Testimonials

The Trans-Sylvania Epic’s staff works hard to ensure that your week will be a great one. In addition our focus on great customer service, we strive to achieve the right balance of fun and challenge to keep our racers smiling. As a testament to our efforts and our success in appealing to a wide range of athletes, here are some profiles of folks who participated in our 2010 event:
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James

How long have you been mountain biking?
20+ years. I started riding more in college and then took some bike vacations to Moab and Lake Tahoe. I’ve been racing the last 8 years.
How many hours per week do you ride?
In the off season I try and ride the trainer as much as possible fighting through the fact that I am going no where! During the season I ride anywhere from 7-15 hours a week most of it on the road. I try and get to the trail once every week or two if I am not racing
How many hours per week do you work?
50+
How would you describe the range of ability levels of those present at 2010 TSE?
Weekend Warrior…..Racing for Results……Godly. Last year at TSE I had a real bad start to the week and bumped myself down from Results to just Surviving with a Smile.
Did you feel like you trained enough for 2010 TSE?
NO I didn’t. I live in the area of Michigan that is in between the “flatland” and the “hills” so good training grounds were tough to find. I also had a dream that I trained enough and it turned out to be a nightmare. I could have used more long rides with some elevation. Also, I could have used some hills that were several miles long instead of my training hill that is maybe 1 mile and only a couple of hundred feet of elevation. This year I will make some trips up north to get ready. I also had the opportunity to get some great training/recovery information from some of the best MTB’rs in the World while at TSE. I gained a lot of confidence and fitness during the week. I learned how to recover better and saw immediate results after my Day2 meltdown. Day3 was one of my best days during the TSE.
USAC license:
First year in Expert Cat 2. My results picked up after riding TSE. I even finished Top 5 in a time trial towards the middle of the season.
Would you recommend TSE to others?
I have recommended if to most of my race buddies. They are interested and hope to get in for 2011. It does take a commitment physically and mentally to conquer.
I am looking forward to being back in Spring Mills PA for some ridin’ and racin’ in 2011.
Any other comments for prospective registrants?
There is no better week in mountain biking in the US. TSE was right on point with everything making race days fun and seamless. It is an Epic Experience of a lifetime.

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Laura

How long have you been mountain biking?
5 years
How many hours per week do you ride?
Average of 8-12 hours
How many hours per week do you work?
On average, 45 hrs.
How would you describe the range of ability levels of those present at 2010 TSE?
Good range of abilities from enthusiast to pros.
In which USACycling category do you race?
Cat 1 Mtn Biking. A slow Cat 1.
Did you feel like you trained enough for 2010 TSE?
Almost. I’d like to feel stronger by the end of the stage race, and of course faster, but then again, everyone wants to be faster. I owe a huge thank you to my coach Chad Andrews (www.totalcyclist.com) for a training regimen that allowed me to train (and train very well); in balance with family, life, and work.
Would you recommend TSE to others?
Absolutely. I’ve signed up for TSE 2011! I love the friendly community of mountain bikers, the volunteers, and race organizers, the trails are challenging and beautiful, the race format structure (varying terrain, trails, length) was superbly done, and the overall organization was fantastic. Oh, the food was GREAT.
Any other comments for prospective registrants?
Get a coach. Definitely be in shape for this, come with an open mind, and a friendly attitude, (isn’t this the definition of a mountain biker?), and you will have a wonderful experience. And if you are not sure about the stage race, come on out for the pre-race camp in May to ride PA trails, get in a great block of training, and enjoy a short mountain biking adventure.

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Drew

How long have you been mountain biking?
I have been mountain biking for 5 years, 2 of those as a professional racer www.drewedsall.com.
How many hours per week do you ride?
In season: max week of about 25 hours Off season: about 4-10 hours a week
How many hours per week do you work?
In season: 30-40 hours, Off season: 70-100 hours
How would you describe the range of ability levels of those present at 2010 TSE?
The 2010 TSE consisted of a wide range of abilities. I think the courses offer a challenge for everyone. They are fun, with little to no hike-a-bike, but also are challenging enough for the pro racers. I really enjoyed the stage race last year, and that is why I am already signed up for 2011.
Did you feel like you trained enough for 2010 TSE?
I felt well-prepared coming into the TSE in 2010. I was able to put in two solid 20-plus hour weeks a few weeks prior, which helped a lot.
USAC license:
UCI Pro license
Any other comments for prospective registrants?
I would highly recommend TSE to anyone looking to have a good time on the bike. The courses are challenging physically and mentally, including short-technical rocky sections mixed in with fun singletrack. Ray and Mike, the promoters, were very well- organized, reviewing the courses thoroughly every night, having plenty of swag for awards (given out to every racer who got top three that night). They were always on time and had the courses well-marked for the event. Overall, it was a challenging event for everyone but also offered a fun atmosphere like no other race that I have ever done.

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Joe

How long have you been mountain biking?
This will be my fourth year. I have only been riding a bike for four years. I ran before cycling and now I do both. I was in the Army 14yrs ago (wow, I am getting old), where we did a lot of physical activity.
How many hours per week do you ride?
In season, around 14hrs a week excluding races. Off season, probably about 4hrs a week and run 4hrs a week. I have also worked with a personal trainer in the past and continue to do a circuit routine at the gym for upper and lower body at least once a week.
How many hours per week do you work?
40hrs for the gov’t and 10hrs for GWU. I have a flexible schedule where I work at home 90% of the time so I can fit in exercise. I also have off every other Friday and can take leave when I need it.
For my gov’t job, I travel frequently and I usually take a couple cycling kits and rent a bike. If I can’t cycle, I go for a run and use the gym. It is fun to run/cycle and use the gyms in new cities where I am staying.
How would you describe the range of ability levels of those present at 2010 TSE?
The range was from the “weekend warrior” “adventure racer” crowd like me who have some base fitness and worked a little harder to complete TSE, to the pro crowd such as the bike brand owners like Misfit to the Cannondale guys like JB. It was really cool to hang out and learn from all the pros and semi-pro guys. The Misfit guys were truly misfits too.
You also knew by mid-week who you would ride with for the rest of the week. It seemed like there were two groups of riders. The really fast guys and the average guys.
What USACycling category do you race in?
I don’t have a USAC license.
Did you feel like you trained enough for 2010 TSE?
I feel like I over trained for the event. I worked with Chris Eatough and got my fitness to an all time high. I also rode on the rocks in the Frederick Watershed and Michaux a lot. Pretty much every weekend for the 12 weeks leading up to the race. I probably could have gotten away with 8-10hr weeks of training at my peak instead of 14-15hr weeks. I spent too much time on my bike and away from my family. I also found that I was blowing off work a bit. I think I did fairly well considering my experience level.
Would you recommend TSE to others?
Yes, I do. I recommend it to others for multiple reasons.
It is located in an easily accessible area that offers many amenities. This year, I will bring my family and hang out in State College a bit. I have little kids and I am sure there will be plenty to do.
The race is very well organized. From the course markings to the daily schedule, it is easy to stay on track with logistics so I can just focus on riding and resting.
The organizers are great and are mountain bikers too. It is nice to have a race run by really good mountain bikers since they know what it is like to race for seven days and stress involved on and off the bike.
The volunteers are great and will support any way they can. From the food to the checkpoints, the volunteers are fully engaged and supportive.
You can ride when you want and do other things mentality. Some people couldn’t do all the stages last year and it didn’t mean they couldn’t ride, it just meant they were technically out of the race. It was still nice to see some of the riders who had troubles to come back and hang out with everyone again.
My thoughts for this year are to ride 4 of the 7 days and not race. I want to bring my family and spend time with them on vacation and not worry about racing. Instead of showing up to this race in top form, I am going to use it as a launching point for the rest of the summer (along with some of Kuhn’s camps).
Any other comments for prospective registrants?
Do it! The cost is comparable to other stage races, the trails are great if you like rocky NE riding, it is organized very well, and a lot of good people and riders come that you can learn from.
Just a side note:
I think there is a common misperception about the pricing and the location. Pricing correlates to location in the sense that a lot of my mtb friends in DC say that they don’t want to pay to ride in PA that they will just come when they want. The reality is that they seldom do and they don’t get the same experience.
The pricing is very competitive to other stage races of the same format if not better when you look at overseas races. I just did TransWales and it only cost $700 for the race, support, and food which is all cheaper than TSE. But, and this is a big one, I had to pay $1000 for a plane ticket to get there. I would have had to pay more for lodging and food if I didn’t have a friend to mooch off of there. And, the family couldn’t come because I would have paid over $5k in travel expenses. I would have rather spent the travel cost on another race locally like Pisgah or something. I think most don’t factor in all the costs and if it is your backyard, it would be cheaper than most stage races.

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Kim

How long have you been mountain biking?
I’ve been riding for years. I’ve been racing for three years.
How many hours per week do you ride?
10-15
How many hours per week do you work?
Many.
How would you describe the range of ability levels of those present at 2010 TSE?
Ranged from top-level pro to competent Sport level rider (not sure what this is in the States – Cat 3?2?). Fit weekend warriors would (and did) finish, but it was a technical and physical challenge.
In which USACycling category do you race?
Since I race in Canada, this is a tough one. I’d guess cat2? I race singlespeed which is an Open category.
Did you feel like you trained enough for 2010 TSE?
I trained enough for every day except the second day. I have to say, I didn’t “train” a lot for this race – I relied a lot on base fitness from other stage races and cross country skiing, as I had a fairly busy spring and this is an early season race (at least for those from the Great White North). That isn’t to say I didn’t ride a fair bit (I did have a couple of long races and a 24-solo under my belt earlier in the season). Still, I felt unprepared for the length of the climbs (especially combined with the rocky terrain and my rigid bike) and the heat. Having said that, I never feared that I’d not finish.
Would you recommend TSE to others?
Absolutely! I would and have.
Any other comments for prospective registrants?
Two things made this race logistically very appealing (beyond the race itself) – the ability to drive to it, and the fact we stayed at the same “home base” the whole time. Easy! The trails were great – Ray and Mike made a huge effort to make the riding experience as diverse as possible, which I appreciated. An excellent way to get a taste of Pennsylvania riding. You never know about first year races, but this one delivered. As far as I could tell, the organisation was near-flawless. I really enjoyed staying in the Lodge – it was a great way to meet people and had a fantastic atmosphere.