Michelle Mercer

You know you're in trouble when one friend, a respectable schoolteacher, concedes quietly over dinner, “it's like crack.” Days later, another trusted friend, who, for the record, is a functional member of society, uses “heroin” to describe the unnatural pull of oneself to cyclocross racing. I'm not that good at it, I don't have a lot of extra time or money, but I'm full on hooked
And it's become not enough to race locally. With the renowned Cross Crusade races, the largest cyclocross series in the country – so eminent they have their own Wikipedia entry – within a gas tank's distance from Bend, I find myself pulling on big girl pants to go mix it up with the largest amateur women's field in the U.S.

If you're a dirt junkie, chances are you've been eagerly watching the skies and the weather forecast, hoping for rain. Although real rain, not the kind that seemingly disappears before it hits the ground, has fallen in the past few weeks, and the trails are being described as “money” and “tacky-licious” on Twitter, we're due for more.

With last weekend's Cross Crusade race in Rainier, many Central Oregon 'crossers opted to forego nine hours in the car and instead stayed in Bend for the second Crossaflixion Cup Series race at Seventh Mountain. Race day weather was dry and cool, and the course was tacky due to recent rain, making it fast and fun.

Ryan Trebon was tired. Or he was throwing up a smoke screen. A couple of weeks ago, despite tweeting: “I hope everyone else's legs feel as rotten as mine from the last three days of StarCrossed or I am gonna be in a world of hurt,” the professional cyclocross star from Bend finished second to a Belgian former world champ at the UCI-sanctioned race in Seattle. This came after a demanding week in Las Vegas, where he raced in CrossVegas, his first UCI competition of the season, and worked the annual Interbike trade show. When we spoke on the morning of StarCrossed, he admitted he was “a little worse for the wear.”
And this is only the beginning of a non-stop demanding season of fall and winter 'cross races that will have the lanky, laid-back Trebon jetting all over the country with his new team manager and mechanic Dusty Labarr. The duo left the Kona team at the end of the 2011 season to create LTS. Trebon now wears a black skinsuit and rides a 63-centimeter carbon Felt 'cross bike, and seems recharged and ready to reclaim the national championship and the overall U.S. Gran Prix title.

Perhaps nothing illustrates the fervor for cyclocross like a good look at its spectators. Forget the racers. What draws throngs of people out to watch this crazy, hybrid form of bike racing, usually in less than perfect weather?

“There’s certainly an entertainment value,” says Dave Adams, a Bend photographer who enjoys shooting cycling events. “Spectators are thinking, 'Well, I might be silly for standing out in the rain and watching this, but at least I’m not trying to ride a bicycle uphill through the mud!' And who hasn’t laughed at the sight of someone else falling down in a mud puddle?”

Don't let the elegant title of “masters” fool you. These sinewy-legged racers of a certain age are here to play. With more than 650 people already registered for the road race alone, the upcoming Masters Nationals Road Cycling Championships, which also include criteriums and time trials, will be luring hundreds of racers of a certain age to Bend from around the country. And many are wolves in sheep's clothing, albeit made of Lycra.
“We have a lot of talented riders who may have at one time been a pro, and who now race masters,” says Bart Bowen, the owner of Rebound Sports Performance Lab – Powered by Bowen. “They are quality riders, some who have some cycling history. They're strong. There are no easy pickings anymore to get a national title in most of the age groups.”
Bowen should know. As a former pro and elite level national champion, he has competed all over the world at the highest echelon of competitive cycling, and now finds himself – a business owner and father of two – competing in Masters Nationals for the first time.

Chris Horner loves Bend. The professional road cyclist, arguably one of the best in the world, races his bicycle all over the United States and Europe – enjoying the renowned beauty of locations like the French Riviera, the Swiss Alps, the Adriatic Coast and the Italian Dolomites – but Bend is home by choice. Horner moved here from San Diego in 2000 after coming to visit a teammate who repeatedly encouraged him to check it out. He bought a house the day after he arrived.
“I always enjoy coming back here,” says Horner, who returned early from Europe after crashing out of last month's Tour de France. “There's just something different about Bend. It's just really easy going.”
Horner is showing his appreciation for his hometown by hosting the first-annual Cascade Gran Fondo, an 85-mile bicycle tour around Mt. Bachelor, on August 20. For the uninitiated, Horner explains that gran fondo is a fancy Italian name for a supported group ride.