The stop and start saga of the UCI-level Maryland Cycling Classic could be set for another chapter in 2026. The race is currently registered as a three-day ProSeries event for men and a 2.1 event for women, scheduled for September 5-7 in Baltimore, Maryland. However, rumours have swirled that the races would be just one day, or worse, that they might be postponed for a third time in six years.
In December, a representative of the race, owned by Sports and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (Sport Corp), told Cyclingnews that three days of events would take place around racing as in past years, but that the race date for both men and women would be just Sunday, September 6, 2026, and there was a "miscommunication" between Sport Corp and the UCI with the official paperwork.
The website for the Maryland Cycling Classic has not been updated for 2026. When Cyclingnews reached out this week for an update from Sport Corp, we learned that Terry Hasseltine, who has been president of Sport Corp since 2019 and a positive proponent of the Maryland Cycling Classic, was no longer part of the organisation.
In fact, Sport Corp does not have any staff at the moment, The Baltimore Banner reported on January 7, noting that all six positions at the non-profit had been vacated, including Hasseltine's, with no explanation. Sport Corp is an affiliate of the Maryland Sports Commission.
So what does this mean for the Maryland Cycling Classic? As of now, "everything is in neutral", according to Race Director Steve Brunner.
"We've got some undetermined things we are figuring out right now, between the state, the city, and key stakeholders," Brunner told Cyclingnews on Tuesday.
"Obviously, with the Sport Corp's president departing, it's caused some things to be undetermined. We're trying to figure out the pathway to the future. Whether it's three or one day [of racing], I think that's certainly a strong TBD [to be determined]."
Brunner said the re-emergence of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on the calendar as a UCI race for men and women one week prior to Maryland Cycling Classic made for a substantial block of racing in advance of the two WorldTour races in Canada - the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal for men on September 11 and 13, as well as Chrono Féminin de Gatineau and Tour de Gatineau for women, Sept 16 and 17. The UCI Road World Championships return to Canada at the end of September.
"With the Road Worlds in Montréal, it becomes a really unique opportunity for North American racing, kind of queuing up with Philadelphia on August 30 and going all the way to Worlds three to four weeks later. It's definitely a unique year.
"Since Terry's departure, it's kind of put everything in neutral," Brunner said about specific plans for the Maryland Cycling Classic, like confirming sponsors and extending team invitations. "The question is the status of the Sport Corp and also the status of their participation with the event. There has been dialog behind the scenes, so things should come clear in the next few weeks."
Sport Corp was put in place seven years ago to drive economic growth through sports tourism for the Maryland Sports Commission. According to The Baltimore Banner, tax documents showed that [Sports Corp] events operated at a "significant financial loss".
At last year's event on the first Saturday in September, which launched a women's UCI one-day race in the morning ahead of the men's race, different local media reported that many businesses felt regular customers were blocked by closed roads and it resulted in lost revenue.
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) won the inaugural women's title in a photo finish against Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly). Sandy Dujardin (Team TotalEnergies) was the fastest in a seven-rider breakaway for the men's victory.
The 2025 races were a third edition for the men. The Maryland Cycling Classic was to have launched on September 5, 2021, but was postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Racing took place the next two years, but was cancelled in 2024 due the regional impact of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier that year.
Cyclingnews reached out to the Maryland Sports Commission, and the voice mailbox for Hasseltine was still taking messages. Separate outreach was made to the Maryland Stadium Authority, which oversees the Sports Commission, and a spokesperson confirmed Sport Corp was not a unit of state government but an independent affiliate foundation of the Maryland Sports Commission.
"The Maryland Stadium Authority recognizes the importance of Maryland Cycling Classic, but is not in a position to comment on future events that were produced and managed by Sport Corp," the spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
