Kona Adventure Rider Kerry Werner rolled across the start line of the 2023 Trans Sylvanian Epic five-day stage race as the favorite, He was rocking the number 1 plate and was the defending champ with three event wins under his belt (including 2022). His fourth win did not come easy though, some stacked competition was in attendance to keep the things spicy and the curve ball that the Enduro time bonus sections threw each day kept all the racers on their toes. For an insightful and in-depth look at Kerry’s race, we’d highly recommend checking out the stage recap videos below.
Next up for Kerry is the second Lifetime Grand Prix event of the year, the 200-mile Unbound in Emporia, Kansas this weekend.
“A very fast 30 miles for the opening stage. 2hrs of just pushing the pace. The 4 front runners just watching each other gauging the strain. Tyler Clark pushed with about 30min left in the stage and opened a gap on Carson. I came around and we kept pushing. We got some separation and ran with it. Then I botched the sprint and, an even bigger goof up, I botched the enduro, which carries GC time bonuses (1st = 30sec, 2nd = 20 sec, 3rd = 10 sec). So while Tyler and I sprinted I walk away from stage 1 with a 31 second deficit. 4 more days to go and lots of east coast rock to get through before the week is done.”
“Stage 2 was 24 miles with 3.4k ft of climbing and loads more classic east coast rock single track. 4 of us got away and stayed together all day. Everyone watching each other like a hawk. Again we came into the enduro playing games with each other. Again, Tyler was the last one into the enduro and pulled off the win. At least I slotted into 2nd and only lost 10 seconds on GC. After the enduro we all came to the finish together. Tyler threw a cheeky little attack into the final descent and managed to gap Carson and Luke. They closed it by the finish but it made for an exciting final push and I took advantage and grabbed the stage win. 3 more days to go with a big one tomorrow.” – Kerry Werner
“The queen stage. I was keen to make it hard from the start. I tried a few times to put some digs in but it all came down to the final climb. Luckily, I had a few matches left and burnt them all. Managed to put 1:10 on GC, minus 10 sec because Tyler beat me in the enduro. So I go into stage 4 with a 20 second bonus. Game on!“ – Kerry Werner
“The final day to try and get some time in. Jon Wert, Longberger, 3 bridges, and Tussey Ridge made up the meat of the stage. We were trying to push each other all day but it wasn’t happening. It all came down to the end of the day on the final 1.3 mile road climb. Big watts pushed me over the top with a gap and I gutted myself to get to the line. I got 12 more seconds on GC. Heading into the last day with 42 seconds! It’s tight!” – Kerry Werner
“The final stage was a tense and unrelenting day. With Tyler and Luke only 16 seconds apart for 2nd and third and my gap at 42 seconds, there was no letting up. Luke ended up winning the enduro with Tyler in 2nd and Tyler won the stage in a sprint with Luke. The final gaps were 6 seconds between second and third. 25 seconds between first and second. Crazy tight racing this week. It was awesome.” – Kerry Werner
