'19 Trans-Sylvania Epic: Stage Five

Stage 5: Poe Valley

The night before...

All was going so well.

I was in my squeezy leg bags during the unofficial but very much happening nap time at Upper Eagle when I heard someone walk in and look amongst the bunks.  I could tell by the gait and slinkiness that it was none other than Buck.  I considered trying to hide, but I knew he was just start tossing bunks until he found me.  Turn off the squeezy bags, unzip, grab another beer and head to the porch with Buck.

From there, Buck dragged me out into the world.  Over to the Kurtz cabin to have beers with single speeder James and consort with Levi and Lauren.  Then on to the campgrounds to hang with the crew Buck had introduced me to at SSWC '18.  To the dining hall, where the beginnings of a plan to geta head start on the final stage to drink beer and spectate started to formulate.  Then to Rimmey Lodge... and the evening gets fuzzy, and eventually I find myself in the pitch dark trying to find my way back to my bunk sometime mebbe after 11:00 PM.

Monday morning... I counted on being awakened by the kitchen sounds as per the usual.  Somehow, it didn't happen.  I opened my eyes, and it was already 8:00 AM.  I'd done nothing to get ready for today, and it just wasn't gonna happen in time to roll out an hour early.

I am fail.

So get ready, go over and apologize to the guys I'd convinced to join me (that I wasn't joining), and end up at the start feeling like a turd.

photo cred: Cindy C

I ask Chris if he wants to ride together today, being that we're partnering up for the Breck Epic 50+ Duo in August.  He agrees...

I set yet another person up for disappoint.

We head out at a casual pace, but I give it a little bit on the snowmobile trail... look back.  Chris is still with me.  On some double track, I come around fifth place Gary, and I wonder if mebbe I can keep my fourth place after all.  Mebbe even use my minute and a half gap to enjoy a beer that my (former) comrades in arms will have out on the course?

Look back... Chris is back there... a bit.

Get into some single track, things get dicey with a large group getting around a rider, and now I can't see Chris at all.

photo cred: Donovan

I do end up waiting on a climb once or twice, but it would seem that I need to decide if I'm holding up for Chris or mebbe trying to preserve my pointless fourth place.

I go for the latter.

I still stop and drink the hand up beer.  Do what I can to not die on the challenging, greasy enduro section, finish the day still in fourth place, meaning no podium for me all week long in the 50+ class.

After the race, without going into too great of detail, the crowds dwindled pretty quickly as people started to head home post-awards.  Mebbe twenty of us enjoyed ribs and chicken for dinner, Thom and I headed out on a beer run... and came back to about four other people not ready to call it quits.

By about 1:00 AM, it was just Thom, Josh K from Ohio, Ryan the promoter, and myself all staring at each other. 

Good enough for me to call it a day, being that I wanted to be headed home by 6:00 AM the next day.

Once again and for the ninth time, I had a blast at TSE.  If I were to say I've "learned" something from this year, it's that it might be prudent to finally use a computer of some sort.  Riding by feel is starting to not work out so well, being that my "feel" has become desperation and lunacy.  Having some grasp on passage of time and/or miles would go a long way in making me perceive forward motion.

Otherwise, good time, good rides, good year...