Cyclists will be circling the city Sunday in the nation's longest running single day bicycling event in the country.
Competitors will make ten laps for a total of 156 miles in the race. The course winds through Ben Frankling Parway and through Manayunk, site of the grueling half-mile hill called dubbed the Manayunk Wall.
In past years, Philly fans have been exuberant in their support of the race, which has led to a number of police incidents. Organizers this year have taken steps to tamp down the alcohol-fueled antics of years past. More police will be lining the streets of the race course this year, with less tolerance for rowdy behavior.
The long race means a lot of road closures around the city as well. The following streets will be shut down until 4 p.m. Sunday:
- Ridge Avenue -School House Lane to Hermit Lane
- Main Street-Ridge Avenue to Green Lane
- Levering-Main Street to Tower Street
- Cresson-Levering to Levering
- Lyceum-Tower to Pechin
- Pechin Street-Lyceum Street to Roxborough Avenue
- Roxborough-Pechin Street to Manyunk Avenue
- Manayunk- Roxborough Avenue to Ridge Avenue
- The entire length of Kelly Drive will be completely closed to all traffic (Park Trolleys included) and parking.
- The Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed from 18th Street to Eakins Oval. Cross traffic will be permitted on 20th, 21st and 22nd Streets.
- There will be no vehicle access (including trolleys) to Lemon, Mount Pleasant, and Ormiston Mansions. Residents of these houses will not be permitted to drive vehicles on roads of the race course after 7:00am.
- There will be no vehicle access to the Dairy and Edgely ball fields.
- Vehicles (including bicycles) will not be permitted to enter the park at Dauphin Drive.
- Vehicles entering at Diamond Drive will be permitted as far as Smith Playground only.
- Sedgley Drive will be closed at Girard Avenue. Brewery Hill Drive will be closed at Girard Avenue, Poplar Drive (Girard Avenue traffic) will be closed at Poplar Street with all traffic directed east on Poplar Street.
- There will be no access to the Park from Hunting Park Avenue, the Roosevelt Expressway or Midvale Avenue.
- Eastbound traffic on the Spring Garden Street Bridge will be detoured onto 31st Street.
- Access to the Art Museum will be through the Spring Garden Tunnel.
- There will be no parking in Eakins Oval, along the Ben Franklin Parkway, on Waterworks Drive or Lemon Hill.
