'21 Trans-Sylvania Epic: Stage Five

The night before the final stage...

All I can say is that I'm pretty sure the impending doom of knowing that most of the racers will flee home at the first chance after the race is over left some of us in the "you only YOLO once" zone.  Thom from DirtWire TV showed up at Eagle Lodge, and before we knew it, it was 1:30AM, way past this single speeding septuagenarian's bed time.

I can say I was up to a foggy groggy start Saturday morning.  Right proper for this 45° and misty day.

I line up slightly forward of midpack, and after the race takes off, I slide back into a happy place with fellow SS'er Kenny.  We are riding along at a pleasant talking pace.  This would be a great way to knock out the final fifteen miles of the week.  It's all going so well until...

We see some riders popping randomly outta some trail.  A few seconds later, we get to a road and see the top of the women's field coming from our right.  Huh?

Apparently, while the pointy end of the race had followed the arrows with much success, someone took a wrong turn and others went with them and that's how that goes.  So now Kenny and I are not so alone and in some fast company where we don't belong... and unfortunately in some super tight single track.

I really love love love some of the twisties on Stage Five.

So up then down then up and I can hear some single speeders that had taken the wrong turn chatting behind me.  I kept moving forward, more or less to to not slow anyone down, all the while thinking Kenny was somewhere back there nearby.  We dump into the Enduro™ segment, and I'm lucky to get around a few riders close to the top where things kinda open up...

knowing that it's gonna be way hard for anyone else to make passes lower on the segment because that shit is t-i-g-h-t.

I pop out at the bottom, hit the gravel, and make the long (not really) slog back to camp.  Joe, Mark, and Keith all come around me.  I look back to see where Kenny is, but I'd unfortunately lost my Stage Five buddy.  I end up riding in my self-made no man's land all the way to the finish line.

Clean up, head over to the awards... deeply regret not bringing the puffy jacket that I totally packed and then unpacked for some strange reason.  After ten years, you think I'd know better.

Anyways, it was a great week.  A few of us actually hung out a Eagle Lodge on Saturday night, making the postponement of my journey home till Sunday worthwhile.

There you have it.  My tenth TSE (ninth finish).

No, I don't know what I'm doing next year, but prolly...