Must Do Adventures: May
Peep some pros in spandex George Hincapie’s backyard plays host to the top pro cyclists in the country as they battle for podium spots at the USA Pro Cycling Championship. The time trial and 112-mile road race both begin and end in biker-friendly downtown Greenville. May 28-30.
Boulder Now, or Boulder Itchy Summer means poison ivy and escalating temperatures. May could be your last chance to boulder the South’s best crags, like Rumbling Bald’s new West Side Boulders, before poison ivy season kicks into high gear.
Shenandoah is on Fire Wildflowers make up more than half of Shenandoah National Park’s plant species, but May is pink azalea time, which bloom in abundance along Skyline Drive and on trails like Powell Mountain Trail.
By the Numbers
Transylvania Epic Mountain Bike Race May 29-June 4
7: Number of days you’ll spend riding Central Pennsylvania singletrack
235 Miles: Distance you’ll pedal, making it the longest stage race in the U.S.
$10,000: Cash divvied up between the top five solo men and women to finish
13:11:56: Total time of overall winner Jeremiah Bishop, averaging almost 18mph
16:34:25: Total time of the only tandem mountain bike team to finish the stage race, powered by husband/wife duo Rob and Sara Lichtenwalner
Marathon Man Stefaan Engels
365: Number of marathons Belgium’s Stefaan Engels ran in as many days
9,569: Miles run on his journey
2:56: His fastest marathon during the year
49: Age of Engels when he finished the last marathon
52: Previous record for most consecutive marathons
20: Number of Ironman triathlons Engels has completed in a single year (2007-08), also a world record
