Philadelphia International Championship Preview

The 26th annual running of the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship will occur Sunday around the streets of Philadelphia. The one day event, sometimes considered to be the most prestigious one day event in the USA, will consist of 10 14.9 mile laps followed by 3 more shorter laps to combine for a total of 156 miles, or about 251 km. This is fairly long, especially considering the 10 times the riders have to climb over "Manayunk Wall". "Manayunk Wall", though only 800 meters long, reaches an incline of about 17% and is often the deciding factor in who remains in contention for the race. Though the race almost always ends in some sort of sprint finish, often some of the best sprinters get dropped from the field on this hill. In order to win this event, a rider needs to be a good sprinter but have enough power to keep himself in the field through the initial 10 laps. The only other alternative would be to break away and hope that the field is unable to organize in time to make the catch.


ODDS ON FAVORITE: Peter Sagan-
The young Sagan has taken cycling by storm, proving that he has nearly all the tools to be very successful in the circuit. His two stage victories in this year's Amgen Tour of California (both ended on sprint finishes) show he can sprint with the best and his 8th place overall finish shows that he can also keep pace. In fact, his only real weakness is his time trialing, which will not be a factor in the race anyway. He brings probably the most powerful team behind him as well, as his Liquigas squad is one of only 2 major teams competing. Look for Sagan to be there at the end to continue what has already been an impressive year.


TOP CONTENDER: Matthew Goss-
The Aussie rider Goss is coming off a strong showing (including a stage win) in the Giro and looks to be the top competition for Sagan. He is backed by the other major squad (HTC Columbia) and is confident that he can be a serious contender for the race.


DARK HORSE: Francesco Chicchi-
Chicchi has shown some serious speed at times (outsprinted Mark Cavendish for a stage win in the Tour of California) and if he can keep up through the uphill portions of the race he may just steal the event. He also rides for Liquigas and if something happens to Sagan, they should shift the majority of their support to him.


Here is a visual look at what the riders will be dealing with during their initial 10 laps.



It is evident just how steep the Manayunk Wall is compared to the rest of the course, and just how much of a challenge it will be to climb it. The weather may also be a factor, as some scattered showers are expected around race-time. If it does rain, it may slicken the course or perhaps even delay/postpone the event itself.