Benin is set to make history this September as its women’s national cycling team will become the first African squad to compete in a major UCI-sanctioned race on U.S. soil, organisers of the Maryland Cycling Classic announced Thursday.
Now in its third edition, the Maryland Cycling Classic returns on September 6, 2025, as America’s highest-ranked professional road race, and one of the last remaining UCI races on U.S. soil. For the first time, the event will include an elite women’s race alongside its established men’s competition.
