Written by: Jen & Anthony Toops
Photos: Icon Media Asheville
Saturday, April 16th, 2022
The final stage of the 2022 Pisgah Stage Race is Industry Nine’s The Land of Waterfalls Route, named for the 250+ waterfalls in Transylvania County. The scenic route is 27 miles with 2301 feet in elevation gain that hits Butter Gap and Davidson River trails. Racers had a cold & wet morning to start but by the end of the stage the sun was shining bright. The final descent heads down the enduro, Bracken Mountain, and racers finish at Brevard Music center for awards and dinner.
Stage 5 Results
Women’s Open:
Kaysee Armstrong had a strong lead heading into the final stage. It was a battle for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall positions between Kait Boyle, Jocelyn Stel, and Taylor Kuyk-White who were only separated by a few minutes. It was unsure if Jocelyn Stel would be racing the final stage as she broke her frame on the Pilot rock descent on stage 4, but she was able to rent a bike for the day.
Kaysee Armstrong took the stage 5 win, crowning her the overall cross county women’s winner. Kait Boyle finished strong and took 2nd, moving into 2nd overall. Taylor Kuyk-White was able to take Jocelyn on the final stage and finished 3rd moving her into the 3rd overall position.
1st-Kaysee Armstrong 2:08:40
2nd-Kait Boyle 2:20:29
3rd-Taylor Kuyk-White 2:27:46
Men’s Open:
Kerry Werner had a comfortable lead heading into the final stage and was able to finish just a minute behind Carson Beckett and take the overall win. Carson Beckett was able to win stage 5 and finished 2nd overall. Cypress Gorry had another impressive finish taking 3rd on stage 5 and holding onto 3rd overall.
1st-Carson Beckett 1:55:09
2nd-Kerry Werner 1:56:18
3rd-Cypress Gorry 1:57:22
Bracken Mountain Stage 5 Enduro
The final enduro was held on Bracken Mountain with a 1733 foot descent and 4.75 miles long. This was a fast flowing enduro with switchbacks and long pedal sections finishing at the Brevard Music Center.
Women’s Enduro:
1st-Kaysee Armstrong 24:16
2nd-Kait Boyle 26:30
3rd-Jen Toops 27:09
Men’s Enduro:
1st-Carson Beckett 21:15
2nd-Cypress Gorry 21:46
3rd-Kerry Werner 22:20
Overall Pisgah Stage Race results
Women’s open:
1st-Kaysee Armstrong (Liv) Knoxville, TN 13:02:40
2nd-Kait Boyle (Industry Nine- Pivot Pro Backcountry Team) Victor, ID 13:52:43
3rd-Taylor Kuyk-White (Philly Bike Expo P/B Industry Nine) Philadelphia, PA 13:59:14
4th-Jocelyn Stel (Cyclepath Oakville) Burlington, Ontario 14:08:11
5th-Nina Machnowski (Brevard College/Pivot Cycles/Pearl Izumi) Brevard, NC 15:42:53
Overall Pisgah Stage Race results
Men’s open:
1st-Kerry Werner (Kona Adventure Team) Vinton, VA 10:39:44
2nd-Carson Beckett (Brevard College/Dirt Camp Devo) Brevard, NC 10:52:18
3rd-Cypress Gorry (Ride Kanuga/Specialized) Pisgah Forest, NC 11:21:02
4th-Nick Bragg (The Black Bibs/Starlight) Asheville, NC 11:26:55
5th-Kurt Refsnider (Industry Nine-Pivot Pro Backcountry Team) Prescott, AZ 11:43:43
Overall Women’s Enduro results:
1st-Kait Boyle (Industry Nine-Pivot Pro Backcountry Team) Victor, ID 1:08:51
2nd-Kaysee Armstrong (Liv) Knoxville, TN 1:09:12
3rd-Taylor Kuyk-White (Philly Bike Expo P/B Industry Nine) Philadelphia, PA 1:13:48
4th-Annie Schwartz (Team Noah Foundation) Saint Louis, MO 1:15:01
5th-Jen Toops (Pearl izumi/Pivot Cycles MTB Race Team) Marion, OH 1:17:08
Overall Men’s Enduro results:
1st-Cypress Gorry (Ride Kanuga/Specialized) Pisgah Forest, NC 54:37
2nd-Kerry Werner (Kona Adventure Team) Vinton, VA 57:31
3rd-Carson Beckett (Brevard College/Dirt Camp Devo) Brevard, NC 58:55
4th-Ian Blythe (Flow Formulas TranPerfect) Broomfield, CO 1:00:29
5th-Nick Mackie, West Palm, FL 1:01:41
CLICK HERE for overall stage results
Thank you to Blue Ridge Adventures team for putting on a great event!
