Astana Qazaqstan and Cofidis will join Jayco-AlUla, EF Education-EasyPost, and Lidl-Trek in the Maryland Cycling Classic presented by UnitedHealthcare, bringing the start list quality up one notch from the inaugural edition in 2022.
The ProSeries event had four WorldTeams last year and this year will have five, plus four ProTeams - Israel-Premier Tech, Corratec-Selle Italia, Human Powered Health and Team Novo Nordisk. Also confirmed are seven Continental teams including the Medellín-EPM team of Miguel Angel López and Oscar Sevilla.
Israel-Premier Tech won the 2022 edition with Sep Vanmarcke, but the Belgian will not be returning to defend the title after being diagnosed with cardiac problems that forced him to retire earlier this month.
Last year's runner-up Nick Zukowsky will also be absent. The Canadian champion moved to the Swiss team Q36.5, who were not given an invitation. The third-placed finisher, Neilson Powless, is currently leading the mountains classification at the Tour de France racing with EF Education-Easypost. He indicated in May that he plans to return for the 2023 edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic.
It's too early to know which riders are likely to compete for Astana, but the team have one American in their ranks, Joe Dombrowski. The team will be in the hunt for points toward the UCI World Rankings which are key to remaining in the WorldTour after the next relegation/promotion at the end of 2025. The team are unlikely to bring Mark Cavendish, who crashed out of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone before he was able to break Eddy Merckx's stage win record and broke his collarbone.
Most European WorldTeams like Cofidis will field the same squads in Maryland as they will take to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which take place the following week in September in Canada.
The race moved its start time by 90 minutes, from 1:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET, so the finish along Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor will take place earlier. The hilly 193.7-kilometre (120.4 miles) route starts at the Kelly Benefits headquarters in Sparks, Maryland and includes four technical 12km finishing circuits in Baltimore and the Harbor East district.
"The Maryland Cycling Classic, presented by UnitedHealthcare, continues to attract elite teams as it enters its second year," said Terry Hasseltine, president of the Sport & Entertainment Corp. of Maryland (SECMD). "The addition of two teams currently competing in the Tour de France gives the event and our civic and corporate partners tremendous momentum heading toward race weekend. It's a boost for American cycling and its fans."
"We've confirmed one of the most competitive and electric fields assembled in the U.S. in a long time, which is a testament to the leadership and support of SECMD and its private and public partners," said Chris Aronhalt, president of Medalist Sports, the event management group responsible for most of the top professional cycling races over the past two decades.
"Success and sustainability in the sport are built on the foundation of integrity, relationships and ability - and we are proud that the international teams, spectators, sponsors and media all recognize the early tradition and prominence of the Maryland Cycling Classic. The rolling hills of Baltimore County and the downtown circuit of Baltimore city provide the perfect backdrop for this world-class event."
Teams for the 2023 Maryland Cycling Classic
- Astana Qazaqstan
- Cofidis
- EF Education-EasyPost
- Jayco AlUla
- Lidl-Trek
- Israel-Premier Tech
- Corratec Selle Italia
- Human Powered Health
- Team Novo Nordisk
- Hagens Berman Axeon
- L39ION of Los Angeles
- Team Medellín-EPM
- Team Skyline
- Toronto Hustle
- Project Echelon Racing
- USA Cycling National Team
