App Gap (Appalachian Gap, VT-17)

The most feared climb in Vermont cycling and the defining challenge of the Green Mountain range. App Gap rises from Irasville (Waitsfield) at 265m to the summit at 710m over just 6.4km — a brevity that disguises its true severity. The gradient averages 7% across the full ascent but this number is rendered misleading by the upper section: the final 2km above the Lincoln Gap Road junction average over 12%, with ramps of 16-18% that have ended many riders' attempts at a clean ascent. The surface is good tarmac throughout and the road is heavily used by local club riders as a benchmark test. This is the climb that features in the Green Mountain Stage Race's summit finish — the section from the bottom to the top, when contested at race pace, is one of the most anaerobic 20-30 minute efforts on the American amateur circuit. In foliage season, the maple and birch forest on both sides of the road turns from green to violent red and orange, making this the most photographed climb in New England.