After a one-year hiatus, the Maryland Cycling Classic is coming back to Baltimore in 2025 … and it’ll look a little bit different.
The first two MCC events took place in 2022 and 2023, with the race snaking through the rolling hills of Baltimore County and finishing in Baltimore City. The 2024 edition was canceled because the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse introduced more traffic challenges for the region and the Olympics affected the international cycling schedule.
The third MCC is slated for Sept. 6, 2025, with new twists. The race will be held entirely inside Baltimore’s city limits, and a women’s race will take place before the men’s race.
“Being candid, it’s been like putting on a brand new event,” MCC executive director Steve Brunner said. “I refer to it like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. You know what the puzzle pieces are and kind of what the face looks like, but you still have to put it together. Through that process, you have to restart a lot of the engine.”
The women’s race will begin at 8:30 a.m., while the men will start at 12:30 p.m. The course will be a 17.9-mile circuit. Riders will start at Harbor Point Central Plaza. The finish will be at Constellation Way and Pratt Street, just like in 2022 and 2023. The course will take riders through Harbor East, Fells Point, Patterson Park, Mount Vernon, Northern Parkway and Falls Road, among other locations. The women will complete the circuit four times, while the men will finish it six times.
As such, there will be 10 circuits starting at about 8:30 a.m. and ending in the 4 p.m. hour. Spectators can camp out at house parties, for instance, and see riders come by every 40 to 45 minutes, creating a different feel than the 2022 and 2023 editions.
“While it was a great tale of two parts of Maryland — which were this urban center of Baltimore and this rural area of beautiful horse country — what this presents is a much different kind of scope and flavor,” Brunner said. “By looking at the women’s race and the men’s race on the same day, it’s like a doubleheader. What’s unique about that is you don’t see that anywhere in Europe.”
The details of the race are subject to change in future years, according to Maryland Sports Commission executive director Terry Hasseltine.
“Knowing we had to get out of the gates strong with the delivery of the women’s race, we wanted to make sure that the envelope of the race was able to stay tight enough to keep all of our racers tight and compact,” Hasseltine said. “I would say it creates a better visual for the fans to observe, and we wanted to make sure that the men and the women race on equitable surfaces before we branch out and probably expand the distances of the race in the second or third year of the women’s race.”
A race of this magnitude requires myriad details to be addressed, from sponsorships to media partners to marketing the event. The MCC also must coordinate with the police, transportation, public works and fire departments and neighborhood associations in Baltimore as well as the mayor and governor’s offices to put on smooth, safe races.
The finish line will be shut down all day, but traffic will otherwise be managed throughout the races, which is particularly helpful considering how busy that weekend will likely be in Baltimore. The Dodgers are in town to play the Orioles from Sept. 5-7, with the Sept. 6 game beginning at 7:05 p.m., a couple hours after the men’s race ends.
“We’re going to be able to move traffic while the race is going on,” race director Jim Birrell said. “That just is so much more palatable to everyone, keeping in mind that you’ve got a full weekend of activities.”
Birrell is heartened by the degree to which all parties have worked together to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.
“It has been remarkable. I am truly impressed with the relationships that we have with both the governor’s office and the mayor’s office and everyone from the top down,” Birrell said. “I’ve done it a lot around the world, and I am just really pleased to find so much flexibility and collaboration and trying to create a win-win for everyone.”
There are several events surrounding the MCC, including Community Day on Sept. 3 with school visits across Baltimore City and County. Event chair John Kelly explained that riding a bike carries various benefits, and for kids, that can be something as simple as the freedom of being able to visit a nearby friend.
“I think to have the best cyclists — men and women — in the world doing an 18-mile circuit in our city, going through various neighborhoods and beautiful places that make our city great, I hope inspires young people to get on their bike for their own movement and wellness as well maybe take up some aspect of cycling as a sport,” Kelly said.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of the Maryland Cycling Classic and Darrell Parks/Maryland Cycling Classic
Originally published June 18, 2025