The Philadelphia International Cycling Championship is canceled this year, but is expected to return in 2014, according to the events organizers.
This is the first time in 28 years that the Philly Bike Race won't be held -- and top athletes from around the world won't ride up the steep Manayunk Wall.
Organizers say that they are skipping the 2013 race to reorganize with new partners, promising a bigger and better race next year.
"We are disappointed that we must remove the race from the calendar in 2013, but we feel that we will be able to reorganize with new partners and make this the preeminent event the region deserves in 2014 and beyond," said David Chauner, former Olympic cyclist and one of the creators of the event.
The Manayunk Development Corporation, however, says they were caught off guard by the decision to cancel the 2013 race:
"The decision by the organizers of the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship to cancel the 2013 event caught us completely by surprise. We were given no inkling that there were any issues that would lead to the cancellation of this year's race and we're understandably stunned and saddened by their unilateral decision. For the past two years, the Manayunk Development Corporation (MDC) has worked extremely hard and collaboratively with all parties to make the bike race a more family-friendly event and believe we succeeded in that goal. It has always been our desire to strike a true partnership with the race organizers for the benefit of the race, the spectators and the entire Manayunk community. We are reaching out today to race officials to determine if there may be a way of salvaging the 2013 event and to ensure that all future Philadelphia International Cycling Championships stay here in Manayunk, where they belong. Only this community has the iconic 'Manayunk Wall' and it's not going anywhere. The MDC staff and board are exploring all options to either save the 2013 bike race or plug this one-year gap with a family-friendly event that will retain the excitement and spirit of the race. We will provide the press and public with details of these plans as they develop."
In 2014, the Philly Bike Race will showcase added events for recreational cyclists.
