Lancaster Classic
The Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic was a professional road bicycle race held in late May or early June between 1992 and 2007 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. With the exception of the first race, which was, the Lancaster Classic covered about. Due to the "short, winding hills," it had a very low attrition rate, with 37% of starters finishing the race on average. 2003's 14% attrition was lower than that of the 2021 Tour de France, in which 23% of starters finished.
History
The race was established in part by Lancaster mayor Janice Stork, along with sponsor CoreStates Financial Corporation, in an attempt to revitalize the downtown area.The race underwent several name changes:
- CoreStates Hamilton Classic
- CoreStates Invitational
- First Union Invitational
- Wachovia Lancaster Invitational
- Commerce Bank Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic
- * Named in memory of a late CoreStates Hamilton Bank executive.
- ICP Tour of America
- CoreStates USPRO Cycling Championship
- First Union Cycling Series
- USPRO Saturn Tour
- USPRO Championship
- Wachovia Cycling Series
- Wachovia USPRO Championship
- Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling
- UCI America
- US Cycling Pro Tour
The Lancaster Classic ended abruptly after the 2007 event and was replaced by the Lehigh Valley Classic in nearby Allentown.