Stevens, Reijnen win Philly bike races

As the riders approached the finish line of the Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic at the always grueling Manayunk Wall, little separated Evelyn Stevens of California and Joelle Numainville of Montreal.

In the final moments, the outcome of Sunday's race was still in doubt.

"I closed my eyes and just dug deeper at the end," Stevens said.

Her digging paid off.

Both were clocked in the 60-mile race in 2 hours, 33 minutes and 25 seconds, but Stevens, a Massachusetts native competing for the Specialized-Lululemon team, crossed the finish line first to capture the $5,000 first prize in the women's race.

Kiel Reijnen won the 120-mile men's race.

The 30-year-old Stevens, who has been competing since 2008, didn't mind finishing the race uphill.

This was an entirely different event after last year's TD Bank Philly Classic was canceled. There are new organizers who have a two-year deal with the title sponsor, Parx Casino.

The organizers also changed the course. Previously, the cyclists finished on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Now the race concludes at the Manayunk Wall, all of a half-mile long with an elevation of 230 feet.

"I loved it," Stevens said of finishing uphill. "I felt I could win at that kind of finish, and that is my bread and butter."

Numainville earned the $3,000 second prize, and it took her a while to realize she had not won.

"I thought I had it, but she passed me a little bit," Numainville said.

Claudia Hausler of Germany took third place and won $2,000. She took home considerably more for earning the Queen of the Mountain title. That honor came for points accumulated while going up Lemon Hill and the Manayunk Wall, and the top prize was $5,000.

"It was a great, an awesome experience," Hausler said.

Two U.S. cyclists also won prizes. Alison Powers captured the $2,500 sprint award, which went to the rider with the most points in the designated sprint zone. Ruth Winder was the $500 winner of the best young rider award.

All the riders were heartened by the enthusiastic welcome they received.

"This is one of the best bike races," Stevens said. "We are so thankful for the fans of Philadelphia coming out to support us. It's incredible."

This year, unlike previous years, the women received the same prize money as the men and also raced separately, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The men, whose race was 120 miles, didn't have such a dramatic finish, although Reijnen gave himself a belated birthday present.

One day after turning 27, the Bainbridge Island, Wash., resident won the men's race in 4:35:34. He won by seven seconds over Jesse Anthony of Massachusetts.

"I knew I was going to love it, and it is a really great race and we were aggressive from the gun," said Reijnen, who competed for the United Healthcare pro cycling team.

This was Reijnen's fifth time competing in Philadelphia, and he said he benefited from experience.

"You get a feel for the race and the course," he said.

The King of the Mountain was Dion Smith, a 20-year-old from New Zealand, who was making his first trip to Philadelphia.

"This was awesome and the fans were awesome," Smith said. "I would love to come back."

Sebastian Salas of Canada won the $2,500 sprint title. Zac Noonan of Kutztown earned the $500 prize for the best young rider.