Ride the Route of the Philly Cycling Classic Before the Race Starts

The Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic, formerly known as the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, is coming up June 2nd. And while we're fans of the pro race, there's also a really cool event happening beforehand:

Tape your feet to your pedals and drop the hammer

The Bicycling Open! A chance to see how many laps of the actual race course (including the Manayunk Wall) you can do in 75 minutes.

The course will already be closed to cars, so it'll be just you, other bicyclists, and the soundtrack to Breaking Away playing in your head. What's more (and better), a portion of the cost of your registration supports The Cadence Foundation.

The Bicycling Open takes place from 7:15 - 8:29 AM on Sunday, June 2nd, before the women's ride begins at 8:30 AM (course marshals will sweep the course to ensure you don't get flattened by the women's riders). Each of your laps will be timed so you can compare your times to friends via Strava or other GPS devices. All finishers receive an official time, swag bag, finisher's certificate, and free breakfast after the ride. Start/finish area is the UA Main Street 6 movie theater parking lot.

Register for the Bicycling Open here. Registration starts at $25 but there are higher packages that you get swaaaaaaaaaaaaag and race access.

We're also looking for volunteers!

There are volunteer opportunities available to help with bike valet parking. Shifts are 2-4 hours long and happen from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM on June 2nd. All volunteers receive t-shirts and are entered into a volunteer-only raffle for one of 5 custom-made cycling kit (shirt and shorts). If interested, contact Steve at steve@bicyclecoalition.org.

The pro race itself happens in the morning, with the women's race beginning at 8:30 AM and the men's race at noon. The start and the finish are on top of the Manayunk "wall" on Levering Street. The course no longer goes down to the Ben Franklin Parkway. More info about the pro races here.