Knoxville, TN – The 2017 racing season is already one for the books for Knoxville resident Kaysee Armstrong. Armstrong swept The 2017 TransAndes Challenge in Chilean Patagonia. The TransAndes is an extreme mountain bike race through the rugged Andes Mountains, in Chilean Patagonia. The competition is five days of racing within 6 stages ranging from 60 to 90 km per day.
“A lot of times this week I kept finding myself in a place physically and mentally where I felt like I couldn't give anymore. I wasn't alone though and having other people around me to push me and to see them push themselves would always give me that boost!” states Armstrong. “Racing allows a lot of us to get out there together, fast or slow, and push each other to give that extra effort and find more strength within ourselves! Racing in Chile had its extra perks of course! The views were breathtaking, the people I got to meet were amazing and kept me smiling and laughing every stage, and the trails I got to ride were completely different than anything around home!”
Last year Armstrong came in second on the TransAndes stage. This is her first International win. This past summer she won the Queen of Pisgah series consisting of 5 races in Pisgah National Forest. (Some were self-supported adventure races and others were cross country style. Ultimately it took almost 55 hours of racing in the most treacherous, steep terrain out there for mountain bikers.)
The Knoxville resident is a tax accountant when she is not on the trails winning international competitions. Armstrong is a big part of Knoxville’s cycling community. She is a member of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club and rides for Harper’s Bike Shop.
