April 27, 2018 (East Burke, Vermont) – How does the cruelest race of the year become your favourite? Well, we just finished the Rasputitsa 2018 gravel road race and I think I got my answer. This race has a strong following and is named after the Russian mud season that gave crucial military advantage to generations of Russian armies. Rasputitsa offers a mud war for cyclists.
How do images of bikers riding in mud and snow keep drawing more and more people to the start line each year in East Burke, Vermont? This was my third shot at Rasputitsa and somehow I was still looking for the “real trouble” I saw in those pictures from previous years. My last two spring attempts were quite gentle to be honest. But this time, snow was still part of the scenery and it seemed the stars were aligned for a true, harsh ride on Vermont’s dirt roads and trails
This year every single rider on the start line got a run for his or her money. Endless climbs were on the menu once again, forcing riders to give their best at any moment. There’s always a section called Cyberia, where the course goes straight into a random ATV trail full of snow forcing riders to walk… and survive. Cyberia came pretty early this year, but this wasn’t the only bit a snow we would get.
A wonderful sight at this race is the miles of snow-covered gravel roads, making you feel like you’re riding into a winter wonderland. Meanwhile, your body wonders what’s happening as you go full gas through all of the crazy uphills, false-flats and gruelling descents. The riders in front of you always have a bit more of early season form and you never seem to be able to catch them. And if you manage to reach their rear wheel… you get officially dropped.
Things can get pretty hectic on those roads full of holes. The water bottle cemetery was pretty popular again this time, ruining many competitor’s nutrition plan at only a few kilometers in!
Above all, what was new this year was a second Cyberia section near the end. Just as we thought we neared the finish, we turned right on another snow trail. It was time to shine for those with awesome cyclocross skills. But for most it was an endless walk. Around 20 minutes of running and riding on this trail finally got everyone to the finish, with legs full of cramps but a great feeling of accomplishment.
We then learned that most of us took the wrong course and rode (ran) an extra 2.5 km in this snow. Tired people can react pretty intensely. Some were really, really frustrated about getting a false-result, others were demoralized, but I was honestly happy to live the real Rasputista experience for once, even with extra kilometers.
We had it all… a sunny day with great volunteers, much elevation gain, dirt, ice, snow, outstanding landscapes… and even a giant goat crossing the road!
The race is a just a part of the whole Rasputitsa thing. It’s mostly the beginning of a new season, the rebirth of a deep passion for cycling.
It’s been months of training taking refuge with our second, third or fourth favourite sport. For our group of friends, it was time to reunite and rent a house in Burke for the weekend. Great food, great beer and great riding is a good way to kick-start your cycling campaign, no matter what your fitness level.
Rasputitsa’s organizers, Heidi Myers and Anthony Moccia, always said they were just two friends organizing just another bike race. Turns out their race is pretty unique and no matter how bad the course confusion might hurt a given rider’s feelings, those two friends still delivered an event that is getting bigger, but most important, even better.
When you leave the office on Friday telling your colleagues that you’re going to a bike race this weekend full of gravel, mud and snow, most of the time they just call you crazy. And maybe they’re right.
How does this race, the cruelest of the year, become your favourite? Because time seems to stop for a weekend, to let us enjoy what we cherish most – a unique bike race with friends.
Results here.
The four Canucks featured in this report are Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette (22nd), Étienne Moreau (31st), Jérôme Normand-Laplante (89th), and David Maltais (64th) and how they finished. The top Canuck was Derrick St. John (6th) followed by Osmond Bakker (8th) – ed.
