Maryland Cycling Classic Unveils Preliminary Rosters for Inaugural Women’s Race

August 25, 2025

Race To Feature 15 Women's Teams and Cyclists From 21 Countries

BALTIMORE (August 25, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic, which will debut the inaugural women’s race in Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 6, announced the preliminary rosters for the event. Featuring 15 elite, professional teams from five countries, the world-class field will feature notable cyclists from the European peloton and many of the top North Americans. Several current and former national champions and Olympians will be competing in the historic race.

The women’s field is highlighted by three-time Canadian National Champion for road race Alison Jackson (AUS) of EF Education – Oatly; top one-day rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) of Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto; Team Pursuit Paris Olympic silver medalist Bryony Botha (NZL); veteran one-day specialist Tiffany Cromwell (AUS), former Giro d’Italia and Le Route de France stage winner and 5^th at the recent Gravel World Championships; current U.S. Individual Time Trial Champion Emily Ehrlich (Detroit, Mich., USA) of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28; recent podium finisher from Tour of Portugal runner-up Heidi Franz (Bainbridge Island, Wash., USA) of Cynisca Cycling; current Cuban time trial and road race champion and 2025 Tour of America’s Dairyland winner Marlies Mejias (CUB) of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28; 2017 Pan American winner Paulo Munez (CHI) of Fearless Femme Racing; current and three-time Polish Individual Time Trial National Champion Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (POL) of Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto; SBT Gravel champion Melisa Rollins (Provo, Utah, USA) of Aegis Cycling Foundation; Tour de Bloom and U.S. National Championships for road race runner-up Lauren Stephens (Mesquite, Texas, USA) of Aegis Cycling Foundation; Colombia’s Karen Lorena Villamizar (COL) of PatoBike BMC, a top 8 finisher in four major races this year; and Czech Republic National Champion in road race Kristýna Burlová (CZE) of Ceratazit Pro Cycling; The Benin National Team will make an historic appearance as the first African female team to compete in a major North American race and are led by time trial national-champion Hermionne Marie Paul Ahouissou and road National Champion Sèdo Charlotte Metoevi, both of whom will be competing in the World Championships in Rwanda in late September. Rising young stars Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif., USA) of Cynisa, the U23 U.S. National ITT champion; Ella Sabo (Grand Junction, Colo., USA) of Virginia Blue Ridge Twenty28, winner of the U23 U.S. National Road Race; Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo., USA) of CCB P/B Levine Law Group, the U.S. U23 Criterium National Champion, and Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo., USA) representing Team USA, the U.S. U23 national runner-up in the ITT and criterium.

“We’re thrilled to unveil a world-class women’s field for the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic women’s race,” said Joanne Kiesanowski, a former elite professional now the women’s competition manager. “With riders representing 21 countries and teams spanning the UCI Women’s WorldTour, Continental level, domestic elite teams, and national squads, the international quality and diversity of this roster is exceptional. The field has athletes from the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. It reflects the growth and global momentum of women’s cycling, and we’re proud to bring that level of competition to the streets of Baltimore!”

There are 22 countries represented on the preliminary rosters, including athletes from: Australia (AUS), Belgium (BEL), Benin (BEN), Canada (CAN), Chile (CHI), Cuba (CUB), Czech Republic (CZE), Denmark (DEN), Germany (GER), Ireland (IRL), Jamaica (JAM), Mexico (MEX), Netherlands (NED), New Zealand (NZL), Philippines (PHI), Poland (POL), Switzerland (SUI), Trinidad and Tobago (TTO), Ukraine and United States (USA).

A complete preliminary roster list for the women’s teams can be found here.

The women’s race, which starts at 8:30 am (EDT), will be comprised of four laps, covering 71.6 miles (115.2 kilometers). The races will start at the Harbor Point District’s Central Plaza and finish on East Pratt along Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor, less than a mile apart. The race features 3,868 feet (1,179 meters) of climbing including a steep 900-meter climb on the northern most part of the course, which will contest the Queen of the Mountains point. The course also will feature an unique 550-meter cobblestones sector each lap on Thames Street in Fells Point district of Baltimore.

More race information: www.marylandcyclingclassic.us

Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland
The Maryland Cycling Classic is owned by the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, a 501(c)3 tax exempt corporation and affiliated foundation of the Maryland Sports Commission, which is a division of the Maryland Stadium Authority, and was established in 2019 to further, promote, and move the State of Maryland forward through sports. Terry Hasseltine is the president. John Kelly is chairman of the Maryland Cycling Classic, Steve Brunner is Executive Director is and Race Director is Jim Birrell.

Media Contacts:

Craig Miller, KOM Sports Katrina Younce, MARC Global

719-339-6593 310-995-3619

Craig@KOMSports.com katrina@marcglobalcommunications.com

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