🚴 Riding up that hill | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s been a decade, but this weekend the Philly Cycling Classic returns, thanks to the efforts of an Old City salon owner, a former mayor, and an entrepreneur who used to live in Manayunk, which is home to the race’s most famous (infamous?) stretch — and the most recognizable climb in American cycling — The Wall.

The race’s revival was years in the making, and riders will be coming from all over the globe to compete. But one competitor merely needs to walk a few blocks from his parents’ house, just off Levering St., to join the peloton: Robin Carpenter, who first summited The Wall as an 11-year-old, and attended the race each year as a kid. He even sold lemonade to spectators, who often suggested he could make more money if he added liquor, as that steep stretch also served as the race’s unofficial party headquarters.

On Sunday, however, Carpenter will be without the man responsible for his racing career, former Masterman teacher Kevin Saint Clair. He encouraged Carpenter to give the sport a try, and offered the then-teenager a spot on his cycling team, but Saint Clair died in 2023 when he was hit by a car while riding his bike.

“He forever lives on in my memory as the guy who pushed me forward into the sport,” the 34-year-old Carpenter said.

Carpenter won’t be alone, however, as his parents, John and Julia, will be out along the rail, rooting for their son and ringing some cowbells from their massive collection to help spur him on. If you’re also planning on attending the race, which is free, and cheering on the only Philly native in the men’s field, then we’ve got you covered with a spectators’ guide to the race, featuring everything from the best vantage points to etiquette tips for first timers.

— Matt Mullin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Zack Wheeler’s recent struggles on the mound — he allowed a season-high eight runs Monday night and his ERA is 8.51 over his last six starts — might feel like a big thing for a Phillies team that is currently in a playoff race and has designs on returning to the World Series for the first time since 2022. But the fix, according to pitching coach Caleb Cotham, involves correcting the “small things.”

That includes Wheeler’s arm slot, which they noticed after comparing recent video to footage of the starter over the last five seasons. Cotham said Wheeler, whose next scheduled start is Sunday, is just “a click off.”

On the other end of the spectrum is Bryce Harper, who has been red-hot this month and kept the Phillies from being swept in Seattle — with a little help from Kyle Schwarber’s MLB-leading 40th home run.

Next: Following an off day on Thursday, the Phillies head to Arizona for a three-game series against the Diamondbacks. First up is Andrew Painter (3-8, 6.04 ERA) vs. lefty Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.62) on Friday night (9:38 p.m., NBCSP).

Believe it or not, Wednesday was technically the Eagles’ final training camp session of 2026. They’ll have a walkthrough on Thursday before playing their final preseason game against the Bengals on Friday night at the Linc (8 p.m., CBS3). Oh, and the deadline for trimming the roster to 53 players is Sunday evening.

So where is Jalen Hurts, who has not played this preseason, with his command of the new-look offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion? In a “good spot,” the quarterback said, a month after saying things the offense was still “calibrating.” Hurts wouldn’t label the offense, but believes that will come from Mannion as they continue to prepare for the Sept. 13 opener against the Commanders.

“As you see who you have on your team and you begin to progress forward, you hone things down and you say, ‘This is who we are. This is how I want to lead it,’” Hurts said. “So I think that’s where Sean is. And a lot of that is, it’s up for him to mold and put together so in the end, we can go out there and be in the best position to win.”

While the Sixers rightfully stole most of the offseason headlines with the splashy additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, the Flyers almost made a cannonball-sized of their own. OK, maybe not LeBron-level, but after a surprise playoff run last season, the team tendered a $90 million offer sheet to Ducks star Leo Carlsson. Unfortunately for Flyers fans, Anaheim matched the offer and kept Carlsson on the West Coast, leaving Danny Brière’s offseason haul looking much more mediocre.

The Flyers, who still landed 19 national TV games this season, added some depth, sure. But the Carlsson offer showed that the organization believes it’s ready to contend again. And their additions don’t necessarily match those ambitions. Instead, Brière and Co. are banking on internal improvements from their own young players (and they have plenty). Here are five they definitely need to take a step forward this season if they hope to recapture the magic from the spring.

Head football coach Brett Gordon is following in his father’s footsteps with the La Salle Explorers, where he took over after the 2023 death of famed coach Drew Gordon. As a teen, Brett played for Drew, then was the offensive coordinator at La Salle.

Now, a third Gordon is lining up under center for the Explorers: Luke, a junior, and yes, he’s Brett’s son. And the expectations are high — not just because of his last name. The team is coming off a state championship last season, but the majority of their starters graduated, and a tough schedule lies ahead. But the bond between father and son endures.

Luke’s hope is “to be maybe as good as [his dad] one day. I would love to have an opportunity to go play at some of the schools I could play at,” he said. “His legacy to me is something that I really cherish, and I want to keep carrying the name.”

There’s a battle raging for the No. 2 quarterback position on the Eagles, but Andy Dalton vs. Tanner McKee isn’t inspiring much confidence for columnist Marcus Hayes, who is a bit concerned about the state of the Eagles QB factory.

“The Eagles used to value the backup quarterback position, perhaps more than any other team in the NFL. Looking at their roster in 2025 and 2026, it’s hard to believe they still do,” Hayes wrote in his latest column.

“This might not matter at all, except Eagles starter Jalen Hurts gets hurt a lot, and quarterbacks are the most important players in all of team sports.”

That the team doesn’t have a “viable” backup when there were such options available to them, adds Hayes, is the fault of Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman.

Bobby Abreu won a Home Run Derby in his career and hit 288 homers in his career, but on Aug. 27, 2000, the former Phillies outfielder did something quite rare: He hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run, lifting Philly to a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in 10 innings at Veterans Stadium. It was the first of its kind in Major League Baseball since Derek Jeter in 1996. Making the feat even more impressive was that Abreu also scored the Phillies’ only other run — on a solo home run in the sixth inning.

We asked: What’s your favorite jersey that you’ve ever owned?

“[My] favorite is a green St. Patrick’s Day version of Steve Carlton’s jersey.” — Uri M.

“The only jersey I have ever owned is a vintage orange Flyers jersey from 1973. My mom surprised me with the jersey, absent the logo. We later found one and my grandmother stitched it on, initially upside down.” — Bob C.

“My favorite jersey is my kelly green No. 17 Harold Carmichael retro jersey.” — Don R.

“Brian Dawkins without a doubt, but I have plenty of stuff related to Kelce.” — Bill M.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Jasen Lo, Gabriela Carroll, Ariane Datil, Scott Lauber, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Jeff Neiburg, Mike Livingston, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Gustav Elvin, Isabella DiAmore, and Marcus Hayes.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading. Kerith will be back for Friday’s newsletter. — Matt