Grove sixth in 200-mile Trans-Sylvania Epic

For seven grueling days, local mountain biker Phil Grove battled through the rolling hills and technical rock gardens of the Trans-Sylvania Epic to finish the stage race in sixth place overall.

The course near Spring Mills, Penn., covers more than 200 miles and is considered the longest mountain bike stage race in the U.S. Grove finished with a total time of 15:09:46.

While the climbs in the Appalachian Mountains were moderate compared to Montana, Grove says they were extremely technical.

“There’s just rocks for days,” he said. “You have to pay attention because it’s easy to screw up.”

“But the trails were so much fun, you would forget you were racing. A few times I throttled back because I wanted to enjoy it.”

The Hammer Nutrition rider started slow in the prologue but made up time as the race progressed. He felt at his best during the sixth and longest day.

Grove likely would have placed higher against the elite competition if it weren’t for a blown fork during the downhill stage.

“But that’s racing,” he said.

He plans on going back next summer with hopes of making the podium and earning some prize money.

“Some of the stages were a little bit longer than my training had prepared me for,” he said. “It’s motivation to keep working at it.”

“I’d like to keep this race on the annual schedule. Other seven day races are known for being over the top difficult, but this one was fun.”

Grove next races at the Missoula XC at Marshall Mountain, then travels to Sun Valley, Idaho for a the Mountain Bike Marathon U.S. Nationals.