InsideOut client: Paul Rios... Rolls Across the Line FIRST!

Caroline Kavanagh | July 26, 2022

Gran Fondo Vermont - 109 miles, 10,350 feet of climbing!

The Vermont Gran Fondo is one of America's premiere cycling events. The event was born from a popular bucket list gap ride known by the locals as, the LAMB ride. LAMB comes from the names of 4 gaps (Lincoln Gap, Applachian Gap, Middlebury Gap and Brandon Gap) which when combined into a single ride, easily tops 100 miles and over 10,000 feet of climbing.

The course changes every year.

This years course included an ascent of Appalachian Gap, Lincoln Gap, Middlebury Gap and Brandon Gap. The start began in the village of Bristol and headed east towards Lincoln. Climbing, albeit light, to begin with.... started just 1.5 miles in!

Paul climbed up towards the center of Lincoln and then onward to Appalachian Gap, the first mountain climb.

From Appalachian Gap, the descend was into Fayston and then a climb out of the valley heading towards Warren and then a turn towards Lincoln Gap which is where the climbing got “interesting!”

With a 24% maximum grade and an average grade of 15%, the east side of Lincoln Gap is reported to be the steepest mile in the U.S. and according to Global Cycling Network, one of the worlds steepest climbs.

Although Lincoln Gap is often singled out for its unique climbing status, other gaps in the the event are no slouches. The Appalachian, Roxbury, Rochester and Middlebury gaps all include sections with extreme grades that rival Lincoln. Climbing legs a MUST!

While Paul has been cycling for about ten years, he only got serious three years ago. His first year, he focused solely on training. Last year, he made the jump to a cycling coach (Shayne Gafney of GC Coaching), and saw huge improvements. Emboldened, he took a crack at the Vermont Gran Fondo...... and rocked in as the second place finisher!

After last year's accomplishments, Paul felt he had a strong training foundation in place and that is when we connected and he took a dive into his nutrition and fueling.

I couldn't be more ecstatic with Paul's success!

Congratulations to Paul for his outstanding performance at the Gran Fondo Vermont.

Stay tuned - there's more on-tap for Paul!

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