SPOT rider tracking added at NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike race

The NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race presented by Dirt Rag Magazine has partnered with event tracking provider Trackleaders.com and device maker SPOT LLC to become the first stage race in North America to equip top racers with tracking devices. The 2014 edition of the race will May 25-31.

The NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic (TSEpic) will outfit 15-20 selected athletes per stage with SPOT’s smallest production satellite tracking device to date in a test of the technology ahead of full implementation in 2015.

“SPOT‘s newest tracker, the Trace, is finally compact enough, and pings often enough, that it makes sense to test the technology in faster races like the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic,” said Matthew Lee of Trackleaders.com. “If successful, race fans will see firsthand how live tracking sucks you into the drama of multi-day racing.”

Trackleaders.com’s live custom mapping opens up online spectating for everyone as remote viewers will be able to watch defending TSEpic champion Justin Lindine (Team Redline / NBX) battle another past winner Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) and challenger Ben Sonntag (Stan?s NoTubes) in the men’s race throughout the week. They’ll be able to follow Olympian Mary McConneloug (Kenda/NoTubes) as she takes on past women’s winners Cheryl Sornson and Selene Yeager (both Team Rare Disease Cycling) or see how young guns like Madison Matthews (Toasted Head Racing) are doing against the stacked BMC Under 25 field.

“With the SPOT tracking, everyone will be able to see a good representation of the front end of the race and what’s happening out there on course,” said past NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic race winner Jeremiah Bishop. “I’ve used it for four years now at various times and places, and it’s super cool technology. It’s a great resource to keep tabs on the action as it’s unfolding.”

Each day at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic, the top five men and the top five women will be equipped with SPOT tracking devices. Additional racers in the BMC Under 25 category will also be tagged.

“As a company made up of avid cyclists and big racing fans, we’re excited to help bring live tracking to the TSEpic this year,” said Mike Bush of Stan’s NoTubes. “SPOT rider tracking with Trackleaders.com is the best way to bring the fans, friends and family at home into the mix and feel the excitement we get to see unfold live on the race?s amazing trails. A word of caution though: following the blue dots can become highly addictive!”

The remaining tracking devices will go to racers chosen by a combination of situational factors and online voting – the audience will help choose who is tracked. Visit TSEpic.com to follow racers via SPOT tracking during each stage.

“This is a step we’ve been looking to make for several years. We’ve tested several systems and the steep and deep terrain of the central Pennsylvania mountains is only suitable to SPOT’s satellite based tracking technology,” said NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic Race Promoter Mike Kuhn.

“We are excited to be working with SPOT and to again have such incredible support from NoTubes to allow us to test the system this season in our lush green forests, and we hope to implement it race-wide in 2015. Not only does SPOT tracking potentially offer a fun interactive online spectating experience and further enhance our expansive media effort, but it adds a layer of safety for participants, too. Both of those are always objectives for us.”

Want to follow Bishop, Lindine, Sonntag, McConneloug, Sornson, Matthews and the rest? Log onto TSEpic.com (or OutdoorExperience.Org) and choose the SPOT tracking page each morning during the race. Stages will start at either 9:30 AM or 10:00 AM EDT each day.

For more information on SPOT?s product, The Trace, visit www.findmeSPOT.com/en/index.php?cid=128, and for more information on Trackleaders, visit Trackleaders.com.

The NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic presented by Dirt Rag Magazine is made possible with the generous support of BMC, Pactimo, Hammer Nutrition, Red Bull, Purple Lizard and Freeze Thaw Cycles.

For more information, visit OutdoorExperience.org or TSEpic.com; find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TransSylvaniaEpic; or follow us on Twitter @TransSylvania, #TSEpic, #TS3 and #TSEnduro.

To register for the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic seven-day race, visit https://ccnbikes.com/2014-trans-sylvania-mountain-bike-epic/.

To register for he NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic three-day race, visit https://ccnbikes.com/2014-trans-sylvania-mountain-bike-3-day-epic/.

Stay tuned for live coverage updates during the race and expanded video race coverage.

INCLUDED PHOTOS (Please credit to A.E. Landes Photography / aelandesphotography.com)

Amanda_Carey.jpg
Possible caption: Amanda Carey, women?s winner of the 2013 NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race presented by Dirt Rag Magazine.

Rider_lush_forest.jpg
Possible caption: A rider on sweet, fern-lined singletrack through central Pennsylvania?s lush, green forests during the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race presented by Dirt Rag Magazine.

Stephan_Kincaid.jpg
Possible caption: Stephan Kincaid, a racer in the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race presented by Dirt Rag Magazine.