Alex Rasmussen from Denmark, riding for team HTC-Highroad crossed the finish line first to win the 27th annual Philadelphia International Cycling Championship. Rasmussen is a 26 year old, four-time world track champion and Olympic track cycling silver medalist, but today he conquered the Manayunk Wall ten times to win the most important single day road race in the United States. This is the third straight year that a member of the HTC-Highroad team has won the Philly race. The American based team is ranked number one in the world by Eurosport.
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), the man tipped by many as the favorite today, came in second followed by Robert Forster (UnitedHealthcare) of Germany in third. Here is the full top 10.
1. Alex Rasmussen - HTC-Highroad - 5:59.04
2. Peter Sagan - Liquigas-Cannondale
3. Robert Forster - UnitedHealthcare
4. Ken Hanson - Jelly Belly
5. Jure Kocjan - Team Type 1
6. James Williamson - PureBlack Racing
7. Matthais Freidemann - Champion System
8. Yosvany Falcon - Realcyclist.com
9. Aaron Kemps - V Australia Pro
10. Carlos Escobar - Team Exergy
American Alex Hagman, riding for the Jelly Belly team, was named "King Of The Mountain" for his performance on the Manayunk Wall section of the circuit.
The Philadelphia International Championship is the longest and most prestigious single day race in the United States and has helped launched the careers of several of the great figures in American cycling including Eric Heiden, Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong, who have all won the event. The race features a 156 mile circuit starting at the Art Museum and following the Schuykill River northwest through Roxborough and Manayunk, where racers take on the iconic Manayunk Wall, then back down through parts of Fairmount Park.