Addressing the pink elephant in the room

Today's stage was our first big day. Like yesterday, the weather was perfect, riders were fresh and in great moods and there was slight anxious vibe in the start area. It's always funny to watch the start line energy trajectory dip as a stage racing week continues. Today we were amped for the gun to go off. By Saturday, most of us will be so spent that clipping into our pedals will feel like a chore.

Amanda Carey (Stan's NoTubes Elite Women) is racing the 2013 Trans-Sylvania Epic in and around State College, Pennsylvania. Carey won the race in 2011, her first time participating, but sat out last year. In 2013, she has switched her focus from 100-milers to mountain bike stage races and cyclo-cross events.

Stay tuned here on Cyclingnews to follow the adventures of Carey as she takes on a top-notch elite women's endurance field through the mountains of Central Pennsylvania.

The Trans-Sylvania Epic runs from Sunday, May 26 to until Saturday, June 1.