May 24-26, 2019
State College, Pennsylvania
After five or six times (Joël and I honestly can't remember how many years) doing this race as a five and seven day stage race, I didn't want to go back. The last few times I raced I didn't enjoy it. The weather was terrible, I had bad days out there, the courses were boring, and the atmosphere just not fun. When I was there I dreaded getting on my bike everyday, I just didn't want to do it. I didn't want to go back.
Due to the above, I wasn't entered this year and was not planning on entering, I was looking forward to a Memorial Day weekend filled with picnics and parties. But the new race director, Ryan, contacted me about the race. After much arm twisting and perseverance, I reluctantly entered the three day race. Between work and family I just couldn't swing the five day, and besides, with how worried I was that I would dread my time out there I didn't want to commit to five days of riding, I could muddle my way through three days no matter what.
So there it was, TSE added back into the race schedule. But only for me. Joël did not want to race, so he volunteered to be course sweep. That meant that every day, he rode the course following the last rider taking down course markers and telling volunteers at the aid station and road crossings that there were no more riders coming. A casual way to still ride the course everyday.
From here I'm going to split the TSE experience into two parts- riding and social aspect. Those are the two reasons Joël and I went back to TSE year after year; for awesome riding and fun, memory making social times. They are two very different things, but make the time at "single track summer camp" what it is.Riding
Day 1- RB Winter State Park (30 miles)
In the past RB Winter made me cry. It just sucked all the energy out of me. Every rock, every root, every gravel climb was dreadful. This year RB Winter was a magical, mystical wonderland. The course was technical but yet flowy, the climbs long but not dreadful. Soft green moss covered the trails, green ferns lined the forest, and babbling brooks were heard everywhere. I just smiled my way through the entire day, no crying this time. The local trail club did a great job working on these trails, definitely the best RB Winter course yet. I ended the day leading the women solo three day race.
Video from dirtwiretv of RB Winter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utwh9eCLAYQ
Day 2-Tussey (32 miles)
First off, Tussey Mountain Trail is my favorite ride ever. So I was looking forward to this day on the bike. There was more road than I would have liked to get over to Tussey, but it gave me a chance to chat with fellow riders. I'm not the best on the road so I just pedaled along until hitting the ridge on Tussey, then I let loose. Oddly enough, we were riding Tussey in the opposite direction than usual, a direction I had never ridden it. This turned out to be a pleasant ride, the most challenging rock gardens were ridden downhill. I just love that trail. I powered along riding strong on Tussey and then onto Longberger and Three Bridges. I even stopped to session a rock garden after Three Bridges, hey, I may have been the race leader but I still want to have fun and learn from my ride. After some awesome single track it was road and double track back to camp. This day solidified my lead in the three day solo women field.
Video from dirtwiretv of Tussey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3bClGSYlmk
Video of me being silly on Three Bridges:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx8CT4wl7FK/
Day 3-Bald Eagle (around camp) (18 miles)
The last day is typically a shorter day and utilizes the mountain biking and moto trails around camp. My legs felt a little tired from all the hard work the previous day on Tussey and since I had a decent lead I figured I would take it easy today and just enjoy the day. I rode hard and had fun on the technical trails and pedaled easy on the climbs and gravel roads. The infamous tire ride was avoided this year due the back part having a big wheel-grabbing hole; but many people still tried it and many crashes happened. Some new trails were added into this day, they were the enduro section, and honestly I walked most of them. And in talking to others I'm not the only one. Walking sections aside still a fun day on the trails. After the third day of riding I solidified my open women three day win (and overall top lady out of all the three day women) along with winning the three day women enduro component of the race.
dirtwire.tv video of final day-listen for my monologue at the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW3a100QhXI
Summer Camp Vibe
Lacking the last few years at TSE was the summer camp feel, the fun and social vibe. Maybe it was the weather that kept people inside. Maybe it was hard racing and people just wanted to relax. Who knows but I missed it. This year there definitely a bit more of a camp feel than prior.
With registration, all riders got dinner daily. This was a nice way to bring people together. During dinner was daily awards. After dinner was camp games like foot down and the planned wheelie competition (but that was canceled due to weather). Joel and I spent the weekend staying in the van in the communal camping field, in which we had friendly neighbors both some we already knew and some new ones we just met. A nightly campfire at a local camper was our favorite way to spend the evenings. Many other racers stayed in group cabins within the scout camp, we visited some friends there for good conversation and adult beverages. We even had a friend come volunteer and hangout with us for the day. The summer camp vibe was definitely there.How did Joël feel about his time at TSE. He reports it was long days but he had a good time. Some times he rode with another volunteer, other times he was on his own. He helped with bike mechanical problems, hung out with other volunteers, and rode his bike.
So in review, TSE 2019 was a good time. I smiled my way through everyday, enjoying every turn of the pedals. I raced hard and it paid off. I had a good time catching up with friends and sharing stories of the day with other riders.
Special thanks to all the people behind the race; the race director, the volunteers, the Davidson's and their awesome aid station, BEMBA for making RB Winter trails amazing, and all the other people who were there making sure things went as they should. Credit to Saucon Valley Bikes and Liv Cycling who keep me going.
- Jess
- TSE photos credit Bruce Buckley
- video credit Tom Parsons dirtwire.tv