Chris Eatough Partners with Trans-Sylvania Epic to Help Athletes Prepare
by CountBikeula Posted: Monday, 2/22/2010-
I can’t take a week away from work/family…. Since the race is begins Memorial Day weekend, you are only missing four work days. Also, we are offering a team category that can further reduce your time away from work. Here’s an example of how: form a team of six people, work it so that three people race the first half of the week, three race the second half of the week. Since only three people from your team need to finish each stage, you are still in the running and have only taken a couple days away from work.
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My boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife will kill me if I take a week for myself….The Seven Mountains Scout Camp is a great place to spend a week with your family or significant other. Racing or not, they are sure to have a good time. We’re planning shuttles to State College and to points along the courses for spectating. We are going to offer daycare and children’s activities during the day, and we’ll be hanging out by the campfire each night. Take a look at our camp photos and see what it looks like.
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I am not in shape for a week of racing my bike….We’ve done our best to plan courses that are challenging and fun, even for the novice mountain biker. Each stage is long enough that you will be able to make it the focus of your day, but short enough to keep it enjoyable. The technical sections are punctuated by road and fire road so that you can sit up and take a breath or two. Plus, there are a couple stages that are smooth, with very few rocks. If you’ve completed a regular length XC mountain bike race, you will be able to enjoy yourself at the TSE. If you are still not convinced, consider signing up for the TSE training camp.
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Why should I trust the promoters with my hard earned vacation time and money?….We have been promoting for a long time. Mike has been promoting a successful MTB stage race annually for the past seven years. In addition to our experience as promoters, we have a great staff lined up to help make everything go smoothly. Our number one goal is to make sure that you are having a good time during your stay here. Think of it as a week long guided mountain bike vacation. Our media camp crowd seems to be quite optimistic about the event.
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I don’t camp. I stay at hotels/B+B’s when I’m on vacation….No worries. First off, there are cabins and lodges available on site for the same low price as camping. If hotels are more your style, there are accommodations within 10 minutes drive of the camp, just down the road. State College is only a little farther away, and there are a full compliment of amenities there, including hotels, B+B’s, a wide variety of restaurants, bike shops, and more.
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I can’t afford it….Reach out to us. We are able to set up a payment plan if you can’t or don’t want to pay in one shot. Also, we are offering a promo for the month of February which may be of interest to you.
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I want to party. How can I party with boy scouts around?…The whole camp is ours for the week, scout-free. There will be partying. We have a party planning committee. We are also working on getting a neighbor involved.
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Mountain biking sucks. I want to go fishing….Maybe the TSE is not your thing. But, for the record, you can go fishing here, probably some of the best fishin’ around. Hypothetical: spend the week camping, fishing, and eating prepared meals for a grand total of $350.
Get over to BikeReg and sign up!
Pre-rode the course at R.B. Winter this week. It was actually pretty cool, even in the snow. Looking forward to another ride there when it’s a little warmer!
Check out our newly renovated TEAM CATEGORY setup.
Reasons to consider the team category:
- It’s less expensive than rolling solo or duo – you can split costs
- It’s a great way to participate for part of the week if work obligations get in the way
- It’s fun to be on a team
Course descriptions
These have been improved and will continue to be updated as we have more specifics on mileage, elevation, etc.
Swag: here’s what we are planning to provide all race finishers:
- Nice custom race t-shirt
- Custom finisher’s jersey and cycling cap by Pactimo
- Race photo of you
- More stuff TBD
Super D Stage at R.B. Winter State Park
We have been working hard to develop a Super D stage at R.B Winter State Park. With four timed sections planned and easy riding transfers in between, it is looking like a lot of fun! We’re hoping to GPS this course soon and have a map to publish for you to check out. Don’t let the “Super D” title of the stage scare you. It is going to be totally ride-able on your XC bike and is no more dangerous that any other part of the event.
Prizes
We have added a breakdown of our prize list and cash payout to the Registration page. Note: the prizes and payout are based on field size, so get your friends to sign up!
Rich riding at Raystown Lake where stage 5 of Trans-Sylvania will take place.
Jeremiah Bishop on Pennsylvania Mountain Biking – Iron Cross 2009
by CountBikeula Posted: Wednesday, 11/11/2009Having done Trans-Rockies in August, I did my best to spread the word to everyone there about Trans-Sylvania. People had lots of questions, such as what is it like in Pennsylvania? Good question. People from faraway lands don’t know PA from Kansas or Florida. So I’ve tried to create an impression using photos, descriptions, and videos which are forthcoming. Here are a couple.
This is the Susquehanna River Valley where both of us race promoters grew up. There are plenty of ridges which provide some pretty sweet climbs and descents. The longest climbs that I can think of in central PA are about 20-30 minutes on a road bike. They can be steep, probably much steeper than what you may have experienced in the Rocky Mountain Range in western North America.
As you can see, it is normally pretty green around here. We get about 40 inches of precipitation per year. In State College, where the race will be held, winters are cold and summers are warm. Check Wunderground for some averages during the week of the race. You can see that it would be a good time to take the week off work. It’s only four days off due to the holiday!
Here is a shot of some sweet trails in northern Pennsylvania. Lotsa trees and singletrack. This is a pretty general image of what you can expect to see at Trans-Sylvania.
Trail builders here have their work cut out for them. Plants grow fast in the summer months, so if the trail does not see a lot of traffic, it can get overgrown in a season. The flip side to that coin is that things are always changing – the appearance of a trail is different from spring to fall. Also, our soil generally absorbs rain pretty well, so bike tire ruts usually go away pretty quickly.
