Trans-Sylvania Epic - Stage 7 and Recap

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

Stage 7 - The Final Stage:

The final stage of the TSE was quite interesting to my surprise. Everyone was excited to get the final 20 miles completed and get onto the finish party. It had been a long week of riding that seemed to taper nicely into the final day. Two groups lined up at the start, the super fast serious guys who were still fighting for placement in the GC and the guys in the back that wanted to take it easy and have a good final ride. Little did I know that these guys had plenty of beer to take with them on the ride.

I started the stage at a moderate speed. As the group started to separate because of the terrain, I pulled ahead. I wasn’t trying to go fast necessarily, but I knew that we had some good rocky single track ahead and I didn’t want to get hung-up behind too many people and get caught in the back.  As I managed to pull ahead on the long climb of the ride, I suddenly realized I was all alone, again. This seemed to be my dilemma the whole race where doubt would sink in on whether I was going the right way. I had not seen a marker in a long time and almost turned around, when I saw some volunteers and the checkpoint waiting for me to arrive. Moments later, Dave Pryor had showed up and he was well into a six pack (if not more from the night and morning before the ride).

I decided to stay with him for the duration of the ride until we came to our first hill.  Even though he was feeling no pain, he managed to drop me on a short steep hill. So much for my plan, I thought, until he reached the top of the hill, got off his bike, sat on a log, and pulled a PBR from his bag. As I crested the hill, he passed me the can for a swig. It was cold and refreshing. My seriousness of stage racing had waned at this point to that of victory. I knew at this point in the race, that I had finally done it.

I met my goal that I had worked three years to achieve. Since I first started mountain biking in 2007, I wanted to do a stage race. The guys that rode with me when I first bought a bike were preparing for a stage race and it seemed like a big adventure that I wondered if I could ever do. I worked for three years to get to the point of just finishing a stage race. I bought bikes, parts, more bikes and parts, wheels, pedals, saddles, frames, tires, clothes, helmets, etc, spent numerous hours away from family, in the heat, rain, snow, sleet, etc., and enlisted one of the best coaches in mtb history (thanks Chris), to just make it, to just finish.

As I sat there with Dave basking in my glory, 3 time World Champion Rebecca Rush came to the top of the hill.  As she did, Dave passed the beer to her and she took a swig. The three of us rode to the finish line together with Dave pulling away close to the end and Rebecca and I finishing together. I made a comment to Rebecca and Dave on the way about not only do I get to ride with a World Champion, I also get to hear Dave Pryor belching PBR as we ride.

The Recap:

TSE exceeded my expectations for a stage race in many ways. First, it was very well organized with not only the pro riders in mind but also the average Joes. There was never a question about logistics and course information and everyone was treated the same. I knew if I had a question or issue, I could approach Mike and Ray and get it solved quickly.

The racers were some really cool people. Most of the 54 racers had really long resumes from World Champion, National Champion, Stage Race Finisher, 100 Miler, 50 Miler, etc. competitors, yet they still didn’t seem to mind riding and talking to an average guy like me.

The support of Mike and Ray’s parents and all the volunteers was awesome. One racer commented that going through a check point was probably better than a car at an Indy 500 race. I would stay on my bike and people would hand me food, water, gels, etc. It was great and very low stress. They also offered words of encouragement as I would often find myself alone on the trail for long periods of time.

Last but not least, Ray Adams and Mike Kuhn are two great guys with talent that few of us posses. Not only are they great mtbers, they also know how to put on a race for all skill levels. I had read an article in Dirt Rag some time ago about how Mike Kuhn does a good job with race promotion and it led me to believe that I could do a race that he was sponsoring. With so much talent in mtb racing, I didn’t want to get into this race to only find that I was over my head with this stuff. At one time during the race, at the end of Stage 2, my toughest day, I asked Mike if I was really cut out for this stuff. He gave me some words of encouragement and told me to hang in there. I did and felt much better as the week went on. Thanks Mike!

Finally, the after party was worth seven days of pain. We were treated to plenty of finisher prizes, a good meal with steak, shrimp, and wine, and a good porch party with a fire and plenty of beer. It was nice to hang out with all the racers and volunteers and finally not have to worry about the race. It was finally over and time to celebrate.

As for the future for me, I still have TransUK to do in August with a good friend of mine that I am very excited about. I am very happy I did TSE because it gives me good experience and a fitness/skill boost going forward. I am also excited to see what TSE will feature next year and how the relationships built during the race will endure through the years.