There Will be No Manayunk Bike Race This Year
The Manayunk Bike Race has been a longstanding tradition for cyclists and spectators both locally and nationally. Four years ago, a lack of sponsorship almost killed it, but Rep. Bob Brady stepped in to save the day, kind of. The Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, as it was known, was replaced with a Nutter and Brady production that had a different route but still included the Manayunk Wall.
Since then, the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship continued, but it will not take place this year. A statement from the Union Cycliste Internationale and all their extra E’s said the race is taking 2017 off due to “difficulty attracting sponsor financial support.” A representative from the city’s managing director said that “even after extensive fundraising efforts, we were not able to find enough sponsors interested in covering the $1 million cost of the bike race to host it this year.” A longer statement from a spokesperson for the race was released to Billy Penn:
Regrettably, even after extensive fundraising efforts, we were not able to find enough sponsors interested in covering the $1 million cost of the bike race to host it this year. While we are disappointed, we remain committed to working with Councilman [Curtis] Jones as well as the East Falls, Roxborough and Manayunk commercial corridors on other events, including a Free Streets event in that area.
The planners have not ruled out a return in 2018.