Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic & Velothon to offer excitement for cyclists, spectators

Pro cycling takes over the streets of three Philadelphia communities this Sunday, June 1 for the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic. Riders of both the professional race (60 miles for women and 120 miles for men) and an amateur 30-mile contest, the Velothon, will roll through Manayunk, East Falls and Fairmount Park.

Prior to Sunday's events, women cyclists and enthusiasts are invited to Cadence Cycling and Multisport on Main Street in Manayunk for a pre-race reception on Saturday, May 31. Velothon registrants get into the 11 a.m. event for free, but this get-together is open to the public. Leading women bikers will speak during a panel and Q&A and attendees will get to chat with other like-minded athletes.

Later on Saturday, a free music and dance show will take place in Pretzel Park in Manayunk from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Enjoy free performances and then sneak way later in the day for Walk the Wall where walkers and runners are invited to take on the hill that bikers will tackle multiple times the following day. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., starting at Levering Avenue and Main Street Manayunk, registrants will climb the 17-percent grade hill that the race starts and ends with.

On race day be prepared for all there is to do and see. The course begins and ends at the top of the famed Manayunk Wall, at Lyceum Avenue in Downtown Manayunk and stretches for 12 miles along Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill with the turnaround point at Lemon Hill. The shortest of the three races, the Velothon begins at 6:45 a.m. and gives non-pros the chance to race on the same challenging course as the Cycling Classic. (Heads up: Registration for the Velothon is open until Saturday, May 31 at 1 p.m. and registrants are entered for a chance to win one of two Fuji Bikes.) The women's professional race follows at 8:30 a.m. and the men's race closes out the day, starting at noon.

If spectating is more your sport, the host neighborhoods present lots of fun, as well as great viewing spots (check out the map below). The East Falls Block Party, held at Midvale Avenue and Kelly Drive runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. The festivities—like face painting and a trolley ride through the town—will supply a less strenuous type of fun right along the race course.