MOUNTAIN BIKING : Juarez, Furtado Prevail Amid New Intensity : Cycling: Many Snow Summit competitors bemoan the increasing pressure to win that comes with Olympic status.

The International Cycling Union, the worldwide governing body for bicycling, made a savvy change in its Olympic program for next summer when it replaced the arcane road team time trial with the hip new sport of mountain biking.

Like beach volleyball, the fat-tire bikes had come of age. No longer could it be considered a fringe sport with a loyal, fun-filled following. The perfect slacker sport had gone big time.

And while this slice of recreation-turned-serious-fun has embraced its newfound status, some participants are bemoaning the loss of its innocence.

“It takes away from the reason I got into it,” said Susan DeMattei, 33, of Gunnison, Colo.

DeMattei was one of the many U.S. Olympic hopefuls who raced on a muddy Sunday in the Jeep Cross Country national competition at the Snow Summit ski area.

DeMattei finished second to Juli Furtado of Durango, Colo., the woman with the best chance of making the U.S. Olympic team. Furtado won her fifth consecutive cross-country event at Big Bear in 1 hour 52.30 seconds over a rain-soaked 19.5-mile course. Tammy Jacques-Grewal of Carbondale, Colo., another rider given a strong chance to make the U.S. team, was third after minor mechanical problems.

Tinker Juarez of Bellflower won the men’s 32.5-mile loop route in 2:21.51. Ned Overend of Durango 2:28 back while finishing second and David Wiens of Gunnison was third, 3:55 behind.

Next weekend in Bellaire, Mich., these and other top riders will feel the pressure multiply as they compete in the second of six Olympic qualifying races. Most agree racing has intensified since mountain biking joined the Olympic family.

“It’s getting more and more commercialized every year,” DeMattei said. “That’s good, but the seriousness of it . . . it takes away some of the fun.”

Wiens has felt the pressure of mountain biking’s tremendous growth over the last two years when he was the national champion. Since then, he has not been fit enough to perform up to the expectations of sponsors.

And that has built up the pressure for him and other pros.

The Olympics?

“It makes it just that much keener,” Wiens said.

Even the regular circuit races have taken on added significance as the riders vie for the four berths for Atlanta. Except for Furtado, who is so far superior to other American women that DeMattei said, “She’s in a league of her own,” it is going to be a year-long battle to reach the Olympics.

Juarez, who did well in the first Olympic qualifier at Mt. Snow, Vt., earlier this summer, came into Big Bear pretending it was another trial.

“I just wanted to prove to myself if I have any chance at making that team I’ve got to ride aggressively,” he said.

He made his point during the second lap when he pedaled away from Tom Gould of England and Don Myrah of Saratoga, Calif., with an impressive climb.

“I just blew my head,” said Gould, who dropped out after failing to stay with Juarez.

Although Big Bear is known for its hot, dusty trails, Sunday’s race looked more like a spring course in Europe as the San Bernardino Mountains were drenched by an unusual summer squall.

But the cross-country riders were game for the mud and grime.

“It was like climbing on two flat tires,” Furtado said.

DeMattei, who raced on Mammoth Mountain two weeks ago, said Big Bear’s course made the former look flat.

A one-time nurse, DeMattei said she is hanging on to see whether she will make the Olympic team. But after that, she plans to return to nursing or become a teacher.

The competition has simply become too much, she said.

“I never used to think about, ‘Am I standing on my feet too long [before a race]? Am I talking too much?’ ”

That said, she turned and ran toward a friend who finished down in the standings and gave her a strong hug.

Seems like some of the camaraderie is alive.