Maryland Cycling Classic Extends Broadcast Partnership with GCN+

March 22, 2023

Two-year Agreement Includes Livestreaming and Promotion for America’s Top UCI-Ranked Race

BALTIMORE, Md. /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Maryland Cycling Classic, presented by UnitedHealthcare, America’s top-ranked cycling race, is extending its partnership with GCN+ for two more years, including exclusive live streaming rights internationally and non-exclusive rights in the United States. The deal also includes distribution of highlights packages on GCN+ and Global Cycling Network’s free to air YouTube channel, as well as incremental event promotion on additional platforms.

GCN+ provided global distribution of two hours of the 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic live with post-race on demand, and will increase the offering to full race coverage in 2023 with further distribution on various on-demand platforms post-event.

“We enjoyed a successful partnership with GCN+ last year and it was only natural to extend our agreement. GCN+ is well known as the go-to source for the world’s top cycling races, so it’s an ideal fit for our event,” said Terry Hasseltine, President of the Sport & Entertainment Corp. of Maryland, which owns the event. “We’re excited to continue working with the team at GCN+ and its parent company to evolve more content and greater distribution on their various digital platforms over the next two years.”

Daniel Lloyd, Director of Racing GCN+, said: “It’s been a difficult few years for international road racing in the U.S., so it’s great to see the Maryland Cycling Classic getting bigger and better in 2023. With an increase in World Tour and Pro Tour teams for the 2023 event, it’s a great sign for America’s top race. Cycling fans will be able to watch five hours of racing live or on demand in all GCN+ territories.”

A Warner Brothers Discovery subsidiary solely focused on bringing cycling fans the best of international racing, analysis and original documentaries about the most iconic, inspiring and controversial riders, teams and brands; GCN+ broadcasts more than 300 days of live road racing, cyclocross, track, and mountain biking each year. All racing coverage (subject to territory restrictions) and exclusive documentaries are available year-round on GCN+ via the GCN App, all web browsers, Amazon FireTV, Samsung Smart TV, AndroidTV, Chromecast, Apple AirPlay and Apple TV.

Combined with the Tour Tracker application, which included a video embed, video on demand, and other platforms like YouTube, the Maryland Cycling Classic reached 62 countries and 15.2 million households worldwide in 2022 in various capacities. The number of countries is anticipated to increase to more than 80 in 2023.

The Maryland Cycling Classic, presented by UnitedHealthcare, is scheduled for September 3, 2023. Last year’s winner was Belgium’s Sep Vanmaercke of team Israel-Premier Tech. Human Powered Health’s Nick Zukowsky of Canada was second and rising American star Neilson Powless of team EF Education-EasyPost rounded out the podium.

For more information on the weekend of events, please visit www.marylandcyclingclassic.us. For more information about GCN+, go to welcome.globalcyclingnetwork.com

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Media Contact:

Katrina Younce, KOM Sports

+1 310-995-3619 | katrina@komsports.com

Host Committee Contact:

Graham Whaples, Sport and Entertainment Corp. of Maryland

+1 410-223-4158 | graham@sportcorpmaryland.us

About Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare

The inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare, America’s top one-day international pro cycling race sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and USA Cycling, is taking place September 3, 2023 in Baltimore, Md. The race will feature the world’s best cyclists including Tour de France participants, National Champions, World Champions and Olympians from over 20 countries. The Maryland Cycling Classic presented by UnitedHealthcare is part of a four-day weekend community celebration of health and wellness featuring participatory events, an interactive festival, local foods and drinks, along with other fun family-friendly activities. The race is endorsed by Maryland and Baltimore Civic Leaders, while owned and operated by Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland. The event is managed and marketed by industry leaders Medalist Sports and KOM Sports Marketing. Learn more about the Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare at www.marylandcyclingclassic.us.

About GCN+:

GCN+ is the leading platform for cycling content worldwide. Alongside providing comprehensive coverage and expert analysis of all disciplines of professional racing, GCN+ is home to close to 100 exclusive full-length documentaries, with more added each week.

GCN+ originals are created to immerse viewers in every aspect of cycling: adventure, inspiring challenges, groundbreaking technology past and present, profiles of legends of the sport, and global cycling culture.

About Play Sports Network (PSN):

Play Sports Network (PSN) is the world’s leading digital sports media company focused solely on cycling and tri-sports. Combining a deep love of the sport with peerless expertise in video and digital distribution, PSN has built a leadership position in the market, with more than 4.7bn lifetime views, over 100 million monthly video views to 7.9 million subscribers amongst the 13 million social followers of its sixteen channels that have had over 1.2bn views in the past 12 months. These channels are Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), Global Triathlon Network (GTN) and Electric Mountain Bike Network (EMBN), along with a growing number of International language channels; GCN en Español, GCN Italia, GCN Japan, GCN auf Deutsch and GCN en Français. PSN channel presenters are engaging, knowledgeable former professional riders from the very highest levels who connect with the fans, and with world class athletes, teams and races, bringing their audiences to the heart of the professional sport with unmatched authenticity.