All posts by Lorenzo Van Munoz

Photos, Rides, Training

Six gaps – weekend edition

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Over the years, many MIT cyclists have taken on the challenging “6 gaps” route in Vermont, covering 130 miles and 11,000+ ft of elevation over six passes in the Green Mountains. This Labor day weekend, the Three Musketeers, Lorenzo, Martin, and Sparrow, made a rendezvous in Bethel, VT to attempt this epic ride and celebrate the end of the summer. We also anticipated that the steep grades and sections of unpaved roads would be better suited to gravel bikes with low gearing and wide tires, and we felt that ours absolutely crushed the course. (Lorenzo ran a 42T chainring with a 10-50T cassette. Martin ran a 40T chainring with 10-44T cassette. Sparrow ran a 40T chainring with 11-44T cassette.). Although the trip was planned around the full-day ride, the weather led us to split it up into two days as a delightful training weekend, in contrast to previous editions overwhelmed with type II fun.

Lorenzo and Martin ready to roll to Vermont with their gravel bikes.

On Saturday, we woke up at 6 to start our ride up Rochester gap in cool weather with overcast skies. We were buzzing with energy and looking forward to our biggest climb since Mt Lemmon  at WTC. As we warmed up the legs on the shallow slopes, a car passed us, did a u-turn, and passed us again while holding a MIT cap to cheer us along! Thrilled by the encouragement, we rode together up some painfully steep ramps while trying to convince ourselves that they weren’t really that bad at all.

First gap done! All smiles 🙂

When we began the descent of Rochester gap, we had the only mechanical of the whole trip: a puncture that didn’t seal until we plugged it. After this, we took the twisty descent to Rochester with caution to keep our speed under control and on our arrival to the town were greeted by friendly drivers and majestic views of the Green Mountains.

Majestic scenery in the Green Mountains

Our next climb was Brandon gap and while its grade was the most gentle of all the climbs, the effort was not. Sparrow rode ahead at his sweet spot while Lorenzo saved energy at an endurance pace, with Martin somewhere in between. Everyone’s unique approach to the climb reflected their willingness to take great risks for even greater rewards on such a long day on the bike. As we crested the climb, we noticed a drizzle had begun and we proceeded to take the wet descent with caution. Down in the valley, the light and persistent rain soaked through our socks and shoes, so we took a break at a general store to warm up and refuel.

We began Middlebury gap in a better state and worked our way to the top more urgently than the previous gap because of the rain on our backs. This climb started to eat away our confidence about tackling the full route, not only because of the pain-inducing ramps towards the top but also because of the cold and wet descent. As we reached Hancock, we stopped at their general store for lunch and considered our options. We hadn’t even done half the distance of the ride and with the three hardest climbs left we weren’t feeling optimistic about completing the route due to the weather. So, we took the easy way out and decided to ride back to the airbnb so we could recover and finish the last three gaps the next day.

Three musketeers frolicking on Vermont pavement

En route from Hancock to Rochester, the rain lifted and our mood bounced back as we cruised on the valley road. We just enjoyed the scenery as our thoughts turned towards good post-ride meals and maple creemees. As we passed one particular farm, we saw two gun-slinging Vermonters with rifles across their backs, which motivated us to ride even faster. Once in Rochester, we retraced our route by climbing the gap in reverse, which thankfully wasn’t as leg-busting as the other side.

We enjoyed the evening after the ride by visiting Randolph to eat maple creemees and feast at the local tavern. Crowds of GMSR racers were also flocking around the town and led to some lively discussions at the local bike shop. Since we had another day of riding ahead of us, we also restocked our ride snacks, or just sugar and electrolytes for our water. That night, we went to sleep peacefully by counting the sheep in the backyard of the airbnb where we stayed.

Our sheepish friends … baaaaa
Sparrow adjusting his saddle angle with a baking tray to reduce climbing-induced back pain

We started our second day by driving to Warren and ascending the formidable Lincoln gap, known for having the steepest paved mile in the U.S. Compared to the day before, the climbs were shorter, perhaps only twenty minutes each, but all the more brutal. Going up Lincoln gap can only be described as fighting for your life up a 20+ % grade. It was mandatory to grind up the climb in the lowest gear while also struggling to balance the bike and possibly zig-zag to prolong the suffering in exchange for taking off the sharp edge. Whoever designed the road clearly intended to induce despair by making it go straight up so that you could see exactly how far you had to go. At the top, hikers congratulated us on the valiant effort while we basked in post hill-climb relief.

A mandatory stop at the Warren covered bridge

 

The highest point of the trip at the top of Lincoln gap

We forged onwards towards App gap, where we expected to cross paths with the GMSR stage of the day. This climb was especially race-worthy, ascending multiple switchbacks while slowly but surely getting steeper towards the top. Feeling inspired by the race, we decided to go full gas on the climb. It was magical how as we climbed, a fog enveloped the top of the climb making only several feet of the road visible ahead. We were urged up and onwards by cheering spectators and words of encouragement written in chalk on the ground. The barriers appeared out of the mist like on a grand tour stage to signal that we had one final steep pitch to wrestle up. At the top, we stayed to watch racers roll in and congratulated them on their efforts.

The foggy GMSR App gap stage finish line

 

Eventually, we descended the other side, returning to the warm and sunny valley to enjoy a lunch break. An excellent bagel and donut stop was on our way, which left us happy and refueled to continue back to Warren for our last climb. There was a fair bit of hilly riding to get there, which we took rather easily so we could chat and enjoy the scenery. Somewhere along the way, we saw another gun-slinging Vermont state trooper in full military gear, so we hurried again to get far away from their sting.

Our last gap of the trip was Roxbury gap and the sun was really baking overhead on the climb. We all focused on the now-familiar sight of the steep roads and made quick work of the climb before it got too hot. At the top, we were treated to splendid views of both valleys before we turned around to go to our car. The drive home wouldn’t have been complete without a creemee, which we secured and gleefully ate to celebrate our accomplishment of climbing all six gaps.

Martin and Sparrow summit Roxbury gap to finish all six

 

After all, we were grateful that the weather made us split the epic ride into two days. We all caught the Vermont bug and are looking forward to more climbs in the Green mountains, and perhaps racing GMSR next year!

Nationals, News, Photos, Race Reports, Track

Track Nats ’26

Day 1: The travel

This time it’s not so new. The MIT Cycling track team (Matteo Fulghieri) is traveling once more to Indiana to compete in the USAC Collegiate Track Nationals at the Major Taylor Velodrome. The flight into Indianapolis International Airport is every heavy cyclist’s daydream: a landscape flatter than my cast iron pan at home where I stir fry vegetables most Tuesday evenings.

Arriving in Indianapolis, the first step is to make my way to the eventual race site to sign in and register. Akin to a captain at his helm, with the stern facing the land he loves, I stand now with only my bike case and firmly planted feet facing a storm of uncertainty; I can’t know what the following three days will hold for me, but I do know they will occur, and their outcome forever a moment in time.

There’s even a sense of peculiarity; the precisely measured 333m track sandwiched by a highway, a BMX track, and a university. An unusual gathering place for young adults who enjoy riding bikes to gather and pedal harder than they’ve ever pedaled before.

Following this moment of heavy anticipation and retrospection, it’s time to swing by the hotel. It is fortunately surrounded by a multitude of gas stations, which people oft forget are prime fueling stations for cyclists as well. Nothing beats the energy of a $1.99 roll of crunchy donuts.

Day 2: The sprints

Sprints day is the first day. Today is all about speed and acceleration, with little need to endure powers long enough to hurt. The seating for the match sprints is quite straight forward: how quickly can you cover 200m with a wind up.

The best part of TrackNats is making friends, and fortunately the Fort Lewis Cycling team adopted me into their family. So much so that the MIT name was formally added to their tent, and we even shared our equipment. After all, mi chainring es su chainring.

Photo courtesy of Karen Brower Photography

The flying 200m starts with a strong push in the back to get you some speed up the gradual incline of the back straight. With this, you roll ever so slowly through the Start/Finish with 2 to go. The name of the game is building up your potential energy but preserving your legs to the fullest. It’s a bit of a shimmy to get your knees brushing the top railing; pushing and rolling at just the right times to give a momentum kick. Now, rolling towards the Start/Finish approaching your 1 to go lap, the power picks up. A smooth roll evolves into a little pressure on the down stroke, then pressing down like you mean it, then coming out of the saddle to pull on the bars a bit, then the back stroke gets a tug, until you’re at the top of the railing and pushing and tugging with every ounce of strength in the legs. Finally, you round Turn 2 and pass through the 200m mark and it’s time to sit back into the saddle and spin the lower extremities right off the torso and hold on for dear life, pushing 40mph through Turns 3 and 4. This year I crossed the finish line in 11.531s, putting me in 15th and to race the 2nd place qualifier.

The match sprints themselves remind me a bit of my wrestling days, if you take out the wrestling and replace it with cycling—okay maybe it’s not really similar at all. The two lap race to the finish always starts slow, with a lot of eye contact and sometimes some smiles. Coming through the last lap, it then picks up into a battle for position—I was bested by my opponent, who very carefully stole the inside line and kept me stuck at the barriers; besides the fact that he was incredibly quick on the pedals.

Day 3: The IP and Points Race

The 4km Individual Pursuit is not so dynamic. You start pedaling, you keep pedaling, and then around lap 5 of 12 you realize you went out too hard and your legs are screaming. I call this the first stage of the IP: regret. Lap 7 brings the next stage: negotiation. You tell yourself you can handle this and just need to keep going, that this really isn’t the worse thing ever and the finish line is approaching. Lap 9 brings hopelessness; you were wrong, you can’t keep doing this, your legs have reached unregistered pain levels. You can’t even see anymore and the baking of the track is the only item keeping you from crashing. Then, the final laps bring existential contextualization: what does it mean to be a cyclist, what does it mean to be in pain, can I be certain that my pain is real, do I have the free will to stop pedaling, is humanity doomed to eternal suffering, if I am not for myself who will pedal this bike? Finally the finish line approaches, and it seems quite fit to immediately collapse in the grass. Today was a PR in 5:01.

** This is an important moment to highlight a lesson I learned this day: having been adopted into the FLC family also meant total treatment as such, and that meant being screamed at each lap. In those moments of desperation, these forced me to pedal harder. Shout out to the team parents Mari and Drew.

Photo courtesy of Karen Brower Photography

Of course, the rest of my time was spent recovering and yelling words of encouragement to my FLC teammates, who all excelled in their races.

The evening wrapped up with the points race. 36km in 35 minutes does not leave the brain with much time to do math, and math I did not do. I managed to secure a few points on the opening sprint, but failed to encourage the mind to join the breakaway, and this left me in 12th place.

Day 4: The Kilo and Scratch

A deep rain enveloped the sprawled Indiana landscape; a reflection of how my legs felt at this point. On the bright side, this meant sleeping in and hanging out around the house and working. Reality emerged around noon: the remaining races would all take place in the evening. The opening kilo saw me pulling my cleat out of the pedal once more, so details of the frantic effort to clip back in and pull the cranks off the bike will be spared.

Finally was the scratch race. This time just 12km at a blistering pace exceeding 50kph. At these speeds, reaction time becomes critical and knowing the moves to jump into is vital. The race ended together, with myself in 14th. The women’s points race followed; from the vantage point of the pit you can see the entire race, which makes for an exhilarating spectator experience. This race unfortunately saw the only crash of the weekend, which fortunately saw only scrapes and bruises as a result.

After all was said and done, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology cycling team earned the highest club team omnium points, earning the title of a National Championship program. The horizon is bright for the program, and the goals are only higher for next year. And of course the reunion of the FLC-MIT familia.

News, Photos, Race Reports, Road

UVM 2026: From Philo to the Podium

At the end of the ECCC 2026 racing season, MIT cycling sent its largest contingent of the year to the Catamount Cycling Classic hosted by University of Vermont.

The attendees included Emily, our noble logistics officer who was wrapping up a successful spring racing campaign; Paul, our unofficial support team lead; Lorenzo, our men’s road captain fearlessly returning from knee rehab; Sparrow, ready to wattsmax the finale to his first racing season; Matteo and Ryan, our resident hooligans and fast bois; Noah, our team photographer and gravel evangelist; and finally me (Jody), our cyclocross co-captain. After 2 years of training with the team, I was finally attending my first ECCC racing weekend thanks to overcoming my fear of racing on pavement and kicking my habit of running Spring marathons.

Our first day of racing started with a brutally steep climb up Mount Philo for the Individual Time Trial. Having heard about this legendary climb from past racers, I had prepared by doing weekly Eastern Ave repeats over the past month. In a last-minute bargain for extra watts, I also swapped out my aluminum 650b stock wheels to the carbon team wheels. I had never done any training with them, but looked forward to the mental boost of a lighter wheelset.

After shooing off the men’s 4/5 racers Sparrow and Noah, I found myself at the start line, heart pounding and staring at the concrete wall ahead of me. I got off to a slow and wobbly start, finding my rhythm after the first few turns. A few short minutes in however, my legs felt unusually weak and something was up with my gearing. Why couldn’t I downshift? Climbing had never felt this hard before. I struggled to stay upright and finally made it to the top, feeling a mix of relief and despair.

When I got back to the team cars, it hit me. My last minute wheel swap from 650b to 700c had changed my apparent gear ratio. With my 165mm cranks and wobbly legs, it was a miracle I had made it up at all. I sheepishly debriefed with Sparrow, who had also made it up the steepest Philo sections, only to accidentally dismount his bike early due to a mistaken finish line. Meanwhile, Noah had floated up the hill with his sub-1:1 gear ratio, making us regret not taking our gravel bikes too.

Ryan does a wheelie

After some solid ITT performances by the remaining team members and some wheelies by Ryan, it was time for the road race. I felt substantially better and was eager to climb up the rankings this time (pun intended) in my first-ever road race. Things got off to a hot start, and I clawed my way into the lead group. Despite being warned by Emily about the prevailing women’s tactic of attacking mid-conversation, I was caught off guard when Middlebury riders bolted up a hill in the midst of a debate on Trader Joe’s gummy flavors. Before I knew it, they were gone and I was left with one other rider to finish out the second half of the race.

Following our race, Sparrow hopped into his car to volunteer as a follow car for the men’s 3/4 race, where he tried to help Lorenzo avoid being dropped. Noah and I watched from the sidelines and snapped photos, marveling at the pacelines, fast cornering, and beautiful Vermont scenery.

 

Lorenzo takes on the mens 3/4 road race
Matteo (rightmost) takes a pull in the mens 1/2/3 peloton with Ryan (2nd from left) in the back

 

The men’s 3/4 race peloton including Sparrow volunteering as the follow car
Emily pacelining in the road race with the 1/2/3 women
The mens 1/2/3 road race prepares to tackle more rolling hills in the Vermont countryside
Recovery creemees after dinner! From left to right: Lorenzo, Noah, Jody, Sparrow, Ryan, Matteo, Paul, and Emily

The team finished off the day with a hearty Mexican dinner and Vermont creemees for extra recovery calories. The next day, Lorenzo, Noah, Sparrow and I headed to UVM campus early for the 4/5 men’s and women’s races. I trailed the boys during the pre-ride laps, gingerly leaning into the corners and praying I would stay rubber side down in the race.

Following warmup, Sparrow and Noah immediately jumped into the men’s 4/5 race, where they were serenaded by a full brass and percussion band. Both of them put up impressive sprint performances, with Sparrow staying out of trouble until his impressive display of watts rewarded him with a top-5 finish.

The adrenaline of the men’s race had given me a newfound confidence for my race, and I lined up in the front row. The whistle blew, and I easily kept up with the front group, barely noticing the corners. When a rider made an attack with 3 laps to go, it slowly dawned on me that this was my only chance to try for first place glory. Buoyed by Lorenzo’s yells of ‘you can go faster!’, I pulled away from the peloton and chased until the finishing straightaway, where I resigned myself to second – until I spotted the first place rider ahead. I surged forward in a final effort, missing the win by half a bike length.

Jody about to take on the chicanes at the UVM Crit
The team watches in suspense as Emily sprints for a photo-finish second place

 

While I couldn’t finish the job, Emily tried for redemption in the women’s  1/2/3 race. After leading the race and taking a couple Prime lap points, the entire team watched as she outsprinted two other women to snatch second place in a photo finish. Lorenzo decided to skip his men’s 3/4 race due to his knee, joining Sparrow as a star spectator (‘give them hell, Emily!’) and selfie-taker.

The men’s 1/2/3 race wrapped up the day. Matteo and Ryan’s race ended early after getting stuck behind a crash, but that didn’t stop our team photographer from getting some quality action shots.

Resident hooligan number 1 Matteo takes on the men’s 1/2/3

 

Resident hooligan number 2 Ryan takes on the men’s 1/2/3

 

Emily (right) clinches 2nd place ECCC omnium!

With the racing finished, all that was left to do was wait for the awards ceremony. Although we were sunburned, tired, and running almost entirely on post-race adrenaline, the wait was worth it: Emily capped off an impressive weekend with a third-place medal in the road race, second place in the criterium, and a second place in the ECCC omnium, while I was proud to come away with fourth in the hill climb, fifth in the road race, and second in the criterium. To top it off, I was awarded the team’s Most Aggressive Rider jersey, a longstanding MIT Cycling tradition that rewards attacking riders with the privilege of wearing a bright red jersey featuring an intimidating angry face.

Overall, the weekend was one of the most rewarding racing experiences I’ve had. While I’ve raced plenty of running races, cyclocross events, and even gravel, this was my first time being at the very front of a race, chasing down a breakaway and realizing that a win might actually be possible. It’s a thrill I won’t forget anytime soon.

Whether or not I end up racing ECCC again next year, I’m grateful I finally took the leap. Between the climbs, the crits, the wheel swaps, the creemees, and the people who made the weekend memorable, Catamount was an unforgettable way to close out the spring season.