It all depends on who you ask, the 19-year-old from Bellingham reckoned, nursing a sore jaw after going airborne over a mound of dirt at Sunday's event at Lake Padden Park and landing on flat terrain.

The jarring impact knocked his chin on his handlebars and opened a bloody gash that went through his lip.

A healthy disdain for physical pain is good, but don't get him wrong - a jump can get scary even for an experienced jumper - especially when they suddenly realize something bad is going to happen, he said.

"Halfway through this jump, I said to myself, 'Dude, this isn't working.'" Bergen said. "I can probably shoot water out of it (the wound)."

While Bergen and other jumpers competed in the Big Air competition, more than 120 amateurs and elite pros took part in several age and ability categories in the state's oldest mountain bike race.

Barry Wicks of Corvallis, Ore., won the pro men's division, while Eric Tonkin of Portland, Ore., took second. Ann Grande of Des Moines was the only female professional to race.

Hard going

The main course measures 3.7 miles, with 650 feet of vertical gain with the pros climbing as high as Mount Baker Ski Area.

The dry conditions on the course prompted Chris Mellick of Bellingham to use a smooth tire while competing in the expert veterans division but he lost traction and went down. While his knees were bloodied, the 35-year-old got back on his bike and finished third representing Whatcom Independent Mountain Pedalers.

It's the hometown, demanding terrain that keeps bringing him back, he said. Sunday's race was his eighth Padden Pedal.

"It's a suffering one (course layout)," said Mellick, who competes in several races each year. "It shows you where you stand."

The turnout was lighter this year than last year's 10-year anniversary, but that's just fine, said organizer Mark Peterson.

The fact that an elite triathlon was also being run on the same day may have something to do with the lower-than-expected turnout, but this is an event that will continue and thrive in the coming years, Peterson said.

"It's just a bit of a bummer that a local community event got lost," he said. "I don't think the Padden race can take it personally - we'll be here next year and in another 10 years."

Once a year

For Benjamin Sandberg, a Bellingham resident and bike jumper who took second place in the amateur Big Air event, this is the only time he enters this kind of competition, he said.

Sandberg, 17, who attends Explorations Academy, kept the crowd clapping after trying several jumps where he tried to turn his bike 360 degrees in the air and then land.

Last year, when he got first place, Sandberg attempted a back flip off the ramp, he said. On Sunday, he limped off after knocking a knee on his bike while landing a jump. It wasn't as bad as his snowboarding exploits, which include a trip to St. Joseph Hospital after suffering a concussion and collapsed lung while shredding around Mt. Baker Ski Area.

There are no rivalries in this kind of jumping competition, and when somebody does well you respect them, he said.

For Matt Siren and Scott Newell, who were cheering on friend Michael Anderson in the Big Air competition, watching the wipeouts was a good reminder that not everybody is cut out for this kind of event.