Rick Kotch, of Rehoboth, Mass., competes yesterday in the Cox Charities Cycling Classic, in Providence.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

PROVIDENCE — Vladimir Rodriguez came to Providence yesterday on his bicycle, wearing the Tour de La Paz uniform he wore in 2005 on his nearly 5,000-mile ride from Central Falls to Colombia.

At age 56, the Dominican Republic native watched from the sidelines as 110 professional cyclists tested their skills and endurance on Cox Charities Cycling Classic’s one-mile course, which took them up and down the East Side’s hills a total of 50 times.

In the end, Kyle Wamsley, 28, of Topton, Pa., won the men’s pro/category 1 race in 1:50:29, and a prize of $15,000.

Last year’s winner, Alejandro Borrajo, 28, of Linden, N.J., came in fifth.

This year’s race — already in its seventh year and added for the first time to the USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar, a roster of the most prestigious events in the contry — attracted nearly 400 professional and amateur cyclists from more than 10 countries, including a current world champion, several national champions, and former Olympians.

This year’s Cox Charities Cycling Classic also launches the New England Race Week, which includes five races over eight days. The next race is the Boloco Heartbreak Hill Grand Prix that will be held this afternoon in Newton, Mass.

Founded by amateur cyclist and Cox vice president of business operations Gary Dolton, Cox Charities Cycling Classic has raised more than $75,000 for Cox Charities New England, which supports nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island and Connecticut that offer afterschool programs for middle school-aged children, said Amy Quinn, Cox’s director of public relations.

Among the new racers this year was Tim Johnson, 30, of Middleton, Mass., the cyclo-cross national champion who went pro in 2001.

This was his first local race since 2005.

“It’s growing in prestige,” Johnson said, noting the course’s difficulty, which brought back some earlier memories.

“I remember coming here [to Providence] to watch some shows at Lupo’s when I was younger and a little crazier, and I remember stumbling up and down these hills.”

Yesterday, there were few such incidents, as the race gave way to WaterFire.

The winners

•NRC Men’s Pro/Category 1 (50 miles)

Kyle Wamsley, 28, Topton, Pa., Colavita/Sutter Home, 1:50:29

•Category 2/3 (28 miles)

Isaac Howe, 22, Winooski, Vt., NorEast Cycling, 1:05:06

•Masters 35+ (23 miles)

Patrick Ruane, 41, Webster, N.H., Sunapee/S&W/Continental Paving, 53:29

•Masters 45+ (23 miles)

Paul Curley, 53, Taunton, Mass., Gear Works, 53:29

marmenta@projo.com