AUGUSTA — Julia Clukey is used to going down hills as fast she can. Right now, she’s training to climb them.

An Augusta native and member of the United States luge team, Clukey is preparing to ride in the Trek Across Maine, June 15-17. The annual bike ride from Sunday River in Bethel to Belfast on the coast benefits the American Lung Association. Last year, Clukey was a guest speaker at the event.

“I kind of committed then that I would do it, and I have to stick to my word,” Clukey said.

To prepare, Clukey trains in a unique spin class at the Kennebec Valley YMCA. Twice a week, instructor Debbie White takes students through an hour long class which tries to mimic the conditions riders in the Trek will face. The first day of the class, for instance, was a sprint, much like the downhill run the riders will see leaving Sunday River. Soon, the class was increasing the tension on the stationary bikes to simulate the uphill ride through the western Maine mountains.

“Everyone prepares for the Trek somehow,” Kennebec Valley YMCA program director Craig Cameron said. “Why not do it as realistically as possible? We’ve found a lot of people really enjoyed it.”

The class is the result of conversations Cameron had with Trek organizers at the American Lung Association.

“The American Lung Association contacted me, and they really had an idea on how to get people engaged in the Trek before it actually happens,” Cameron said.

On Monday, Clukey was one of six training in the class. White plays music, mostly classic rock ranging from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Alice Cooper to the theme from “The Monkees.”

“This is very different from my other training that I do for luge,” Clukey said while pedaling through a brief easy part of the workout. “So I needed to learn the discipline. This has given me an idea of what to expect, and make sure I’m ready for it.”

Now more than a year removed from surgery, Clukey is ready for the upcoming luge season. In March 2011, Clukey had a centimeter of bone shaved from the base of her skull to correct Arnold-Chiari Syndrome. The congenital condition limited blood flow to her spinal column.

Clukey returned to finish third at the national championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. in March.

“I feel awesome. Right after this, I’m going to go into the weight room and do a workout. Even six months ago, I couldn’t do back-to-back workouts like that. I’m feeling really good,” Clukey said.

She’ll go to Lake Placid for a week in July to join Team USA for a training camp, but most of Clukey’s summer will be spent working out in Maine. Later this month, Clukey will host a summer camp for girls at Camp KV on Maranacook Lake in Readfield.

“Really, I won’t be going back until the middle of September. I’ll be home all summer until then, training. The track will open up sometime in October. For now, I’m just training at home,” Clukey said.

In November, Clukey will go to Europe, where she and Team USA will spend 10 days training in Sochi, Russia, on the track built for the 2014 Olympics.

“That’ll be our first stop in Europe, so I’m looking forward to that, seeing what that track is like,” said Clukey, who placed 17th at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

The World Cup season begins in late November in Austria.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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