Events: Cadence Cycling 11th Annual Philly Dirty Dozen

(2021) The events packed into the first weekend of November keep coming. We wrote about the Guy Fawkes Ride being held on Saturday November 5th. Cadence Cycling of Manyunk has announced the 11th Annual hillclimb menagerie with an alternative gravel finish line. Awards for at least five categories, the route explores the twelve hardest climbs in Philadelphia. 

If there is one hill Philadelphia is known for, it’s Levering Street. Known as the Manyunk Wall, this climb makes an appearance in Cadence Cycling’s riding event exploring the twelve punchiest climbs on both sides of the Schuylkill River. Since the 2021 route has not been revealed, we can only guess as to the route, but ridewithgps.com is a great place to get a hint as to the expectations of the fifty-mile event.

Per the Cadence email blast, the event will feature awards using Strava. Prizes will go to top women and men, 40+, road and gravel. To get to know the climbs, the route has visited Belmont, Gladwyne, and Radnor for those looking to target specific segments. The route messes around in Conshohocken. These names are easy to say for local residents; those not from this area are likely sounding out these names.

Then the route heads up one of the most coveted roads in our area. Port Royal is a mythical climb for those outside the city. At nearly 11% at its steepest, Port Royal is official pave, a cobblestone climb. More satisfaction comes in the fact that the route is off limits to cars, though at the forty-mile mark, most will probably accept the notion that the ride is almost over. What looms afterwards is the hill that made Philly cycling famous- the Manyunk Wall it has been followed by the ‘fall from the wall’ as the route mellows out and heads home. 

We stated that much is happening in Philadelphia the first weekend of November. While those successfully completing the Cadence Cycling Dirty Dozen ride may stick around and attack piles of pancakes provided by the event, some may knock off and hit up the Philly Bike Expo, which will be in full swing at that time. As usual, expect stragglers cupping Garmins shouting out elevation discrepancies and leaderboard errors. Remarkably expect a group of participants to knock off podium ceremonies early to head to the Philly Bike Expo and take them up on the bike parking.

The ride is skillfully placed, professionally routed, and wonderfully dated. It’s not everyday road cyclists can attend two major independent events in one day, but Cadence Cycling has set it up to do so. Then again, pancakes and libations at the finish line might see finishers comparing Garmins with the added war stories of how they could have finished first on Port Royal, and how they could have attended the Philly Bike Expo if the pancake pile weren’t so high.