Slopes, Spokes And Spills Valentine’s Day Massacre Mountain Bike Race Brings Out Daredevils

There was only one rule: Stay up and keep pedaling.

On Saturday, crazed mountain bikers tested their skill - and their pride - on snowy slopes at 49 Degrees North.

“It’s fun, except when you crash,” said Gary Mills of Spokane, who rigged his bike with homemade snow tires studded with 3/4-inch screws.

“I’ll do it again. It’s a blast.”

Organizers said the competition, dubbed the Valentine’s Day Massacre Mountain Bike Race, was a first for the region. They hope it becomes an annual event.

“Mountain bike riders love to race,” said Roger Taggart, director of skiing at the resort near Chewelah, Wash. “This is the only thing they get to do in the wintertime.”

Forty-two racers dueled over a half-mile course, featuring 30 gates, two jumps and maneuvers through snow berms. In the final competition, bikers went helmet to helmet. The fastest time was just over one minute.

The idea came from ESPN’s “X Games,” which feature snow mountain biking.

“It’s exciting because of handlebar-tohandlebar action,” said Tim Arnold, owner of Bicycle Butler in Spokane and a race organizer. “This is as close as you can get to hockey on a bicycle.”

From head-over-handlebar flips to white-powder wipeouts, the consensus was the same: “It doesn’t hurt as much when you crash,” said Mike Allen, 33, of Spokane, a five-year veteran of mountain bike racing. “The dirt’s kind of hard.”

Most racers were novices who gladly accepted hollers and cheers when they caught air and, well, a bit too much of the ground.

“You might as well get it all at once,” said Paul Christiansen, who had never competed in a mountain bike race. The South Hill resident took his share of snow-in-the-face falls Saturday, but he still preferred being on a pair of wheels instead of skis.

Fellow racer Dean Cooper of Spokane predicts interest in snow biking will take off.

“It’s a spectator sport. It looks extreme because no one has seen it before,” he said. “It takes more skill to get down snow. It’s kind of like riding on sand.”

Skiers and snowboarders watched from chairlifts bobbing above the course. Some yelled out questions, asking what the best time was. Others merely hooted at the wipeouts.

“This just kills me,” said Penny Nishimura, a coach for the children’s racing program at 49 Degrees North. She couldn’t help but watch the spectacle.

“So many people do it on dirt, but on snow?”

Intrigued, Nishimura, a summer mountain biker, plans to enter the next Valentine’s Day Massacre.

“I’m going to try it,” she said. “It’s so rare to see a bike up here.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 photos (1 color)