Joe Pieczynski '26
The Philadelphia Cycling Classic will be returning to Manayunk on August 30th, 2026, following many other huge events in Philadelphia, announced Mayor Cherelle Parker on September 16th.
Philadelphians consider this event to be equivalent to the Boston Marathon, which means that it is one of the busiest days in Manayunk during the year. The race is expected to bring in 17 million dollars, which would be amazing for Manayunk and Roxborough businesses, including bars and restaurants.
According to John Pieczynski, former bartender at CJ and Eck’s in Manayunk, during the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, Manayunk, “was always more crowded. You know, everybody started a little bit earlier than usual, and it just went on all day long.” This is no surprise, as the event is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Manayunk area.
The Philadelphia Cycling Classic will be held after many other major sporting events during the summer in Philadelphia, including the typical Phillies games, the MLB All-Star Game and weekend festivities, as well as World Cup games that will be played at the Linc. For sports fans in Philadelphia, the summer of 2026 is an extremely exciting time to look forward to.
To put into perspective how big the Philadelphia Cycling Classic is at local bars, like CJ and Eck’s, John Pieczynski stated, “The night before Thanksgiving was always one of the busiest days, and then I would say St. Paddy’s Day was usually a big day. Then the bike race (Philadelphia Cycling Classic) is right there with them.”