Check out his post-race interview on www.cyclingdirt.org
Watch more video of 2012 Trans-Sylvania MTB Epic on cyclingdirt.org
Here's the blow-by-blow report from www.cyclingnews.com on what sounds to be a very fast and difficult stage:
"Nuclear."
That's the word Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale) used to describe the pace during the Raystown stage, stage number 4 of the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Only 25 seconds separated Bishop from Barry Wicks (Kona Bikes) at the start of the day. By the end, that lead had ballooned to more than six and a half minutes.
The fourth stage of Trans-Sylvania took place on the rolling whoops and dips of the Allegrippis trails at Raystown Lake a one-hour drive from Camp TSEpic. Allegrippis has proven to be crowd favorite every year and this year was no exception. One of two "remote" stages in the Trans-Sylvania Epic, Raystown is the fastest and smoothest singletrack of the week and racers were greeted with slick and wet conditions that left riders covered with mud at the end of the stage but grinning ear to ear.
"I wanted to show the guys I was back," said Bishop. "I treated the start like a World Cup." Bishop pushed the pace early and quickly pulled a group including South African Matthys Buekes, Justin Lindine (Redline), Aaron Snyder (Scott), Drew Edsall (Kenda/Felt) and Wicks away from the rest. Less than five seconds separated these six riders the first time through the lap point.
The fireworks continued immediately into the second lap as Bishop was determined to shed his adversary Wicks, who had spent the previous two days chipping away at the lead Bishop established in the time trial at the start of the week. Buekes was on the move as well, looking to find time lost during the first two days of the race. Lindine, too, was having none of it, coming past Bishop and into the lead with the intent to send off a final attack. In the flurry of activity Edsall, then Snyder and finally Lindine were dropped from the front group.
Unfortunately for Wicks, as he jumped, his run of luck came to an end with a flat tire leaving Bishop and Beukes alone in the lead. Beukes was looking for a stage win and passed Bishop as he bobbled on one of the final switchbacks in the wild undulations of the Allegrippis trails.
Bishop recovered and in his words, "I kept pushing Matt and pushing Matt, trying one side then the other, until I got by because I knew the first person out of the singletrack had the advantage in the finish. And I wanted this stage win." Bishop found the room the made a final pass, emerged first from Sleek Dog Trail. Buekes attempted a last pass out of the final corner but came up one half bike length short.
Trailing in only seconds behind came Lindine with Snyder on his heels. Edsall finished another minute in arrears with a disappointed Wicks crossing the line more than six minutes behind the winners. Bishop now leads second place Wicks by 6:30 though his lead is anything but secure with the the raw old school trails awaiting the race in RB Winter tomorrow.
