“We are disappointed that we must remove the race from the calendar in 2013, but we feel that we will be able to reorganize with new partners and make this the preeminent event the region deserves in 2014 and beyond,” said David Chauner, a former Olympic cyclist and one of the creators of the event. “The race is more than just about cycling; it reflects the spirit and passion of our region through all that have been involved and we are very excited that this adjustment in the calendar will make it even bigger than ever before and sustainable for years to come.”
The Philadelphia International Cycling Championship was first introduced as the CoreStates USPRO Championship in 1985. The “CoreStates” was the first official United States national road racing championship for twenty years and quickly became one of Philadelphia’s biggest special events and the top ranked cycling classic in America. The race annually attracted top racers from 30 nations, over 100,000 spectators and a national television audience, most recently on Comcast SportsNet. The 156 mile, six hour championship was held over a 14.5 mile race course that was designed to showcase the city including the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Fairmount Park, Lemon Hill and the hillside neighborhood of Manayunk. The race is perhaps best known for the steep, half mile climb dubbed the “Manayunk Wall” that became an international icon for cycling fans around the world and contributed to the economic revival of the Manayunk community.
The annual race grew and succeeded thanks to significant support from a long list of corporate sponsors and media partners. CoreStates Financial Corp, a growing regional bank became the first title sponsor and, as it acquired smaller banks throughout the region, supported preview events in Freehold and Trenton, NJ and in Lancaster, PA., a three event series that became known as “Philly Week” by cycling teams around the world. CoreStates committed to a total of twenty years of sponsorship, surviving acquisitions by First Union and Wachovia. In 2006 Commerce Bank, in partnership with the Commonwealth of PA under Governor Ed Rendell and the City of Philadelphia replaced Wachovia for sponsorship of the “Commerce Bank Triple Crown” of races in Reading, Allentown and Philadelphia. TD Bank acquired Commerce and took over as title sponsor in 2009 and scaled back “Philly Week” from the three event series to the cornerstone one day Philadelphia Championship. Sponsors with at least three years of commitment to the race over the years have included Greater Media (WMMR radio), KYW 1060, WCAU TV, WPVI-TV, Comcast SportsNet, Subaru, Thrift Drug, U.S. Postal Service, Aramark, Saturn, GSK, Coors Light, Molson, Sunoco A Plus, Deer Park, CSC, Pepsi, American Airlines and Sheraton.
The 2014 event is expected to revive the traditional international race along with added events for the growing number of recreational cyclists.