Astana Kazakustan and Cofidis join Jayco Aroura, EF Education Easy Post, and Lidl Trek in the Maryland Cycling Classic sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, and the quality of the start list from the first edition in 2022 is 1 ranks.

The Pro Series event, which last year included four world teams, will have five teams this year, plus four additional professional teams, Israel Premier Tech, Collatech Serre Italia, Human Powered Health, and Team Novo Nordisk. Seven continental teams have also been selected, including the Medellín-EPM team of Miguel Ángel López and Oscar Sevilla.

Israeli Premier Tech won the 2022 tournament with Sepp Vanmarcke, but the Belgian will not return to defend his title due to a heart condition that forced him to retire earlier this month.

Last year's runner-up, Nick Zukofsky, will also be absent. The Canadian champion has moved to Swiss team Q36.5, which did not receive an invitation, while third-place finisher Nielson Powles is currently leading the Tour de France's mountains classification with EF Education Easy Post. He indicated in May that he plans to return to the 2023 edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic.

It is too early to know which riders will be competing in Astana, but the team has an American named Joe Dombrowski, whose key to remaining in the WorldTour after his demotion and promotion at the end of 2025 will be earning UCI world ranking points. Teams are unlikely to call up Mark Cavendish, who dropped out of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone before breaking Eddy Merckx's record for stage wins.

Most European world teams, such as Cofidis, will have the same lineup in Maryland, as they will participate in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in Canada the following week in September.

The race has an earlier start time of 90 minutes, from 1:30 p.m. ET to 12 p.m. ET, and the 193.7-km (120.4-mile) hilly course starts at Kelly Benefit's headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, and runs through Baltimore and Harbor East area, including four technical 12-kilometer (12 km) finishing circuits.

"The Maryland Cycling Classic, sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, continues to attract elite teams in its second year. With the addition of two teams currently competing in the Tour de France, the event and its civic and corporate partners will gain tremendous momentum heading into race weekend." It's a boost for American cycling and its fans."

"As evidenced by the leadership and support of SECMD and its private and public partners, we have long identified one of the most competitive and electric fields in the United States" responsible for most of the top professional cycling races of the past two decades. said Chris Aronhardt, president of event management group Medalist Sports. [Success and sustainability in the sport is built on a foundation of integrity, relationships, and competence, and we are proud that international teams, spectators, sponsors, and media have all recognized the early tradition and excellence of the Maryland Cycling Classic. The rolling hills of Baltimore County and the downtown Baltimore City circuit provide the perfect backdrop for this world-class event.