With only their bikes, gear and tents, Smith riders Rosara Joseph, Sarah Rawley, and Liz Cunningham embark on a unique backcountry mountain bike experience in the misty mountains surrounding Oakridge, Oregon. Unfolding over four days with 21 races stages and 32,000ft of descending on unknown trails, the riders discover the magic that comes from venturing into the unknown with your closest friends and fellow competitors. This was the inaugural Trans-Cascadia Enduro. The Experience is everything. – See more at: https://www.malakye.com/Features/IndustryNews/8772/VIDEO-SMITH-Life-Beyond-Walls-Trans-Cascadia.aspx#sthash.VMfIpAaV.dpuf
Part of SMITH dedicating the month of October to celebrating the strong, beautiful, and unstoppable women in action sports, we are excited to launch “Life Beyond Walls – Trans-Cascadia”. With only their bikes, gear and tents, SMITH riders embark on a unique backcountry mountain bike race in the misty mountains surrounding Oakridge, Oregon. Unfolding over four days with 21 race stages and 32,000ft of descending on unknown trails, the SMITH riders discover the magic that comes from venturing into the unknown with your closest friends and fellow competitors. This is the Trans-Cascadia 2015, from her perspective.
I was really looking forward to the blind racing format. Mostly because it would put me completely out of my comfort zone. Sprinting on a straight away with exposure on one side, and not knowing where the trail turned next, or if I’d be hanging a left or a right, it put every fiber in my body on edge. It makes the days more exhausting physically and mentally. There is no autopilot. Every stage you were going to have to be on your game to make it down the trail.
– Sarah Rawley
The most memorable moments are nearly always the non-racing ones … sharing a beer and telling stories at the end of the day, riding the transitions with a bunch of new and old friends, the views from the top of the hill after a hard hike a bike, dancing around the campfire, that’s what truly makes the experience. I’ve raced at a high level for 10 years now. I’m ready to step away from the intensity of international racing, but I still love riding and racing my bike. I’m really excited to take part in more races like the Trans-Cascadia where you can still push hard and ride fast, but there’s so much more to the whole experience than just the racing.
– Rosara Joseph
Enduro racing is beginning to teach me that “less is more”. I don’t need to race every single weekend to have a successful season. On the contrary, it has pushed me to explore new exotic places, and others in my own backyard. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes solo. My favorite races have essentially been an organized tour of the best trails in a region, with good food, great people and the structure to just show up and play.
– Sarah Rawley
In racing, you race for yourself, ride the best you can and find out how you did after the race is complete. Anything can happen and change the results, but at the end of it all, you have to be proud that you rode the best that you could and hopefully made some great memories from the experience!
– Liz Cunningham
Get Involved: SMITH is dedicating the month of October to celebrating the strong, beautiful, and unstoppable women who devote their time and energy pursuing outdoor adventures. In addition to highlighting some of our most decorated female athletes, we’ll continue our philanthropic support of First Descents, a non-profit offering young adult cancer fighters and survivors outdoor adventure experiences, empowering them to reclaim their lives. For every sunglass sold on smithoptics.com in October, we donate $1 to First Descents. Male or Female, help us spread the word! All you need to do is use the hashtag : #SMITHWomen and tag @SMITHoptics on your favorite social channels to be a part of the action.
Visit www.smithoptics.com for more details and the latest products.
