Trans-Sylvania Epic - Stage 5

State College, PA
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic Sunday May 30, 2010
by: Joseph Castle

TSE Stage 5 - Mini XC Races

Today was unlike any of the other days of the race.  We rode together in between the mini-xc races as if we were parading through R.B. Winter State Park.  We did four mini-xc races with each race lasting about 15 minutes.

The first race began with a moderate incline where I held onto some of the good climbers rear wheels knowing that I could bomb the downhills and pass them.  We climbed for about five minutes, hard, and I was breathing heavier than the first couple of days where my hrm was above z5, only this time it was z4. My legs were definitely tired at the top of the hill but it was worth the effort.  On the uphill, I passed three people and on the downhill, I passed three more. The rest of the downhill was smooth with moderate rocks and ruts so I geared it up and cruised.

The second race began a another moderate climbed but this time it turned more rocky and little sooner.  Most of these rocks were like riding on my home trails in the Frederick Watershed so I felt right at home and geared up and passed a couple people.  It was fun. After this race, we took a small break to refuel for two more races.

The third race was very interesting.  It was mostly downhill through a creek bed that had no water. It was super rocky where we never saw dirt. We pretty much bounced all the way through the rocks and a lot people ended up with flats. I did fairly well here and managed to pass more people. One guy broke a chain, others had flats, and one person had two flats and ran the remainder of the course. I realized at the end of this race that my fork was still locked out and I went big ring the whole way through the rocks. No wonder it was so hard on the legs and hands. Oops!

The fourth race was pretty smooth with a fast finish. A guy with a flat that I passed earlier came by me close to the end of the race. I decided to try to keep pace with him to the finish and managed to do a couple jumps on the way into the finish.  It was a great finish.

Today, I felt great.  It seems that I am getting stronger as the race is going on. I think I have finally settled into race mode.