOM points), and the traditional, flat sections along Kelly Drive for the intermediate sprints, before making the turn off of Main Street Manayunk and onto the The Wall.

The peloton set off for nine laps and a 178km of classic American bike racing.

Several riders made early moves as the race descended off The Wall and headed toward the mid-circuit climbs. Evan Murphy (Lupus) picked up the first set of KOM points on Lemon Hill. The peloton, still together for the next two laps, saw Murphy win points again over the second KOM and Edwin Avila (Illuminate) win the third. But with Adam de Vos (Rally Cycling) picking up full points on Manayunk, he led the early mountain classification.

It was the third climb over Manayunk Wall that saw Robbie Squire (Holowesko-Citadel) attack over the 17 per cent pitch, picking up full KOM points and moving into the mountain classification lead. He split the field with Janier Acevedo (Jamis) bridging across. The pair of climbers cleared the top and built a few seconds gap.

Pate towed a group of four riders behind to join the move, and although it looked like it could be the move of the day, it was short-lived, with the field back together before the fourth climb over Lemon Hill, where Avila picked up the next set of full points.

Fourteen riders formed the day’s break with Eric Marcotte (Jamis), Evan Murphy, Matthieu Jeannes and Chris Horner (Lupus), Michael Rice and Remi Pelletier Roy (Garneau-Quebecor), Danny Summerhill and Matthew Busche (UnitedHealthcare), Pierrick Naud (Rally), Robbie Squire and Travis McCabe (Holowesko-Citadel), Max Jenkins (Astellas), Michael Sheehan (Jelly Belly), Matteo Dal-Cin (Silber Pro Cycling) and Dan Craven (Cycling Academy). Chasers Uri Martins (Amore & Vita) and Logan Dennis Hutchings (Elevate) bridged the gap.

Squire sprinted to the top of Manayunk to take the full points and the breakaway reunited over the top for the fall off The Wall. He picked up full points the next trip up Manayunk, beating Avila, again, to the line, and nearly solidifying his KOM lead.

With three laps to go, the main field picked up the pace and brought the breakaway back to within 40 seconds, but that gap pushed back out to 55 seconds along Kelly Drive and back into Manayunk. McCabe helped Squire to the top of the climb to pick up another set of full points to secure the KOM jersey with 63 points ahead of Avila, who collected 38 points.

Jeannes led the sprint competition by one point ahead of Summerhill with a lap to go.

As the bell rang for one lap to go, the field was back together over Manayunk Wall, led by Canada’s Guillaume Boivin, in what turned out to be truly a last-lap race for the victory.

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