SCRANTON — The second Electric City Classic bicycle race and hill climb, scheduled for Aug. 21 and 22, is canceled for 2020 because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Scranton Tomorrow, a nonprofit economic-development organization, rescheduled the event in Scranton Aug. 27-28, 2021.

Last year’s inaugural Electric City Classic drew hundreds of professional cyclists from around the world and thousands of spectators to the city. The race aims to provide an economic boost to the downtown Scranton business district, while promoting health and wellness for people of all ages.

The main event — called a criterium race, or “crit” — occurs on a short-circuit course lapping about a dozen blocks downtown. The hill climb is on the steep, bricked part of Olive Street in the Hill Section.

CHRISTOPHER DOLAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Frank Travieso, Athens, Ga., competes in the Electric City Classic Hill Climb last year in the Hill Section of Scranton.

 

“We know this year’s event will be greatly missed, and we are all eager to return to the gatherings and festivities in which we find comfort and a sense of familiarity,” said Leslie Collins, executive director, Scranton Tomorrow. “However, we feel strongly that canceling the 2020 Electric City Classic truly is in the best interest of the health and safety of our neighbors and participants, locally and globally.”

— JIM LOCKWOOD