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Philadelphia International Championship is the current name given to an annual bicycle race held in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bicycle Race is a hit single for the English rock band Queen. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə It is described as "America's top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Europe. " It is one of the longest single-day races in the U. S. , with a total distance of 251 kilometres (156 miles). The men's elite event is ranked 1. HC by the International Cycling Union (UCI), the sport's governing body, which makes it the highest ranking single-day race in all of North and South America, and is part of the UCI America Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI is a Cycling association that oversees competitive cycling events internationally The UCI Continental Circuits are Road bicycle racing competitions contested under the auspices of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI

While the event has had a continuous history since 1985, its official name has changed a number of times as the result of bank mergers and acquisitions of corporate sponsors. The title sponsorship was originally held by CoreStates, then passed to First Union in 1998, and then Wachovia in 2002. Wachovia Corporation ( based in Charlotte North Carolina, is a diversified Financial services holding company provided via its operating subsidiaries a broad Wachovia Corporation ( based in Charlotte North Carolina, is a diversified Financial services holding company provided via its operating subsidiaries a broad In November 2005, Wachovia announced that they were withdrawing their sponsorship, which left the event's organizers scrambling for new corporate support. With assistance from former Philadelphia mayor and current Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, a new corporate sponsor was found to ensure a race in 2006, Commerce Bank, who has made a four-year commitment to sponsor the race. Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell (born January 5 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party.

The Philadelphia International Championship has become the final leg of a one-week, 3-race circuit called the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling. The three races take place in the Southeastern Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster, Reading and Philadelphia. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the County seat of Lancaster County. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. The opening race is the Lancaster Classic, followed four days later by the Reading Classic, with the finale in Philadelphia three days after that. The Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic is a professional Road bicycle racing event held each June since 1992 in Lancaster Pennsylvania. The Reading Classic is an annual Bicycle road racing event held in Reading Pennsylvania. These three races are the most prestigious one-day bicycle races on the UCI racing calendar in North or South America.

Through 2005, the highest placed finisher registered in the United States was hailed as the USPRO Champion, regardless of whether or not that racer won the race. As such the race was often simply called the USPRO Championships; however, at around the same time that Wachovia announced it was ending its sponsorship, USA Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in the U. USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for Bicycle racing in the United States S. , decided to strip the Philadelphia race of the USPRO title, as they wanted the race to restrict itself to American participants. Local organizers of the event insisted that the race's field remain open to international competitors.

The event actually comprises two races, a men's and a women's race, with the latter called the Liberty Classic. The Liberty Classic is an annual women's Bicycle race held simultaneously with the Philadelphia International Championship. The 10 lap men's race consists of a 3 lap 1. 6 kilometre (1 mile) opening circuit, 10 23. 2 kilometre (14. 4 mile) laps of the primary circuit, and closes with a 3 lap 4. 8 kilometre closing circuit. The total course distance is 251 kilometres (156 miles). The women's race is held on the same course, but starts later than the men's race. Additionally, the women's race is considerably shorter in length, consisting of 4 laps of the primary circuit for a distance of 92. 7 kilometres (57. 6 miles).

The race starts at the Philadelphia Art Museum and then heads into the northwest section of the city, through the neighborhoods of East Falls, Manayunk, and Roxborough, then return toward the museum to complete its loop, passing numerous parts of Fairmount Park along the way. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia 's Fairmount Park, was established in 1876 Northwest Philadelphia ("Uptown Philly" is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. East Falls is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Manayunk is a neighborhood in the northwestern section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Top cyclists who have participated include Eric Heiden, who won the inaugural race in 1985, Greg LeMond, and Lance Armstrong, who started his professional career when he won the race in 1993. Eric Arthur Heiden (born June 14 1958 in Madison Wisconsin) is an American former long track speed skater who won all the men's speed skating Gregory James "Greg" LeMond (born June 26, 1961 in Lakewood California) is a former professional Road bicycle racer from the Lance Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson September 18 1971 is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Astana

Contents

Manayunk Wall

In bicycling terminology, a "wall" is a relatively steep incline. The following terminology is used in the general Cycling, as well as the more specific sports of Road bicycle racing and Mountain bicycle racing. The "Manayunk Wall," located by Jerry Casale and David Chauner when they were laying out the course for its commencement in 1985 as the (former, as of 2006) USPRO championship race, refers to two streets along the race's course in the northwest section of Philadelphia, Levering Street and Lyceum Avenue. The bottom of the "wall" begins at Main Street and Levering Street in the neighborhood of Manayunk, proceeds shortly on the well-worn cobblestone Cresson Street under the elevated railway, then proceeds back onto Levering Street.

Some confusion can occur among media broadcasters covering the race, as most of the Wall is part of Levering Street, but suddenly becomes Lyceum Avenue at Tower Street (at N40 01. 631 W75 13. 313). The steepest section, a 17-percent grade, commences just after the slight left turn (when going up) at the intersection with Tower Street (N40 01. 652 W75 13. 277), and ends at the intersection with Fleming street (N40 01. 726 W75 13. 226). It becomes slightly less steep on the stretch with "O'Brien's" as it crosses Manayunk Avenue. It nearly flattens out and is considered to end at Pechin Street in Roxborough, which is where most of the news crews set up for broadcasting. The right turn off Lyceum Avenue onto Pechin Street (N40 01. 847 W75 13. 069) begins "The Fall from the Wall. " Manayunk Avenue also happens to mark the traditional boundary between the neighborhoods of Manayunk and Roxborough, causing some broadcasters to be uncertain of which neighborhood they are reporting from.

O'Brien's Water Hole is a residential house along the wall that is famous for setting up a water sprinkler for the cyclists to ride through (if they wish). In the early years of the race, no one seemed to mind the "watering hole", but as the race became more important, the O'Briens received criticism as a "distraction" for the competitors. Today, the "watering hole" is much reduced.

In addition to the several corporate names under which the race has been known, some locals also call it the "Manayunk bike race".

On June 5th, 2002, Manayunk officially designated the 17-percent grade as "the Manayunk Wall" with a plaque dedicated to indicate "The Wall" is enshrined in Domestic and International cycling lore. Olympic gold medalist Marty Nothstein was among the participants in the 2002 ceremony, presenting the plaque.

Downhill Race

At midnight, the morning of the International Championship an unsanctioned race down "The Wall" took place from 1996-2006. It was known to organizers and participants as "The Downhill. " The race was conceived at a local drinking establishment, The Dawson Street Pub. Racers gather at The Pub before the race and then walk in unison to "The Wall. " The race starts at Manayunk Avenue and Lyceum Avenue and continues to the bottom of the hill or until where police have the street blocked off. Some of the vehicles used in the race include; BMX bikes, tricycles, shopping carts, wheelchairs, skateboards, bed frames, roller skates. After being promoted on a local radio station in 2003 (to the dismay of the organizers), the event grew in popularity and in 2006 several thousand spectators attended. In 2007, police presence for the event was largely increased, and police vehicles were placed lengthwise across the street, blocking the roadway from participants. Any attempt to enter the course with a racing apparatus resulted in immediate arrest and confiscation of the vehicle. On September 6, 2008 the Red Bull [Soapbox Race] will be held at the Manayunk Wall. Red Bull is an energy drink on the market and is sold by Red Bull GmbH.

Past winners

2007
2006

Participating teams

2007 teams

All teams are based in the Flag of the United States United States unless otherwise noted:

2006 teams

All teams are based in the Flag of the United States United States unless otherwise noted:

See also

External links

Symmetrics Professional Cycling Team ( UCI Team Code SYM) is an Canadian UCI Continental Cycling team focusing on Road bicycle Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team ( UCI Team Code: TUP) is a continental professional bicycle racing team based in USA and participates in UCI Continental This is a list of important men's Road bicycle racing events.
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