The Billion Dollar Race features three of Vermont's famed "Six Gap" climbs -- Middlebury Gap, Appalachian Gap, and the feared Lincoln Gap -- the steepest paved mile in North America -- and follows the route of the queen stage of the famed Green Mountain Stage Race.
The day begins on the shores of Lake Champlain in beautiful Burlington, Vermont.
From there, the race follows the Winooski River valley as it wind...
Read moreThe Billion Dollar Race features three of Vermont's famed "Six Gap" climbs -- Middlebury Gap, Appalachian Gap, and the feared Lincoln Gap -- the steepest paved mile in North America -- and follows the route of the queen stage of the famed Green Mountain Stage Race.
The day begins on the shores of Lake Champlain in beautiful Burlington, Vermont.
From there, the race follows the Winooski River valley as it winds east towards the mountains. Riders will get a great glimpse of Camels Hump, one of Vermont's most distinct peaks, to their right just before they arrive in Waterbury, home of The Alchemist, the brewers of Heddy Topper, one of the most-renowned IPAs in the world.
From Waterbury, the race heads south through the Mad River Valley passing through the small village of Warrentown and over its covered bridge.
The racing begins in earnest when the field takes a right turn to begin its assault on Middlebury Gap. While the easiest of the day's three climbs, it still packs a wallop. 10km with an average grade of 3.8%, the climb kicks up in the final 3km with an average grade of 8.1%. It will not be decisive, but the climb will see some stragglers drop off the back, and could be a launch-board for a long breakaway attempt.
At the top of the climb, the riders will be greeted at the Middlebury College Snowbowl by the school's co-eds. A long fast descent follows, which will give some riders who were dropped on the climb a chance to regroup.
At the bottom of the descent is college-town Middlebury. From Middlebury, the riders will turn north through forest roads with the Green Mountain ridge an ominous presence to the east.
After an hour or so on relatively flat roads, the riders will face their next big challenge: Appalachian Gap. The full climb is 15km at an average grade of 3.3%. But the real kickers come at the end of the climb, with the last 4km featuring an average grade of 8.7% with the steepest walls kicking above 20%.
A great climber with descending skills will have a chance to stay away on the steep switch-back filled descent down to Waitsfield. From Waitsfield, it's a short 10km to the right hand turn to begin the day's final climb to the finish at the top of Lincoln Gap.
While the full 6.5km climb has an average grade of only 7.1%, the final 1.5km is part of the steepest paved mile in North America, with an average grade of over 14% and grades approaching 30% in the last 400m.
Riders who try to escape on the early slopes are likely to find themselves struggling to keep their wheels moving as they hit the climb's final steep wall.
Behind them, the elite climbers will be going full gas to seize the day.
The first rider to reach the summit of Lincoln Gap will have earned his title as winner of The Billion Dollar Race.
