Let’s begin with one declaration – this missive wasn’t penned by a member of Generation X, or Generation Y, for that matter.

No, this is a product of Generation XXXXV, if you get the Roman numeral drift.

Nevertheless, a recent trek to the sporting world of the younger set proved not only enlightening, but entertaining to the point of overshadowing any frustration at not being able to speak the languages of the sport or its locale in this instance, Quebec.

Mont-Sainte-Anne, which overlooks the Saint Lawrence River just northeast of Quebec City, hosts a two-week bike festival called Velirium – an annual event highlighted by International Cycling Union World Cup mountain bike races featuring the world’s best riders in cross country, downhill, marathon and 4-cross.

Each race has its attractions, both for participants and the collective thousands of onlookers. The fans got their own exercise by riding or walking up and down the side of the mountain to catch glimpses of their favorite riders as they emerged from the woods, climbed one of the wooden bridges along the course, or otherwise tried to go as fast as possible on a route where roots, rocks, flora and fauna all conspired to define biking’s version of deliberate speed.

There’s also the separate yet potentially dangerous game of “ride as close to the pedestrian as you can without hitting them” favored by younger spectator-bikers. Usually they approach from behind, so what you don’t know truly didn’t hurt until you stopped and thought about what might have happened as dust from the passing bikes momentarily clouded your vision.

Add in a BMX course, tents filled with the goods of biking’s major manufacturers, and an atmosphere punctuated by pulsating techno-rock music blaring from the base lodge to the summit, and Velirium and its World Cup races have helped Mont-Sainte-Anne become a true four-season resort.

It’s the type of event seemingly made for the mountains of Maine. Yet it’s unlikely another World Cup race would ever be staged so close to Quebec given the tradition of Mont-Sainte-Anne and the mediocre results of previous UCI forays in the states – though cycling’s world governing body is taking another stab at the American market in two weeks at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico.

It’s a given that Canada accepts bicycling as transportation and mountain biking and cycling as competition much more than the United States. Most Americans’ interest is limited to Lance Armstrong’s pursuit of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France each July.

But some blend of big-league bike racing and cycling exposition at one of Maine’s mountains might be just the thing to expose the sport to a wider audience in these parts, while complementing the golf courses that aim to draw older competitors inland when the slopes are devoid of snow.

The North American Off-Road Biking Association is the top mountain biking circuit in the country, and it already comes east to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia and as Mount Snow in Vermont, where current World Cup rider and Olympic hopeful Adam Craig of Corinth got his start.

A visionary ski resort owner who’s able to lure NORBA to Maine one day might find himself ahead of the curve, not only the sharp turns of a mountain biking course, but the growth curve of one of America’s emerging sports.

Generation XXXXV would be stoked, for sure.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net