Sam Wins Stage 5 of the Trans-Sylvania Epic

Sam gets a win on Stage 5 of the Trans-Sylvania Epic.

Post-race interview:

http://www.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/250771-2013-Trans-Sylvania-Epic-Stage-Race/video/712494-Sam-Koerber-I-Think-I-Got-One-More-Day-In-Me-Stage-5

Heading into Friday's "Queen Stage" Sam is sitting in 2nd place on GC.  

Here's the stage writeup from Cyclingnews.com:

The pace was fast on a prologue loop climb as the favorites applied pressure to whittle down the lead group heading into the numerous rocky singletrack sections.

Race leader Lindine said, "We went pretty hard up the first climb after the neutral section. Drew Edsall [Kenda/Felt] was pushing the pace. We had a small group which formed, but it was without Brian [Matter], although none of us knew why."

Matter was busy dealing with some untimely bad luck.

"Maybe five minutes into the race, I went into the first section of singletrack in about eighth wheel and we weren't going that fast, so I thought I was ok in eighth position," said Matter, "but then it started tilting down. The trail was getting rocky and everyone was zig-zagging to find a good line. My sight line wasn't that great, and I got a rear flat."

Matter used a CO2 to re-inflate the tire, and it sealed well enough to get him up the next dirt road, but the rear tire was flat again and he had to stop and put a tube in before the next singletrack section.

"Flatting that early in the race puts you into that first enduro segment behind 50 or 60 people. It was a lot of traffic, but then it finally spread out."

At the front, Koerber and Lindine were crushing it, until the others had come off on a long, uphill, rocky, technical singletrack section.

"We were kind of working together," said Koerber. "I was able to get a little gap on the enduro segment, but I sat up afterward and got some food. I rode the whole first half without water after my bottle bounced out early on. It was a hot day to be without water, and I was just hanging on Justin on the climbs until I could get some more water."

Lindine said, "We were both putting in some digs. He'd try to ride me off in the technical sections, and I'd try to ride him off on the gravel. We were pretty evenly matched. Neither of us wanted to put each of ourselves super deep into the hurt locker because tomorrow will be a really hard day. It was a good situation for Sam because he was gaining time on Brian, and it was a good situation for me because I was gaining time on Brian."

"As long as I didn't get dropped by Sam, I was ok with the status quo."

Coming into the finish, the two riders were together.

"We came across the line together," said Koerber. "I jammed my chain coming right across the line, and he gave me a little push to get across first so that I could get the stage win."

"It was the reverse of stage 3 when I was the odd man out and Justin and Brian were together. I knew I could get some time back today, especially with two of us trading pulls and working."

Lindine summed up the day, "It was a good day and fun. It was unbelievably hot. It was kind of a shock to go from 60 degrees and raining to 90 and humid today. That was hurting everyone a little bit."

"I felt bad from Brian. I know how it feels to have a mechanical so early on and to have to chase. It's not an easy course to move up through traffic."

Edsall chased behind the two leaders while Matter closed on him, catching him near the end.

"I felt great and I rode within myself," said Matter. "I ended up catching Drew Edsall coming into the dirt road finish section. I made it back up to forth."

"It's a little disappointing to lose more time to Sam. Take away a few flat tires, and I think I'd be right up there. Tomorrow, I'll go with a little less. I think tomorrow will be more tire pressure and less suspension pressure to even things out."

Koerber gained enough time to overtake Matter for second in the GC, which Lindine continues to lead.

 1         2:04:39   Sam Koerber Progold
 2         2:04:39   Justin Lindine Redline / NBX
 3         2:09:58   Drew Edsall Kenda / Felt
 4         2:10:00   Brian Matter RACC / TREK / PROGOLD 
 5         2:11:07   Aaron Snyder TSEpic Team