Terri Wentzel, an art teacher at Edward Little High School in Auburn, could have said, “I told you so.”

“Those hills wear you out,” 16-year-old Matt Newbeck said. 

“I hate hills,” 13-year-old Karis Wentzel added.

Seven members of the three-month-old Maine Youth Cycling Club signed on to compete in their first bike race. 

“We have three hills to get over and then book it to the finish,” Terri Wentzel told the teenagers. She also gave them three rules to remember.

“Stay focused, keep your head down and don’t blow up on the hills,” she said.

“Hills are definitely tricky,” Newbeck said after crossing the finish line. 

While the MYCC youth try to conquer the elevation gains on the road, the adults racing alongside have another hill to climb — getting more young people interested in cycling. 

“There is less new blood coming in,” said Richard Marchessault, race director for the Maine Cycling Club. Road races across New England are experiencing fewer young people, he said. 

“We are seeing a lot of races that are not being continued or that are taking a break because the cost is too much to be spread across the number of racers,” Wentzel said. 

“We need to try to get the next generation involved so (competitive cycling) does not die out,” said Mark Caron of Bath. 

Club members are trying to do something about that. 

The MCC formed the MYCC in May during the Edward Little High School lunch hour. Wentzel, with the help of John Grenier at Rainbow Bicycle, brought in a bicycle trainer and held a “power challenge” to spark interest.  

Eight students have consistently shown up to hit the pavement since then, said Wentzel. 

“I started riding after that day in the cafeteria,” said Newbeck, a 16-year-old junior. 

Newbeck’s first race was the Dick Williamson Individual Time Trial in Poland on Aug. 4.

“I will just do the best that I possibly can do,” Newbeck said before the race. “It will be a personal record, no matter what I do. It is definitely nerve-racking, but I am racing against myself and that helps.”

“I’m really nervous,” EL junior Nina Wallingford said at the start of the 16.3-mile race. 

Hayden Bavis, a 12-year-old student at Lewiston Middle School, is used to competition. He has been on the Twin Cities Swim Team since he was 5. He rode mountain bikes, but once he noticed how much faster road bikes were, that was it for fat tires, said Bavis’ dad, Ryan. 

Bavis mowed grass and pulled weeds to earn money for a new road bike. He paid for some and is working off the rest, his father said.

“Yeah, I’m in debt,” Bavis said. 

The cost of cycling can be a deterrent for youth, something the members of MCC are aware of. 

Members have raised race entry fees, donated four used bikes, parts and cycling shoes. 

“The equipment that has been donated has made all the difference in the world,” Wentzel said. 

Local bike shops have helped as well, she added. 

“The bike shops are treating them like they are their own kids,” she said. “The kids go in with a problem, and the guys pop their bike up on a stand and talk with them as they fix their bike.”

“They have big-time support from the community and the MCC,” said Wentzel, a race veteran. 

Wentzell raced competitively for five years while her two girls were toddlers. Once Sarai and Karis reached kindergarten, Wentzel retired from racing. “Life got in the way of my fun,” said the former Maine and New Hampshire criterium champion. 

Now Wentzel is focused on giving youth the opportunity that she had. “Cycling is a healthy, positive thing to belong to,” Wentzel said. 

“There is a good little grassroots movement going on right now,” said Caron, who is trying to get youth involved through his own team, Momentum Barracuda Cycling Team in Bath. “It’s really great to see.” 

“These kids are getting out and getting active,” Wentzell said. “They are getting involved in their community.” 

Next up for the MYCC is the Bike MS New Hampshire Seacoast Escape on Aug. 24. The students are holding a car wash at Pep Boys in Auburn on Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. til 2 p.m. to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis fundraiser.  

The event offers two courses — one is 25 miles and the other is 60 miles. 

The MYCC riders are going for 60. 

“In cycling, you push your limits and you do more than you think you can do,” said Wentzel. “That carries over into everyday life.”