Bishop and Sornson win Trans-Sylvania Epic

Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) and Cheryl Sornson (Rare Disease Cycling) celebrated victory in the Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race on Saturday near State College, Pennsylvania. Bishop and Selene Yeager (Rare Disease Cycling) won their respective final men's and women's stages, a 26-mile cross country-like race through the Bald Eagle State Forest.

Men

Some years, the final stage is more of a parade, but not always. This year, under 25 rider Cole Oberman (Rare Disease Cycling) started with a bang.

"I got the hole shot - everyone else was taking it easy off the start unbeknownst to me," he said. "It was total cross country pace from the start today which felt terrible at first and then felt better as the race went on. I think everyone wanted to get it over with it. For the first three-quarters of the race, we traded pulls at the front."

Bishop wasn't feeling too fresh during the first half of the race. "Those guys hit it hard and put me in the red. I was in suffer mode for half the day and almost getting dropped," he said.

Around the checkpoint, about two-thirds of the way though, Nick Waite (ProTested Gear) and Oberman put in some digs. Bishop was feeling the effects and jumped into the singletrack first after the aid station with the intention of slowing things down a bit.

But then Bishop started to feel good.

"I put in a good counterattack after Nick Waite's attack on some singletrack and knew I would stand a chance of extending the gap I was getting. I couldn't believe my legs came around as well as they did at the end of the week," said Bishop, who went on to solo to the stage victory.

Behind him, Oberman and Ben Sonntag (NoTubes) raced for the second spot.

"After the feed zone, Jeremiah went off the front," said Oberman. "I attempted to bridge before the last section of singletrack. Ben Sonntag was the only one who followed. We had a raging battle going on for second and third place. He got me by about 30 seconds after coming around me on the road and heading toward the finish line going around the lake."

Sonntag finished second on the stage ahead of Oberman in third.

"I rounded out my week with podiums. It was good to go out of this race with a trouble-free stage," said Sonntag. "I ran into mechanical issues almost every day which kind of destroyed my GC ambitions. Podium today was good - it's not a stage win, but I'm content. Going strong at the end of this race gives me confidence going into the next Pro XCT races. Some races you luck out, some races somebody else does."

Bishop was delighted to win his fourth Trans-Sylvania Epic - every one he has entered so far.

"It feels fantastic to win and finally have the stress off the week. With such a high quality field, one flat or broken chain could have cost me the week," said Bishop. "It was an awesome week and I proved I was the strongest by winning the final stage. This week couldn't have gone much better."

Waite finished second in the GC while Spencer Paxson (Kona) moved up into third after his teammate Kris Sneddon had to drop out due to a stomach bug.

Women

Heading into the final stage, two women were still racing for the final podium spot. Selene Yeager led Mary McConneloug which meant no party pace for the ladies, either.

"This often a parade day for us women, and this is the first year I've raced this stage," said Yeager. "I woke up this morning thinking I didn't know how to race this stage. I was the only person who had anything to lose today. I was third in the GC and just minutes in front of Mary McConneloug. Cheryl and Vicki pretty much had their spots locked."

Yeager lined up figuring she'd follow McConneloug, but off the line, she felt good and figured she'd just go, which would give her some cushion if she flatted.

Race leader Sornson was also able to get a good start and the two Rare Disease Cycling teammates ended up together off the front for the duration of the stage.

"Selene was on a mission and going for it. She was definitely riding faster than I wanted to ride, so I just tried to keep pace with her and stay out of her way so I wouldn't mess up her day," said Sornson. "We ended up being together - it was nice. I kept thinking they'd roll up on us, but they didn't. I was surprised."

Both riders said they hadn't planned their strategies.

"I got the ceremonial stage win and she got the GC. It was a great day," said Yeager, who defended her third place in the GC.

Sornson was happy with second on the day and the overall win.

"It feels good to win the overall, but it hasn't sunk in yet. I didn't expect it, so it's exceeded my expectations. It was a good way to spend a week," said Sornson, who also won the race the only other time she did it - in 2012.

Vicki Barclay (NoTubes Women's Elite Team) finished third on the day and second overall, ahead of Yeager in third.

"I knew Cheryl would help Selene as much as possible so I chased them all day," said Barclay. "I didn't want to lose much time to Selene - it was a bit nerve-wracking. I was worried about having a mechanical - that's everybody's fear on the last stage. I just put my head down and tried to get it over with."

Second place is Barclay's best Trans-Sylvania Epic finish yet.

Under 25 men and women

Payson McElveen (Richard's Rainwater) was feeling the effects of the rest of the week and was not as much of a factor among the elite men.

"I had my first day where I kind of broke physically and mentally a bit," said McElveen "It was ok - it wasn't catastrophic, but I was faking it all day."

"I even had a hamstring cramp on the start line - I think I was paying for yesterday. I left 100% out there yesterday while I think maybe the other guys were at 98%. It was a bit of a lesson. I'll keep that in mind assuming I do this again next year."

McElveen was pleased with his overall success. "It feels good to win the U25 category - to have a goal and achieve it when the competition was so good all week. I feel fortunate to come out on top against Cole Oberman and Cam Dodge."

Emily Shields (Project Dirt/BMC) won the under 25 women's stage and the overall.

"I tried to start out hard like the past few days, but I was just really tired and had to push through it. It was a long 26 miles," she said after finishing and winning her first stage race.

Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale)1:47:22
2Benjamin Sonntag (Stan's No Tubes Elite Racing)0:00:29
3Cole Oberman (rarediseasecycling.org)0:00:43
4Justin Lindine (Redline / NBX)0:01:10
5Spencer Paxson (Kona Bikes)0:02:05
6Nick Waite (Pro Tested Gear)0:02:31
7Aaron Snyder (TSEpic.com/NoTubes)0:05:28
8Drew Edsall (Pro's Closet / Stan's No Tubes)0:06:31
9Cory Rimmer0:06:44
10Peter Glassford (Trek - Canada)0:07:19
11Tristan Uhl (787 Racing)0:10:58
12Michael Wissell (B2C2 / Boloco)0:11:13
13Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing)0:12:03
14Thomas Turner (Team Jamis)0:12:43
15Chris Jackson (Castex Racing)0:13:50
16Rob Spreng (Rare Disease Cycling)0:14:13
17Matt Williams (mtbracing.com)0:14:31
18Michael Broderick (Kenda/Stan's NoTubes)0:20:23
19Matt Acker (Redline)0:21:46
20Andre Landry (Fitwork)0:22:49
21Greg Jancaitis (Riverside Racing)0:25:15
22Carlos Rodriguez (Steel Pipes)0:27:12
23Simon Tremblay (Espresso Sports)0:29:10
24Barry Croker (SEAVS/Haymarket)0:31:53
25Benjamin Sawyer (Riverside Racing)0:51:03
26Eric Dejong (Team Sandbag)0:54:41
27Matthew Kesecker (cambo)0:56:32
28Jorge Riba1:08:55
29Colt Mcelwaine1:11:24
30Gary Hoehne (Death Row Velo / Vasago)1:28:27
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Selene Yeager2:13:16
2Cheryl Sornson (RDC)0:00:01
3Vicki Barclay0:03:47
4Mary Mcconneloug (Kenda/Stan's NoTubes)0:05:48
5Emily Shields (BMC Project Dirt)0:12:37
6Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TBB Race)0:19:16
7Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)0:20:43
8Sarah Kaufmann (Stan's No-Tubes Womens Team)0:23:02
9Leslie Timm (Riverside Racing)0:33:19
10Carolyn Popovic (Rare Disease Cycling)0:35:14
11Sue George0:59:18
12Rachel Brown (Bikeman.com)1:02:27
13Cynthia Fowler1:02:28
14Elizabeth Allen (Danielson Adventure sports)1:08:56
15Vanessa Mccaffery (Stans No Tubes/Corning Racing)1:15:22
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Under 25 men stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Cole Oberman (rarediseasecycling.org)1:48:05
2Cameron Dodge (Colt Training Systems)0:00:44
3Payson Mcelveen (Colt Training Systems)0:05:10
4Cory Rimmer0:06:01
5Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing)0:11:20
6Levi Kurlander (Colt Training Systems)0:12:06
7Cody Phillips (Colt Training Systems)0:47:54
8Miguel Torres (Orioles MTB Team)0:48:43
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Under 25 women stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emily Shields (BMC Project Dirt)2:25:53
2Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TBB Race)0:06:39
3Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)0:08:06
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Singlespeed men stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Chris Merriam3:21:59
2Scott Smith (TVB Race/Tomato Head)0:00:03
3John Merriam (Crosshairs Cycling)0:00:06
4Rich Dillen (Faster Mustache)0:00:08
5Kurt Gensheimer (Ibis)0:00:11
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men enduro stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Colt Mcelwaine200pts
2Tristan Uhl (787 Racing)160Row 1 - Cell 3
3Michael Broderick140Row 2 - Cell 3
4Thomas Turner (Team Jamis)125Row 3 - Cell 3
5Scott Smith (TVB Race/Tomato Head)110Row 4 - Cell 3
6Barry Croker95Row 5 - Cell 3
7Benjamin Sawyer (Riverside Racing)90Row 6 - Cell 3
8Jorge Riba85Row 7 - Cell 3
9Matthew Kesecker (cambo)80Row 8 - Cell 3
10Mark Gedraitis75Row 9 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women enduro stage 7
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)200pts
2Carolyn Popovic160Row 1 - Cell 3
3Elizabeth Allen (Danielson Adventure sports)140Row 2 - Cell 3
4Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TVB Race)125Row 3 - Cell 3
5Leslie Timm (Riverside Racing)110Row 4 - Cell 3
6Rachel Brown (Bikeman.com)95Row 5 - Cell 3
7Cynthia Fowler90Row 6 - Cell 3
8Mary Mcconneloug85Row 7 - Cell 3
9Vanessa Mccaffery (Stans No Tubes/Corning Racing)80Row 8 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale)14:55:30
2Nick Waite (Pro Tested Gear)0:11:54
3Spencer Paxson (Kona Bikes)0:18:13
4Benjamin Sonntag (Stan's No Tubes Elite Racing)0:20:27
5Cole Oberman (Rarediseasecycling.Org)0:40:01
6Peter Glassford (Trek - Canada)0:52:53
7Drew Edsall (Pro's Closet / Stan's No Tubes)1:08:57
8Thomas Turner (Team Jamis)1:19:14
9Rob Spreng (Rare Disease Cycling)1:26:21
10Cory Rimmer1:37:01
11Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing)1:37:36
12Chris Jackson (Castex Racing)1:42:44
13michael Wissell (B2C2 / Boloco)1:51:55
14Justin Lindine (Redline / Nbx)1:56:45
15Michael Broderick (Kenda/Stan's Notubes)2:06:06
16Matt Williams (Mtbracing.Com)2:38:24
17Andre Landry (Fitwork)2:52:34
18matt Acker (Redline)3:29:55
19Carlos Rodriguez (Steel Pipes)3:33:07
20Tristan Uhl (787 Racing)3:59:45
21Greg Jancaitis (Riverside Racing)4:01:15
22benjamin Sawyer (Riverside Racing)4:08:08
23Barry Croker (Seavs/Haymarket)4:56:10
24Aaron Snyder (Tsepic.Com/Notubes)5:11:56
25Gary Hoehne (Death Row Velo / Vasago)6:44:11
26Matthew Kesecker (Cambo)6:54:45
27Colt Mcelwaine8:58:18
28Jorge Riba10:04:03
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Cheryl Sornson (Rdc)18:12:29
2Vicki Barclay0:14:15
3Selene Yeager0:23:58
4Mary Mcconneloug (Kenda/Stan's Notubes)0:33:46
5Sarah Kaufmann (Stan's No-Tubes Womens Team)1:14:59
6Emily Shields (Bmc Project Dirt)1:49:50
7Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/Tbb Race)2:13:54
8Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)2:27:22
9Elizabeth Allen (Danielson Adventure Sports)3:50:03
10Carolyn Popovic (Rare Disease Cycling)4:32:56
11Vanessa Mccaffery (Stans No Tubes/Corning Racing)5:49:15
12Rachel Brown (Bikeman.Com)6:25:37
13Cynthia Fowler6:41:26
14Sue George7:43:18
Swipe to scroll horizontally
U25 men final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Payson Mcelveen (Colt Training Systems)15:08:20
2Cole Oberman (Rarediseasecycling.Org)0:27:11
3Cameron Dodge (Colt Training Systems)0:35:29
4Cory Rimmer1:24:11
5Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing)1:24:46
6Levi Kurlander (Colt Training Systems)2:05:29
7Cody Phillips (Colt Training Systems)6:23:37
Swipe to scroll horizontally
U25 women final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emily Shields (Bmc Project Dirt)20:02:19
2Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/Tbb Race)0:24:04
3Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)0:37:32
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Singlespeed men final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kurt Gensheimer (Ibis)19:58:33
2Rich Dillen (Faster Mustache)0:31:32
3Scott Smith (Tvb Race/Tomato Head)0:51:31
4Chris Merriam3:05:30
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men enduro final classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Tristan Uhl (787 Racing)3505pts
2Aaron Snyder (TSEpic.com / No Tubes)3020Row 1 - Cell 3
3Michael Broderick2975Row 2 - Cell 3
4Justin Lindine (Redline / NBX)2415Row 3 - Cell 3
5Thomas Turner (Team Jamis)1990Row 4 - Cell 3
6Colt Mcelwaine1886Row 5 - Cell 3
7Benjamin Sawyer (Riverside Racing)1738Row 6 - Cell 3
8Barry Croker1425Row 7 - Cell 3
9Jorge Riba1316Row 8 - Cell 3
10Mark Gedraitis1252Row 9 - Cell 3
11Nick Shepherd1189Row 10 - Cell 3
12Matthew Kesecker (cambo)1140Row 11 - Cell 3
13Gary Hoehne (Death Row Velo / Vasago)970Row 12 - Cell 3
14Drew Edsall (Pro's Closet / Stan's No Tubes)873Row 13 - Cell 3
15Rob Spreng (Rare Disease Cycling)787Row 14 - Cell 3
16Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing)643Row 15 - Cell 3
17Scott Smith (TVB Race/Tomato Head)634Row 16 - Cell 3
18Daniel Sturm601Row 17 - Cell 3
19Kris Sneddon (Kona)513Row 18 - Cell 3
20Kevin Maldonado509Row 19 - Cell 3
21Peter Glassford (Trek - Canada)458Row 20 - Cell 3
22Spencer Paxson (Kona Bikes)411Row 21 - Cell 3
23Greg Jancaitis (Riverside Racing)395Row 22 - Cell 3
24Benjamin Sonntag (Stan's No Tubes Elite Racing)387Row 23 - Cell 3
25Michael Wissell (B2C2 / Boloco)333Row 24 - Cell 3
26Matt Williams (mtbracing.com)328Row 25 - Cell 3
26Chris Jackson (Castex Racing)328Row 26 - Cell 3
28Cole Oberman (rarediseasecycling.org)304Row 27 - Cell 3
29Cory Rimmer273Row 28 - Cell 3
30Jeremiah Bishop262Row 29 - Cell 3
31Nick Waite246Row 30 - Cell 3
32Eric Dejong (Team Sandbag)244Row 31 - Cell 3
33Andre Landry (Fitwork)212Row 32 - Cell 3
34Carlos Rodriguez (Steel Pipes)200Row 33 - Cell 3
35Simon Tremblay (Espresso Sports)197Row 34 - Cell 3
36Kris Gibbs (Full Cycle)179Row 35 - Cell 3
37Mike Johnson70Row 36 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women enduro final classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Carolyn Popovic3420pts
2Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TVB Race)3135Row 1 - Cell 3
3Mary Mcconneloug2905Row 2 - Cell 3
4Ellen Noble (Bear Development Team)2310Row 3 - Cell 3
5Elizabeth Allen (Danielson Adventure sports)2018Row 4 - Cell 3
6Rachel Brown (Bikeman.com)1891Row 5 - Cell 3
7Cynthia Fowler1762Row 6 - Cell 3
8Vanessa Mccaffery (Stans No Tubes/Corning Racing)1562Row 7 - Cell 3
9Cheryl Sornson (RDC)1285Row 8 - Cell 3
10Leslie Timm (Riverside Racing)1147Row 9 - Cell 3
11Vicki Barclay785Row 10 - Cell 3
12Kaarin Tae (Bike Monkey Cycling)765Row 11 - Cell 3
13Sarah Kaufmann (Stan's No-Tubes Womens Team)660Row 12 - Cell 3
14Selene Yeager595Row 13 - Cell 3
15Emily Shields (BMC Project Dirt)465Row 14 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men East Coast Rocks classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Cody Phillips (Felt Factory Enduro Team)1:01:00
2Michael Broderick0:00:22
3Michael Wissell (B2C2 / Boloco)0:06:33
4Benjamin Sawyer (Riverside Racing)0:12:23
5Rob Campbell (Bike Line's Phine Wine)0:17:41
6Chris Kozanczyn (Evil Orange)0:18:19
7Barry Croker0:22:36
8Adam Linstedt0:28:42
9Joaquin Gil Del Real0:30:39
10Erik Eiseman0:37:08
11Joseph White (Cambo)0:42:38
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women East Coast Rocks classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Mary Mcconneloug1:13:49
2Elizabeth Allen (Danielson Adventure sports)0:05:33
3Carolyn Popovic0:08:35
4Rachel Brown (Bikeman.com)0:23:10
5Cynthia Fowler0:29:05
6Sue George0:31:28

 

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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews.  She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.

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