TSEpic Stage 5: Good, bad, and not all that ugly . . .

There was a whole lot of hype leading up to today’s stage. And if you’ve been following my blog posts, you probably know that I’ve been looking forward to it.

Apparently the course was changed from past years, and what used to leave people broken and shattered has been tamed down. 

Yes, there were some rocky, technical trails out there – trails that remind me of some of my favorite haunts back in New England (Bigelow Hollow, Natchaug, Goodwin, Old Furnace, etc.), but quite frankly, there just wasn’t enough singletrack today. That was a HUGE letdown. Yes, fun trails – but not enough of them and WAY too much dirt road. 

Waiting to crawl into the pub

The race started off with a neutral group ride over to the base of a big climb that quickly turned into a single-file death march. No sooner had we hit the peak of that climb, and we were checking into our first enduro segment. I rode it pretty conservatively because the rocks were slippery, and I just wanted to have a smooth ride today.

So long story short: I rode like it was my job through the beautiful NE-esque singletrack, I meandered carefully down the enduros, and I rode with what felt like no power on the hills.

The weather today was cold, drizzly, and miserable in comparison to the past few days of steamy and warm, so I had to borrow some arm and leg warmers from Gary. I really liked the Death Row Velo stuff he let me borrow, and it didn’t clash too badly with my DAS jersey. 

I rode with Gary for a bit, but I wasn’t really up for having a riding buddy. When he broke his shoe and then rode away from me, I settled back into my own little world of hating the roads and wishing for more rocks.

But despite my complaining about all the roads, I’m glad I could finish the race today. My friend Leslie woke up sick this morning; send her some good vibes so hopefully she’ll feel good enough to get back at it tomorrow. 

After the race, we went over to Elk Creek Cafe for a complimentary beer and some french fries and fried pickles.  They weren't open yet, so we waited patiently on the sidewalk and threw the local coffee shop for a loop by giving them an afternoon rush like they've never seen.  

And then we went down to State College to visit Freeze Thaw Cycles because Gary managed to bust his shoe during today's East Coast Rocks segment, and he needed a new pair. We didn't get back to camp until dinner time. I ran around in a panic (after shoveling some food down) to get my bike clean, prep my laundry for laundry service (it needed pre-washing), pack my drop bags for tomorrow, and get in the shower.  

And then Gary locked the keys in the car... with my camelbak in there (he has no idea how that happened). Calling AAA after tomorrow's stage. My bad for leaving the keys in the car (along with the spare set).

Results: 9^th in today’s stage, 9^th overall in the GC, 3^rd in the East Coast Rocks, and tied for 5^th in enduro (with my roommate, Rachel).

Tomorrow…