Transylvania Epic Stage Race

You could call it summer camp for mountain bike loving adults and their families.
This summer Pennsylvania gets its own mountain bike stage race called the Transylvania Epic. In case you are out of the race loop, stage races are springing up all over the world as the appetites of riders grow for longer events and tougher courses. With the success of freshman races in Colorado and North Carolina, Mike Kuhn and Ray Adams of High Speed Cycling and Valley of the Susquehannas, decided it was time that PA got in on the game. So from May 30th to June 5th you will find a band of merry mountain bikers racing and cruising through the states’ central forests.
Based out of the State College area, the seven-day race will be almost a complete tour of some of Central Pennsylvania’s most loved trail networks. The extensive trails of the Bald Eagle and Rothrock State Parks will host five of the stages. Some of the trails in the two parks were among the first to be designated “Epic” by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) in the early days of the organization. The new 35 miles of IMBA built trails at Raystown Lake will host one of the days and R.B. Winter state park will host another full day of Super-D racing. People can race solo or as a team, and the overall price of the event is way below the standard set by other popular seven day races such as the BC Bike Race and the Trans Rockies.
Central Pennsylvania has a long lineage of mountain bike races and has the explorer’s gene buried deep in its’ laurel forests. The trails outside of State college are no strangers to racing on singletrack. They are the birthplace of the original 100 mile endurance race, The Wilderness 101, they hosted the 2005 Single Speed World Championships and Groove Innovations Mountain Bikes are from there. Other races include the Stoopid 50 which winds it’s way through the forests once a year.
A unique feature to the race is the promoters attempt to make the race family friendly; so children, wives, husbands and pets can all spend the Memorial Day week enjoying the multitude of adventures central PA has to offer. Shuttles for spectators will be available so no one has to get lost looking for a good spot to see their athletes race past. Also there will be a daycare for kids and evening campfires at the Boyscout camp, from where the race will be based out of.
This is a pretty exciting opportunity for Pennsylvania to showcase its subtle beauties. Unlike western states with their high mountains and open vistas, Pennsylvania has ancient mountains with dense foliage. The riding is different, but the forests offer equally beautiful eco systems. High ferns, dense laurel forests and time worn granite are some of my favorite things about riding in the central part of Pennsylvania, and I’m excited to see PA get some recognition for what it has to offer to mountain bike riders.
Read more and register at;
http://www.transsylvaniaepic.com