To echo the famous (and recently trumpeted) Olympic call to action: Let the Games begin! Starting Friday, August 30, 2024, with a time trial -- one rider at a time -- in Warren, the Green Mountain Stage Race (GMSR) will be set to go for a fall tradition that began in 2001. When registration closed on Tuesday, close to 650 riders were signed up to take on the four-day challenge. Riders will be coming from 34 U.S. states and from as far away as Spain, Belize, Colombia, and Bermuda.
While the total registration was slightly down from last year's turnout, the GMSR is still considered one of the most important events on the national bike-racing calendar. According to USA Cycling, the national governing body of the sport, "The Green Mountain Stage Race has become a must-race destination for aspiring stage racers."
That assessment is borne out by a look at some of the GMSR participants both past and present, especially in a junior field that is always stacked with national champions from the U.S. and Canada. (Cycling News called the GMSR "the biggest junior race in the U.S.") GMSR alumni rode in this year's Olympic races, this year's Tour de France, and all the major road races in Europe.
And they have done pretty well, too. American Matteo Jorgensen, considered one of the bright, rising stars on the European professional circuit, won the Paris-Nice race this spring and finished eighth overall in his first Tour de France. But as testament to how strong the GMSR junior field typically is, Jorgensen could finish no better than fourth in two attempts, in 2015 and 2016.
Jorgensen might have a tough time making the podium in this year's race, too. Putting rubber to the road on Friday will be, among others, Enzo Hincapie, multiple national junior champion, and son of famed Tour de France veteran George Hincapie. Also racing will be a small battalion of Canadian national champions -- Jake McLean, Zachari Moreau, and Carl Truffer in the junior field and Alexandra Fangeat and Elly Moore in the elite women's field.
BEST PLACE TO SPECTATE
Probably the best place for Valley bike racing fans who want to catch some of the action is at the finish at the top of App Gap on Sunday, September 1, with the first riders arriving at just before 11 a.m. (A shuttle-bus service will bring fans from the Mad River Glen parking lot to the summit.) The final, ultra-steep climb up the west side of the gap is always decisive in determining the overall race winner, and fans gather on the road with chalk (provided by race organizers) to write welcoming messages to their favorite riders. Other good viewing points are the finish for Stage 2 on Route 12 in Randolph on Saturday and along the criterium course on the streets of Burlington on Monday. Course details and other race information can be found at gmsr.info.
Race organizers recognize that the racing can cause some inconvenience for Valley motorists, but traffic delays should be relatively few and minor. The only road closures will be Flat Iron Road in Warren between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday (but open to residents of the road), Route 17 over App Gap between the Gore Road and Mad River Glen from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, and some streets in central Burlington for most of the day on Monday.
Otherwise, all roads will be open to traffic in both directions. On the plus side: the race has a significant economic impact on Valley business, with roughly 1,500 riders and their friends, families, coaches, et. al. in the area for at least four days spending more than $2 million of their money at local inns, restaurants, and other commercial establishments.
Except for a few showers in the forecast for Saturday, the race weekend weather looks promising. Let the Games begin!
