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Great news for American racing: the storied Philadelphia Cycling Classic is set to return in 2026.

Today organizers and city officials announced the revival of the race that ran for over three decades from 1985 to 2016, and was once the highest rated UCI single-day race in the United States.

“Philadelphia is proud to welcome back one of the world’s greatest sporting events,” said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker at a press conference on Tuesday announcing the event. “Get excited, everyone – the Philadelphia Cycling Classic is back!”

The race is slated for August 30, placing it in what’s shaping up to be an interesting late-summer-early-fall block of pro racing in North America. If usual race dates are maintained for 2026, it will precede the Maryland Cycling Classic in Baltimore and the Canadian Grands Prix in Québec and Montréal before punctuating the season with the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal.

The race will follow its original 14.4-mile circuit route, highlighting many Philadelphia landmarks including Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Kelly Drive, the Manayunk Wall, Strawberry Mansion, Lemon Hill, and Boathouse Row. And there will be both a men’s and a women’s race, with the men racing approximately 120 miles and the women approximately 62 miles. Each field is vying for a $75,000 prize purse.

Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is one of three organizers leading the charge to bring back the race that once served as the US pro road national championships from 1985 to 2005. He is joined by Eric Robbins and Carlos Rogers, who together form Race Street Partners, the event’s owner.

According to the organizers, Robbins brings over 20 years of finance and operational experience, and Rogers, a Philadelphia native, has spent more than three decades advancing the sport as both a competitive cyclist and race promoter.

“Today has been three years in the making for me,” said Rogers, who participated in the race in 1994 as an elite amateur on a pro combine team. “Like so many others, I have missed it dearly. I talked to everyone I could about building momentum for bringing an absolutely epic event back to an equally epic city. Thanks to Mayor Nutter and Eric Robbins, especially, today here we are. In just under a year, I look forward to seeing you all along the race course as we cheer on these fierce competitors and welcome them as only Philadelphia can.”

Robin Morton, principal of g4 Productions, has come aboard as the event’s race director. The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame member has has been responsible for the management, technical organization, and competition for many major events, including as competition manager for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She has previously managed pro teams that competed in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic and has overseen race operations in previous editions.

The race also has a new title sponsor in AmeriGas, the retail propane distributor which is headquartered 20 miles outside of Philadelphia.

Pro racing in the U.S. is far from what it was in the 2010s, when a series of stage races like the Tour of California attracted the world’s top pros each year. The Tour of Utah, Tour of California, and Colorado Classic all held their last editions in 2019. But momentum is starting to grow, with the Philadelphia Cycling Classic set to join the Maryland Cycling Classic, which just held its third edition earlier this month. A different group of organizers is also looking to bring back a pro stage race in Colorado in 2026.