Davis Phinney Foundation Named National Charity Partner of Maryland Cycling Classic

June 2, 2025

BALTIMORE, June 2, 2025 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Maryland Cycling Classic, America’s biggest and highest-ranked professional cycling road race, announced today that the Davis Phinney Foundation has been named the official national charity of Maryland Cycling Classic.

“Davis is widely recognized as one of the most celebrated and decorated professional cyclists in American history, so this partnership makes sense for many reasons,” said Steve Brunner, Executive Director, Maryland Cycling Classic. “Through the vision of Davis and his wife Connie Carpenter Phinney, the Davis Phinney Foundation continues to raise the bar on Parkinson’s awareness and research. Our pledge is to help them carry that torch through all available channels forged around America’s biggest professional bike race. Davis also has incredible ties to Baltimore and Maryland, having won the first US Professional Championships in Baltimore as well as multiple stages of the Tour de Trump and Tour DuPont, which were once America’s biggest stage races.”

The Davis Phinney Foundation is a leading resource for programs, events, and tools that offer inspiration, information, and practical support to help people living with Parkinson’s take action and improve their quality of life today. Each year, the Foundation reaches more than six million individuals and families through its online resources, events, and community programs.

“We’re honored to partner with the Maryland Cycling Classic as their official national charity,” said Polly Dawkins, Executive Director of the Davis Phinney Foundation. “This partnership brings Davis’s cycling legacy full circle in a city that played an important role in his career and connects that legacy to the impact he’s making in the Parkinson’s community. We’re excited to return in a way that highlights how the power of the bike can improve lives, foster connection, and support people living with Parkinson’s every day.”

The Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, which produces the Maryland Cycling Classic, is pledging a donation and marketing support for the promotion and fundraising efforts of the Davis Phinney Foundation. The organizations also are developing a Pedaling for Parkinson’s™ event to be staged online during the winter months.

Davis Phinney, co-founder of the Davis Phinney Foundation, is one of the most decorated cyclists in American history, with 328 career victories – the most of any U.S. cyclist. In 1986, he became the first American to win a road stage in the Tour de France. He added another stage win in 1987 and placed second in the points classification in 1988, becoming just the second American to finish in the top three of that competition.

In 1989, Phinney placed fifth overall in the Tour de Trump and won stages 8 and 9, the latter held in Baltimore, home of the Maryland Cycling Classic. He also won several stages of the Tour DuPont which raced through Maryland in the 1990s. He later became a broadcast announcer for those races. In 2000, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 40.

Connie Carpenter Phinney, who co-founded the Foundation with Davis in 2004, is also an accomplished athlete. She competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics as a speed skater and won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Road Race in Los Angeles. A three-time overall winner of the Coors International Bicycle Classic and a 12-time U.S. national champion, she remains the youngest American woman ever to compete in the Winter Olympics.

The 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic will be held in Baltimore on September 6, and for the first time, this year’s event will feature both men’s and women’s races.

Davis Phinney Foundation
The Davis Phinney Foundation was created in 2004 by Olympic medalist and retired professional cyclist Davis Phinney to help people with Parkinson’s live well today. The Foundation’s focus is to provide programs and resources that offer inspiration, information, and tools that help people living with Parkinson’s take action that can immediately improve their quality of life. Through the Every Victory Counts® manual, the Ambassador program, Pedaling for Parkinson’s™, and extensive online content, the Foundation impacts millions of individuals each year.

Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It affects more than one million people in the United States. With global reach, the Foundation’s work impacts millions of individuals and families each year. For more information, visit davisphinneyfoundation.org.

Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland
The Maryland Cycling Classic is produced by the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation and affiliated foundation of the Maryland Sports Commission, a division of the Maryland Stadium Authority. The Maryland Cycling Classic is America’s biggest and highest-ranked men’s and women’s road race.

Media Contact:

Craig Miller, KOM Sports

(719) 339-6593

Craig@KOMSports.com

MarylandCyclingClassic.us

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