I’ve always had mixed feelings about this gravel race that takes place less than an hour’s drive from my own home here in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Very sad and tragic. My condolences to Richard Wanstall and his family.
Cyclist Killed in Crash With Truck While Riding in Rasputitsa Race | News | Seven Days | Vermont’s Independent Voice (sevendaysvt.com)
“Richard Wanstall, 54, of Marblehead, Mass., was riding south on Brook Road in Burke shortly after 9 a.m. when he reportedly crossed to the other side of the street and collided with a northbound pickup truck, according to Vermont State Police.”
"Saturday’s fatality was the second at a major gravel bike race in Vermont in less than a year. "
I live close to this event and have ridden on some of these gravel roads. While my focus is on Ironmans/half Ironmans over the years, I’ve been gravel riding since the 1990s on Vermont’s roughest dirt and class 4 roads and understand this kind of riding very well. 1,821 registered riders is way too large of a field size to be “racing” on narrow, twisting, rural, dirt roads in Vermont. You need the appropriate infrastructure and safety precautions for that many people.
How does the publication know the cyclists “crossed to the other side of the road”.
It implies blaming the cyclist and letting the driver off the hook. Why is this judgement being made in the media before it is proven in court ? The media could have just left it as, “cyclist + truck collision which is being investigated”