Ironically, North Andover's Paul Spencer is in awe of the hundreds of runners who compete in the grueling 7-6-mile Mount Washington Road Race every June.
"There is no way I could do that," said the 52-year-old Spencer. "Those guys are amazing. I couldn't get past a mile."
It's ironic because Spencer does what many runners would find even more difficult. He competes in both of the bicycle races up Mount Washington, Newton's Revenge earlier this month and the Mount Washington Hill Climb Aug. 16. And he really competes.
In this year's Newton's Revenge, Spencer finished fifth out of 26 participants in his age division (50-54) with a fine personal-best time of 1:25.55.
"It was the best day, weather-wise, we've ever had," said Spencer, who began mountain racing in 2002. "And I felt really good almost the whole race. I was prepared for it."
The bike preparation for such an event is probably not much more intense than for running, but there is a consensus that the race itself may be more difficult.
That's the strong view of John Stifler, a race official who is involved with both the running and biking versions of reaching the top of the highest peak in New England.
"Running, you just slow down when you need to," said Stifler. "On a bike, if you slow down too much, resuming the climb is really tricky, often rolling downhill to reclip and gain momentum. Also, the wind can blow you over more easily when you're on a bike.
"But I think the hardest part is the way you have to keep grinding the pedals. When running, you can switch to a walk, then run again when you feel up to it."
In fact, says Spencer, it's virtually impossible to stop when you're on a bike making the climb.
"There's no place to stop," said Spencer, who is a solid 5-foot-3, 115 pounds. "If you stop peddling, you'll fall over."
The grueling nature of the Mount Washington bike races, and the hazards, explain why it's not as popular as the run to the top, which attracts thousands to a lottery just to participate. Locally, there was only one other participant (Ray Cloutier of Methuen) for this month's Newton's Revenge and there have been very few others from the region participate in either race over the years.
Moreover, while there are ultra-marathon clubs for distance runners and special triathlon clubs, there are no clubs for mountain bike racers. Training can be more of a solitary effort, which is obviously more difficult.
"For the workouts going up steep climbs, it's probably better to do it yourself, because going with someone else, you'd tend to slow down for that person or push beyond what you should do, and neither is good," said Spencer. "But, if I was going to go out on a three hour ride, it'd be nice to do it with others."
Spencer has been biking much of his life. He was a member of a bike club at Concordia College in Montreal and then raced in his native California for more than 10 years before moving to North Andover in 2001. But he didn't take up mountain racing until 2002. When he did, he found his niche.
"I like the challenge of it and basically I'm better at it (then on flat land)," said Spencer. "I think it's made for me. If you're short and don't weigh that much, you do better on hills then guys with long legs."
Although Spencer would love to belong to an active bike club of hill racers, he does get satisfaction from being somewhat of a lone ranger, at least in the Merrimack Valley.
"I take a little pride in it," said Spencer. "It's kind of nice being one of the few in the area who do these races. I'd like to see more people doing Mount Washington, but it's not easy, and I feel good that I can do it."
Spencer also races up other mountains, including Vermont peaks Mt. Ascutney and Mt. Equinox, but Mount Washington is his main focus. He has a specific goal for the most difficult race of them all.
"I'd really like to get under 1:20, because that's a cutoff time," said Spencer, who has raced Mount Washington seven times total. "There are two groups that go up. If you're better then 1:20, you start with the first group and that has two advantages.
"One is that there is no one ahead of you to start and the second is that you get to start with all the pros, like Tyler Hamilton. That's a privilege."
The Spencer File
Sport: Mountain bike racing
Age: 52
Hometown: North Andover
College: Concordia College in Montreal
Employment: Works for Avid Technology in Tewksbury
Family: Wife Diane, son Curtis
Miscellaneous: Grew up in California, moved to North Andover in 2001
