I was not planning on racing much this year, not at first. Being in my final semester of undergraduate education, I have more than a few responsibilities bearing down, and my bank account is still angry at me for going to Cyclocross Nationals. My situation did not seem very conducive to committing to competition. Plus, I am far from a phenomenon, so few people would miss me on the local circuits. Racing is (or rather, was) the last thing on my mind.

I soon realized how absurd, and boring, this choice was. Just as your elders will never be able to stop naggin' you (no matter your age), I will never be able to turn down competitive athletic pursuits on bikes (no matter how poorly I do).So, almost as quickly as I decided not to race, I reversed my decision to the polar opposite conclusion. Not only was I going to race, but I decided to participate in some of the largest events of the year. Luckily for me, the most tempting event was going down right in my backyard, or at least within riding distance of it.

The Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic is the newest of the multi-day mountain bike stage races to hit the Ameri-lands. Located in the central Pennsylvania regions, the event hits some of the finest trails available to Appalachian dwellers. But instead of spitting more words to tell you how awesome this area is, let me show you through the magic of photography.

Just a small peak of the incredible riding available to us, riding you can now enjoy in its full glory. The event tackles a vast range of terrain, from the typical rock strewn Rothrock singletrack, to the finely groomed rollers of Raystown Lake, and everything in between. Trans-Sylvania is based around spectacular riding and a great camping atmosphere; all you have to do is get on a bike and ride for a week. Even as a local, this event is impossible to pass up.

Relocate yourselves to the Trans-Sylvania web-location to get all the nitty-gritty info on stages, logistics, and non-racing fun going on that week.

Finishing this event will be no small feat, especially for me, which is why I enlisted the services of the off-road endurance legend, Chris Eatough. Using his expansive experience in endurance mountain biking competition, Eatough started his own coaching service to pass on his sagacious wisdom to the rest of us.

Complete details can be found at the following web-location: http://chriseatough.com/.

In addition to one-on-one coaching, he has created race-specific training plans, available at a flat rate, to help the average rider compete and complete to the best of their abilities. These plans are designed to fit easily into the typical rider’s lifestyle of work and family commitments while providing the most effective means for competing in specific events. Lucky for me, Chris has developed a plan specifically for Trans-Sylvania, meaning my list of excuses for lack of preparation is severely diminished.

The first week of training will be a little altered, however, as I made a last minutes trip to Colorado for the week. Thus, all of my riding will be on this fine machine right here:


I think this is the Beta version of Di2…


… I will at least have Nordic skiing to replace some of the volume I’m losing on the bike.

So, armed with an event of the Epic variety, and a training plan of the professional variety, I find myself ecstatic to get this year going. Over the next three months, I will chronicle my experiences of training with Chris Eatough’s program in preparation for the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic. But don’t let me go it alone! If you find yourself getting the itch to participate in this fantastic event, but don’t quite know how to prepare, head on over to Eatough’s home on the web and get yourself an affordable copy of his plan for Trans-Sylvania. Then we can share our experiences. It will be like a sing-along blog, but with less singing and more singletrack (ride-along blogging? I feel so revolutionary).

In any case, I hope to see all your pretty faces in center regions of Pennsylvania for the Trans-Sylvania Epic starting May 30. If you show up, come on over and introduce yourself. I shouldn’t be too hard to find, I’ll be the guy who looks like this:

Winter facial hair may not be representative of Summer facial hair; look for a banjo for confirmation of identity.