There are mornings Paul Denis will be on the road at 4 a.m., driving hundreds of miles for a race in conditions he knows will be brutal. It will be cold, it will be wet, and it will be miserable.

“You get out of your warm car. You take off your warm clothes. Some days, conditions are horrible,” Denis said. “For me, it’s hard to keep going. But I was leading the points series, so I had no choice.”

Denis, of Fairfield, let his competitive spirit get the best of him, and it paid off. On the weekend after Thanksgiving, the 60-year-old Denis clinched the New England Cyclocross BAR (Best All-Around Rider) title in his Master’s age group, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Denis has been racing bikes in some form or another for 30 years. In the early ’90s, it was mountain bikes.

“Nobody rode road bikes back then,” Denis said. “Being a competitive person, I just couldn’t go out for a bike ride.”

The last few years, Denis has raced in cyclocross, one of the fastest growing bike racing disciplines. Cyclocross combines mountain and road biking. Riders compete on a loop course, mostly off road. The course includes varied terrain and obstacles that require carrying the bike for a short stretch. When asked to describe a typical cyclocross course, Denis used the word “technical.” Racers ride specialized bikes, a mountain bike-road bike hybrid.

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Denis competed in his first cyclocross race five years ago, in Maynard, Massachusetts. Because he was knew to the sport, Denis had a high seeding number. Still, he finished in 18th place, and was hooked.

Last January, Denis competed in the national championships in Hartford, Connecticut. It was one of those days when the conditions were horrible. It was cold, and the course was as muddy as any Denis has seen. The mud gummed up his bike.

“I did really well until my bike decided it didn’t want to work anymore,” Denis said. “Conditions were horrible. I was really upset after it was over. I trained for a year for it.”

Denis’ frustrations eventually gave way to contentment. Although he didn’t get the outcome he planned for at nationals, Denis competed.

“It’s still the most satisfying thing I ever did,” he said.

Denis said there are more riders in his age group every year. He sees many of the same riders at every race. Denis thinks he’s at his best when he undertrains, saving his best effort for racing. Denis said he rides with a group of younger guys who push him.

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“Everybody’s getting older and nobody’s really stopping,” Denis said. “I don’t think I’m slowing down. All of us are going as fast as ever.”

Denis gets a lot of support from the gang he works with at Mathieu’s Cycle and Fitness in Oakland. The social aspect of cyclocross is as important as competing. Denis races with a core group of close friends. One friend is fighting Crohn’s Disease, Denis said, and is still out there racing.

“We go to races together. We share gas and food and laughs. If it was a solitary sport, I don’t know how much longer I’d do it,” Denis said.

Denis doubts he’ll go for the New England title again. Winning it was the goal, and that was achieved. But he’ll continue racing, and expects to take part in eight to 12 events this year. He still has his health, so why stop?

“I don’t foresee stopping anytime soon,” Denis said. “You’ve got to try and make it fun. If it isn’t fun, you won’t do it very long.”

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM


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