Still have to get my cx bike over but I'm in!

FYI I might have just snagged the last available room at the Jay Peak resort itself, but it only has a double queen bed. There are 5 of us registered (Pat, Eloy, Grant, Lennart, Dave), so I'm happy to give that one up and find a large team ABNB or suite so we can hang together!

Also there are spots left if you want to join in on the fun! Weekend of Apr 19/20/21 ...

https://www.bikereg.com/rasputitsa

I'm going to be staying with my wife's aunt/uncle that have a place in the area. I went up to Jay over Christmas time and honestly the conditions would have been fine for a gravel race then. I met the manager of the resort whose working with Rasputitsa organizers on the route, said they're at over 900+ entrants and they're really excited about it.

Would love to get a team abnb if possible! 

+1 on airbnb for raspu

Ditto on Airbnb 

ABnB has some solid options! Here's one that stood out to me - close by, modern condo, reasonable rate of around $1k for the entire stay.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/769852106603613659?check_in=2024-04-19&check_out=2024-04-21&guests=4&adults=4&s=67&unique_share_id=20c85a55-8187-4e13-9e0f-0ffb696a6403

Here's my current list you can collaborate on:
https://www.airbnb.com/wishlists/1437944658/claim_invite?invite_code=WJWLZEAA&inviter_id=15911375&s=67&unique_share_id=cbb3ab64-acd3-4d7a-97b1-a5551e88c507


...then I realized that Rasputitsa has a direct Jay Peak Resort portal that seems to have a chunk of rooms and suites available at relatively reasonable prices. Benefits include being an elevator ride away from the start/finish, no need to tidy up before checking out, and hopefully a free continental breakfast.

https://jaypeakresort.com/trip-planning/deals-discounts/rasputitsa-april-19-21-2024

Cheapest rates are around $250/night for a suite or room that sleeps 2 comfortably so roughly $1k for the entire stay for 4.

I'm sort of into the idea of not having to drive to/from the race and staying on premises outside of traveling for good food. Any takers on the hotel?

I agree - seems nice to be so close to everything

As long as we each get our own bed I am ok staying at the Jay Peak Resort. Else, let's book an AirBnB.

A quick look suggests that Jay Peak has these: "PENTHOUSE, HOTEL JAY STUDIO SUITE" with 2 queens each. -- if we can book 2 of these rooms, let's do it. As suggested, $250ish per person.

• Grant Seltzer (does not need a room, staying at Wife's Aunt/Uncle)
• Lennart Zandbergen
• David Yang
• Eloy Anzola
• Patrick Grehan

Dave, let us know if you need anything from us.

(btw, I tried to add to add to your AirBnB list, but I can only view it)

I'm good with Jay's peak

Sweet, I'm going to try to call them directly and ask if I can get enough rooms/beds to cover the 4 of us. 

Reserved us a condo/suite at Jay Peak with 2 bedrooms, each with 2x twin sized beds (split kings). Full kitchen and 2 bathrooms (one is a full w/a shower, one only has sink and commode). There's also a pull out sofa queen in the common room *just in case* a 5th person joins us at the last minute and/or if someone needs to stretch out.

$482 all in for the whole weekend which comes out to approx $120/person.

If we're not completely wiped out on Saturday after the ride there is an indoor waterpark we can buy tickets to.

I'm assuming we are carpooling between Patrick and me?

Amazing David, thanks so much for setting all of this up.

Pretty stoked, love making this an annual tradition.

David Yang said:

Reserved us a condo/suite at Jay Peak with 2 bedrooms, each with 2x twin sized beds (split kings). Full kitchen and 2 bathrooms (one is a full w/a shower, one only has sink and commode). There's also a pull out sofa queen in the common room *just in case* a 5th person joins us at the last minute and/or if someone needs to stretch out.

$482 all in for the whole weekend which comes out to approx $120/person.

If we're not completely wiped out on Saturday after the ride there is an indoor waterpark we can buy tickets to.

I'm assuming we are carpooling between Patrick and me?

eloy said:

• Grant Seltzer (does not need a room, staying at Wife's Aunt/Uncle)
• Lennart Zandbergen
• David Yang
• Eloy Anzola
• Patrick Grehan

Okay party planning people, getting some details in order:

• I've got room for 2 bikes on the Seasucker roof rack and 1 more in the trunk in a pinch (we'll be relegated to a single set of wheels each in this case)
• Assuming Patrick is driving up as well and he can hopefully accommodate additional passengers.
• Ex-KCC James R is joining the crew and is sleeping on the pull out sofa
• Jay Peak Cottage check-in time is 5p.
• Drive up is approx 6hrs, but Eloy has some super secret trail spots to loosen up the legs + have lunch. Let's coordinate!

Super excited for this, certainly now that I have my bike! I’ll join you for the drive up, David

Hi, If possible, I'd love to catch a ride with you as well, Dave.

We can coordinate with everyone to hit the secret trails the day before, which are close to Northampton MA. It helps to break up the drive and grab lunch. I can probably come up with an alternative a bit further north too.  

I have room for bikes and bodies 

Recap:

We left Brooklyn around 8.30 am on Friday and drove up to Northampton, where we did a shakeout ride. That was the first time I rode the Ritchey Breakaway David sold me with its gravel wheels and pedals. It's an amazing bike, so that was all good - except maybe for the fear Eloy instigated in all of us by suddenly yelling "don't crash!" while we're crossing a small wooden bridge. Made it in one piece, went for lunch in Northampton, then drove up to Jay Peak. Unloaded the cars, picked up our numbers and went for dinner.

The next morning, the initial rainfall changed to some serious snow, although it didn't stick to the roads. We met up with Grant and after the last-minute bathroom stops and the English and French ride instructions, we were off. After a neutralized start going over the resort, we hit a descent on an impossible-to-ride dirt road, where some slipped and fell into the mud - not a great start to a four hour bike ride in 40F weather -  and everyone had to walk. My GripGrab oversocks did their job perfectly and kept my feet completely dry despite the inches and inches of mud.

Getting back on the bike, we rode a fast descent over a wide dirt road. I stuck to some wheels and paddled along. From reaching the bottom of this hill until into the last 15km, all roads we rode were pretty alike: wide and always with at least one part of the road providing an easily ridable path. Not that many sharp corners or other difficult technical sections, but some fairly windy parts and many short hills.

After the chaotic mud section, I didn't see Patrick, Eloy, David and Grant anymore, and ended up in random groups of riders. A couple of times, faster rider would blow past and I decided to grab their wheels to move forward in the field a bit. I usually held the fast wheels for a few minutes until reaching a new group, recovered, and then sat on another fast wheel to the next group. 30 minutes in, I realized that my Wahoo had thus far only shown me the red leds indicating Z4 heart rate. Looking back, I averaged 176 bpm and 30.1 km/h over the 15km after that walking descent right after the start.

I still felt good, but knew that I couldn't ride like this for another three hours. Just when I decided to take it a little slower, I ended up in a group with about 20 riders, going at a comfortably uncomfortable pace. Apart from Bob, a former Foundation rider, and me, most of the group was Canadian. We stuck together for a while, often times breaking up on the climbs but then coming together again on the descents, until hitting the first rest stop. I grabbed a cup of maple syrup and a small bottle of coke, then jumped on my bike again. Now, we were with a smaller group and the amount of time I rode solo after each hill increased. I ended up in the wheel of two Quebecois who managed to keep a never-ending and animated conversation while riding a crazytown killer pace. I struggled hard in their wheels for about ten minutes, together with a kid who I guess was aged 14 at the most. On a hill, the kid gave up and indicated me to pass him, I did but lost the two Canadians - who were still chatting away - some 30 seconds later. I rode alone for another bit. When I hit a concrete road, a girl caught up with me, saw some people in the background and yells 'let's go!' We traded pulls together until she drops back on a climb. 

All day, I had been zipping my jacket up on downhills and down on the uphills. I wasn't ever cold, but now it got warm and sunny, so I take off my gloves on a longer climb. On top of the climb, I stopped at another rest stop, down two more cups of maple syrup and eat half a cookie. I was too tired to chat with the guy at the rest stop who enthusiastically complimented me with the Ritchey and the canti brakes, and leave with one other rider. We chat a bit, and make it to The Big Climb. I was tired at this point, but also ready to give it all on the  6.6km/6.1% monster that would bring us back to Jay Peak altitude.

That didn't work out like I thought it would. The wide road changed into a rocky/muddy path and after crawling uphill for a while, I saw a tandem topple over in front of me due to the steepness. Reminding me of Eloy yelling not to crash, this made me fall over from near-standstill too, 5 meters behind them. From there on, I had to lug myself and the bike up the hill by foot. Only two people  with the right tires/gears/skills for it biked past me, including the 14-year old kid from before. Everyone else walked. That was hard too, mentally almost as much as physically. I found the slight downhill after not that bikable either, and it took a long time before I was back on the bike again. Last km's were really just getting to the finish, although I overtook two people on the last little climb.

After the finish, there was a drink, chats with the people I rode with and washing of the bike. The day ended with great food. Ready to go again next year!

Finished after 3 hours 48 minutes, 140th overall and 40/111 in my age category, with the highest relative effort of any ride I have on Strava.

I rode Rasputitsa two years ago and this edition was significantly more difficult. The mud bogs and the relentless dirt climb were tough. The climb didn’t seem awful on paper: An average of 5.5 percent for about 4.5 miles. Problem was that it came after 3 hours of rolling terrain, a lot of it was steeper than that, and the “road” was a narrow lane of loose dirt with a sandy consistency that was uneven, full of ruts and at times rocky. It took me 45 minutes to climb in my 40x48. My back and hamstrings were screaming at me. Most people walked some if not most of it. I had to walk it near the end.

Aside from that particular suffering the area was gorgeous, it was great to go up with David, Eloy, Lennart and Grant. Here are some highlights:

We were all smiles with a shakeout ride in Northampton (really Hadley/Amherst) Mass:



On Saturday morning it was snowing already:



The first obstacle was a mud bog that most everyone had to run:



The majority of the ride was rolling gravel farm roads with some great views:



Dave Yang and I rode together for quite a bit which was awesome. I knew that Lennart was ahead but had no idea where Eloy or Grant were



At one point I saw what looked like an Amish family. I blew up the first phot with the kids (who i waved to) on the right and the dad on a phone attached to a telephone pole on the left. BTW spectators and volunteers tended to be super friendly





The "hill from hell" (tm) felt worse than these pictures show simply by the fact that it never ended. Every time I got to a corner and thought we would get to the crest I was proven wrong. Keep going!



The course finished back at the ski resort but had us go though a mud bog (this time with snow!) again. It was a little bit more ridable this time 



Bonus pics:

Clean vs Dirty wheels


Grant and his wife Tamar met us for a great dinner spot. Luckily the bear was stuffed (we weren't on the menu anyways!)



Another highlight was the excellent bakery Grant recommended on the way home (less sure about his recommendation to watch a sexy Dr Who)

The company is always the best part of these trips and Rasputitsa 2024 was no exception. The riding, the traveling, the general hijinks were par excellence with friends.

Of the 3 consecutive Rasputitsas I've done, this was by far the most challenging and gnarly. I think the organizers had enough guff from the peanut gallery bellyaching that recent courses didn't have enough mud and snow and general misery so they made us ride through a swamp to start and end the course. They even threw in a little extra mud patch after the timing line for an extra kick to the shins. They were not messing around this year.

Speaking of overcorrections: My floor pump gauge turned out to be 30% higher than Eloy's accurate digital gauge so I overcompensated and ran 35-38psi when my usual must have been in the low 20s. I wasn't accustomed to the lack of grip so had a few gnarly bmx tail skids before getting a feel for it the rest of the day. After one particularly close call a guy on a hardtail mountain bike commended me, "Nice save, brother." I felt kind of cool for a second before he motored away up the hill leaving me to eat his dust.

Patrick was "just up the road" and turned out to be a great rabbit for me to chase. I surfed wheels for a good few miles after the mud bog and miraculously caught up to him. We spent an hour or so together - him as a shark, me as one of those sucker fish glued to his wheel - as we phased in and out of various groups and riders. Most were friendly, many knew and were fond of Kissena, more than a few were French-Canadian.

Patrick dropped me on one of the many rolling hills and I mentally waved au revoir and steeled myself for a long climb ahead.

The song stuck in my head the entire ride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb96VQ1aVWM

The song Lennart wouldn't stop singing in Eddie Vedder's voice the entire weekend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM

Maybe The Hill From Hell is less gnarly on a proper mountain bike, but it is genuinely one of the craziest paths I can imagine someone doing on a cross/gravel bike. I was determined to ride the entire way up so grit my teeth, got into my 40x40 1:1 ratio and just ground it out at 30rpm. I was moving so slowly that Wahoo started relentlessly taunting me, "RESUME? RESUME? RESUME?" You can go straight to hell, you bastard. I then started yelling out loud sage advice Eloy once gave me - COMMIT! - as I powered through every sandy rut and impossible line. I was like Homer Simpson thinking I would actually make it across Springfield Gorge on a skateboard...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMvyTlcUoD4

...then I hesitated for a split second and, boom, my foot came down and I stood there laughing for a minute at how utterly ridiculous life was.



I remounted at a fairly "neutral" point, climbed to the top, appreciated the hecklers offering out encouragement ("you can have a beer if you drink the whole can!") and bombed down the equally rutted and terrible downhill section. I was having so much fun that I flew through a turn and into a giant grassy ditch that I had to climb back out of. Good job, Dave.



Back out to the course they surprised us with a journey through what amounted to be a muddy river bank with occasional bridges made of pallet planks with gaps that would swallow MTB tires. I walked every one of them like a pirate. Ahoy me mateys. Somewhere in there another rider on a Ritchey Swiss Cross called out in solidarity as they overtook me. I thought of the beautiful bag of Utz potato chips that was waiting at our cottage.

By the time I finished, I saw Lennart washing his bike and Patrick waiting in the bike wash line. I called out, happy to see him and he walked over saying he was going back to the cottage to take a shower. I downed a beer while I waited for Lennart to finish up, skipped the bike wash and joined him on the ride back.

Eloy found his way back a little while later and we all kept our fingers crossed that Grant made it as he wasn't messaging us back in our group chat. Eventually someone noticed Grant's Strava had uploaded the ride and it looked like he finished. We assumed he either made it or a good samaritan took his Garmin/Wahoo and uploaded his ride.

Eloy's bike wash bucket came in clutch. I am getting me one of those for cross season.

The Utz chips were divine.

While we waited for our dinner reservation, I tried to convince the crew the Fast & Furious movie franchise was great as we watched them crash a sports car drive through sky scrapers. No dice. A modern Scooby Doo episode was better received and the closing episode of The Simpsons season 10 was the winner of the day.

https://youtu.be/JoTqG13nOj0?si=qWk9KQAunMwOI3Qr

As we got into the car to drive to the restaurant it started snowing something awful. We later saw that the DFL finisher crossed the line in this. Incredible.

Dinner with Grant and his wife was fabulous. We somehow ended up talking about sexy Doctor Who, much to everyone's delight.

It was a great weekend, a great race and I hope to experience it (and any other race or ride or event) with you all again.

Results and photos were posted for Rasputitsa. I was only able to find the following few photos of our crew by looking for orange helmets, but I suspect there may be others (especially since Grant was incognito) that I missed (there are a lot of photos):



The following shots didn't include Kissenas, but give you a sense of the initial bog (top) and the final bog (last two pics) we had to traverse:

That mud looks intense!

Not much to add... good times... 

• The start with a bit of snow and rain was something
• Luckily the start is the highest point of the course, the ski slopes visible from almost the full course
• I should have rested a bit more during the week
• The ride went thru some truly gorgs places
• Full on PARTY PACE!
• That climb under 10km to go was omg crazy town hard
• The muddy bits close to the ski resort were very Rasputista on brand, but perhaps unnecessary
• The best part was sharing with friends and teammates
• Dinner at the Trout River Inn w/ Grant and Tamar a highlight
• Really awesome time
• Running into my cousin totally randomly at the sandwich shop in Northampton -- (she lives hours away)

+ A photo of Dave for good measure

Here's the version with you @eloy  

Should we explore if there are any awesome gravel races to do this spring?

We can also create our own awesome gravel race!

Multi-day ride?  KCC Gravel Camp?

https://bikepacking.com/routes/vtxl/

More than a weekend might be hard but something similar to Gunks I'm definitely into.