ROLLING THUNDER

Pain is an integral part of cross-country mountain bike racing: lung-busting climbs are followed by bone-rattling descents and the occasional nasty crash.

That’s why semiprofessional rider Mike Lee is served well by his attitude toward the sport.

“It comes down to that you have to be willing to go out and punish yourself every day,” he said.

If pain is what you want, try keeping up with this Mission Viejo resident. Matt Ford, owner of Rock n’ Road Cyclery in Mission Viejo, says Lee lives up to his nickname around the shop: “Monster” Mike.

“People know every time he shows up to one of our rides, everyone is going to hurt,” Ford said. “We know he’s going to make us work harder than we want to.”

Lee is driven by a lofty goal. He would like to represent the United States at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. It’s a longshot; Lee himself claims to be only among the top 40 cross-country riders in the country. That’s quite a few people to pass before the U.S. cross-country team is picked next June.

But considering how far Lee has progressed, it would be premature to write off his chances. He has been riding mountain bikes for only seven years and racing for six.

Ford remembers Lee coming to his bike shop a couple years ago looking for, among other things, riding partners. Lee was enthusiastic, but his bike at the time was decidedly low-tech, a model without front suspension that he bought for several hundred dollars. There was skepticism among the regulars.

“It was the type of bike that you thought, ‘What’s this guy trying to do?’ ” Ford said. “Then he was out hammering us.

“The first time I rode with him I was able to beat up on him a little bit. But now I ask him what his slowest day of the week is. Then I might go out riding with him that day.”

Lee now mostly trains alone in the Santa Ana Mountains. A typical session takes him up trails and fire roads to the top of 5,687-foot Santiago Peak, an 18-mile ride in about two hours. It’s a trip through some of Orange County’s last remaining wilderness--he often sees mule deer and bobcats.

It would be a serene scene but for Lee grinding up the trail, his heart pounding at more than 160 beats per minute. All he hears is the dirt crunching beneath his tires and the wind rushing past his ears.

After he reaches the top, Lee will usually ride some rolling sections for about seven miles and then take a 10-mile downhill route back to Mission Viejo.

Such demanding training is necessary to prepare for the races, which are brutal 2 1/2-hour tests. “Basically,” Lee said, “it comes down to how much pain you can put yourself through.”

Lee, 32, has always been ready for adventure, although pain only recently entered the picture. At 19 he bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii, leaving a job in Orange County for an uncertain existence on the islands.

“I slept on the beach for about three months,” Lee said. “I guess you couldn’t pick a better place to be homeless.”

Eventually, he found a job and then a second, and during his free time, he surfed the famous breaks on Oahu: Pipeline, Sunset. He even went out at Waimea Bay on a huge day. “It was closing out. I got worked pretty good,” he said. “Then I paddled in.”

Lee met a woman, Pamela, at work and they got married. They moved back to Orange County in 1991 after their son, Brandon, was born. The move was prompted by better schools on the mainland.

Lee, however, soon was looking for another recreational pursuit. Surfing was out because, he said, he was spoiled by the warm water and perfect waves in Hawaii.

He tried mountain biking and immediately took to it. “It reminded me of surfing,” he said. “You’re out in nature, struggling up hills so you can ride down them.”

Soon he started competing in local amateur races and began his rapid rise. In 1994 he finished third in the beginner division of the California state series. In 1995, he was 12th in the sport division. In ‘96, he was third in the expert division.

Then he entered the semipro division in ’97 and quickly met his match.

“I pretty much got schooled,” Lee said. “It was a learning year. After that I reevaluated my training. That’s when I started riding with Matt Ford.”

The association was helpful. In 1998, Lee won the state championship and he is the leader again in 1999 going into the final event next month at Castaic Lake.

Last week at the national championship series final at Mount Snow, Vt., Lee finished second in the semipro division to Adrian Bonilla of Costa Rica. Because he was the first American to finish, Lee was named national champion.

On Sept. 4, he will be shooting for a world title at the World Masters Mountain Bike Championships in Bromont, Canada.

“My birthday is Sept. 1, my 10-year anniversary is Sept. 3,” he said. “Hopefully, Sept. 4 I’ll be the world champion. I guess if you could script the perfect week that’s how you would want it to be.”