Irish duo make their mark as the Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns after a decade away.
Race profile
The Philadelphia Cycling Classic returned after a decade-long absence this past weekend, and the $75,000 prize purse helped soften the blow of the brutal 17% pitches on the legendary 500-metre Manayunk Wall.
Riders tackled eight laps of the 14.4-mile circuit before two shorter finishing loops to complete the 194-kilometre test through the heart of the city.
Solid afternoon for the duo
Killian O’Brien, Team Skyline, and Matthew Walls, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery, lined up in the shadow of the famous Rocky Steps that the peloton would pass multiple times.
Both Irish riders can be more than satisfied with their afternoon’s work. O’Brien produced a superb ride to take the Sprint Jersey and narrowly miss out on the King of the Mountains title, while the younger Walls finished his first race at this level with strong legs, in the mix for 17th spot (UCI points up to 25th) finally rolling in 36th in the main bunch behind the leaders.
O’Brien comes out swinging
Just like Rocky Balboa, O’Brien came out swinging. His Team Skyline squad lined up without complex and with clear intent at the front on the start line alongside some of the heavy hitters.
The recent winner of the Seán Nolan Meath Grand Prix is no stranger to racing on the other side of the Atlantic, having taken an excellent third place on Stage 2 of the Tour de Beauce in Canada, and second overall in the Youth Classification in that race in June.
O’Brien was away almost from the flag drop. The first time up the Manayunk Wall was hectic, he explained in a post race interview. The group held around 40 seconds at the bottom only for Quinn Simmons to bridge across by the summit!
The first time up it was absurd. I think we had 40 seconds at the bottom and by the top Quinn Simmons was on our wheel!
Killian O’Brien, Team Skyline
The Break comes together
After that move was reeled in, teammate Luca Haines got in the next wave allowing O’Brien to recover briefly.
He went again once they came back, leading to the long-range effort from the second lap, clocking up just short of 100 kilometres in a break that also featured Robin Carpenter, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, Derek Gee, Lidl-Trek, Colby Lange, Project Echelon Racing, David Lozano Riba, Team Novo Nordisk, Thomas Sullivan and Joshua Lebo both Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz.
The riders pulled well together until they were caught with 80 kilometres remaining. Within about ten minutes of the catch the winning move went clear.
It didn’t contain Quinn Simmons, Lidl-Trek, or Sean Quinn, EF Education-EasyPost, who marked each other and both had teammates up the road, so the chase never fully materialised.
That group was never seen again. O’Brien tried to jump across into the gap a couple of minutes later but found himself alone for 10-15 minutes before being reabsorbed.
With nothing left in the tank after the early efforts he rode for teammate Valentino Kamberaj on the final two laps. Kamberaj finished fourth in the group sprint, giving Skyline a top-20 on the day – a strong showing for a Continental team in a 1.1 race, especially as the local squad.
Claiming the Sprint Jersey
O’Brien was rewarded for the 100-kilometre effort by taking the Sprint Jersey with nine points, and finishing second overall in the KOM classification with 17 points, just four behind David Lozano Riba, Team Novo Nordisk.
Interestingly, O’Brien was the strongest on the signature ascent, claiming the Manayunk Wall KOM with 12 points after scoring on five passages (including maximum points on the first two).
The most incredible race I’ve ever been a part of. the entirety of Philly showed up – I’ve never experienced crowds like that.
Killian O’Brien, Team Skyline
He also collected five points on Lemon Hill. Despite the long day out front he still finished in the hunt for UCI points, coming home in the group just behind the winning break for 38th place.
Walls steps up
For young Matthew Walls this was a significant step up in race intensity and calibre. He passed the test with flying colours, finishing 36th after bridging across to the main bunch in the closing stages.
The plan for APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery most likely to conserve energy as much as possible given the quality of the field, saving efforts for the final laps.
There was only one relatively easier passage of the Manayunk Wall all day, according to Walls. As the speed ramped up late on, only himself and teammate Ethan Dunham remained from their team.
Walls then jumped across to the main group behind the break with around six others.
I think it’s really good that I know I can be there in the races at this level. It gives you more confidence going into the next one.”
Matthew Walls, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery
It was a relatively quiet race by design for him. Stay out of trouble, conserve energy and wait until the final laps.
This was his first proper 1.1 race and he finished with good legs, gaining the confidence that he can compete at this level.
That boost comes at the right time as he heads to the Tour of Romania, which runs from Friday 9th September to Tuesday 13th September.
Both riders took in the incredible atmosphere with thousands lining the route. The whole of Philly seemed to turn out, producing crowds neither had experienced before. Every ascent of the Manayunk Wall was a deafening wall of sound, with fans lining the entire climb.
O’Brien and the Team Skyline lads made a strong showing as the local Continental Team in a high-quality field, while Walls soaked in the unique energy by removing his race radio on the climbs to fully appreciate the atmosphere.
It was an impressive afternoon’s work from both Irish riders on the return of one of America’s classic races that augers well for both riders for the remainder of the season and beyond.
