MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING HEATS UP.

Byline: Ari Cheren Special to the Daily News

Under warm skies and over dusty trails, Southland riders in amateur and pro ranks converged on the shores of Castaic Lake by the hundreds last weekend for the California Mountain Bike Challenge.

The competition was the first in a series of races to determine California's champion in cross country and downhill categories covering a range of all age groups and ability levels.

Saturday's pro winners were Shaums March in the men's division and Mercedes Gonzalez, the fourth-ranked female in the world. With the World Cup of downhill racing beginning in South Africa next month, local races are great practice for these top riders and other competitors, including Mike King, the world's third-ranked male rider in the world.

The men's pro cross country race on Sunday were won by Big Bear Lake Olympian Tinker Juarez, while Jimena Juarez won the pro women's event.

Santa Monica rider Charlie Heggem finished Sunday's 19.3-mile course in fourth place. In only his second year riding mountain bikes, Heggem is a rookie on the pro circuit.

``Going pro is a big jump, but it makes it exciting. My goal this season is to be voted Rookie of the Year,'' said Heggem, who is also involved in World T.E.A.M., an organization which offers sports opportunities to people with disabilities. He will be racing many of this season's events on a tandem mountain bike with a blind athlete.

The California Mountain Bike Challenge is the official state championship series for pros and casual competitors. Sanctioned by the National Off Road Bicycle Association (NORBA), the races will take place throughout the state before returning to Castaic Lake for the finale.

``This is the biggest state series in the country,'' said event founder Michael Epstein, whose organization is responsible for laying out the courses, registering racers and tabulating results. ``We're in our fifth year of putting on this series, and it grows each year. We had well over 20 professional downhillers competing today.''

Castaic's downhill race featured nearly 400 entrants, while the cross country contest attracted more than 1,000 competitors - an extremely large field for any race, organizers said.

Between the months of April and September a regional mountain bike race featuring riders with protective body armor and bikes with motorcycle-style suspension can be found nearly every weekend between San Diego and Big Bear Lake.

Some racers prefer racing cross country, which consists of riding rolling terrain for approximately two hours. Those with a need for speed prefer the downhill event - three or four minutes of pure adrenaline and gravity over a steep mix of fire roads and single-track trails.

``I do it because I need to get out and do something,'' said Tony Avina, 25, of Canoga Park, who entered Sunday's race in the beginner class. His friend Timari Pruis of Chatsworth used to run cross country but decided that racing mountain bikes was more enjoyable.

``I like the competitive aspect,'' said Pruis, 21, who started last season as a beginner and moved up to the expert level. ``It's a lot of fun to come out and race. I'd like to go pro someday.''

Santa Barbara racer Steve Heaton finished fourth in his first downhill race after switching from the cross country discipline.

``It's so much more fun,'' Heaton said. ``It's a rush, and you don't suffer as much.

``A top-ten finish - that's all I was hoping for.''

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Photo: Mountain bikers work their way up a weed-covered trail near Castaic Lake during the California Mountain Bike Challenge.

Ari Cheren/Special to the Daily News