There's time and place to race

Would have. Could have. But not should have.

Those thoughts crossed the mind of Ben Jacques-Maynes after the top rider on the Bissell Pro Cycling Team finished second in the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar last year.

Jacques-Maynes, 29, agonized about the little ways he could have made up time in races or what might have been had he participated in different events.

But he never considered missing the birth of his second child, even for a major race that could have extended a points lead he held until the final event.

"I missed one of the biggest races in the entire calendar to be there," said Jacques-Maynes, who won seven races last year. "I wouldn't trade that. No bike race is worth missing the birth of my child. If it means not winning the NRC, I'll take that. I know I made the right decision. The team was behind me as well. That gives me confidence this year."

Besides, he cracked, "I know I'm not planning on having another child."

Jacques-Maynes enters this season with a little more fire to claim the title, starting with an 11th-place finish in Sunday's prologue at the Amgen Tour of California. He finished third in the prologue in 2007 and placed 34th overall out of 113.

Jacques-Maynes knows well the many climbs of Stage 3 on Wednesday, which begins in Modesto and ends in San Jose.

"Stage races are what suit me," Jacques-Maynes said. "It's what I'm good at. It's what the team pays me to do. I'll have more options to pick and choose this year."

Road racing has been Jacques-Maynes' passion since he was a teen. He was on the Under-23 Unites States National Team with twin brother Andy and has raced all over the world and in 40 states, he said. So he isn't just promoting a race when he talks about the Tour of California being a major challenge.

While the training and travel can be grueling, particularly because it takes him away from wife Goldie and children Chase, 2, and Chloe, 6 months, Jacques-Maynes counts himself as one of the lucky ones with a major sponsor that pays him to race.

Jacques-Maynes still gets excited about races and meeting new people. Cycling doesn't require huge arenas. All one has to do, he said, is close down a few roads. He continues to be amazed at the places people go to watch the cyclists whiz by -- from five deep downtown to remote mountain peaks.

"It's the highest spectator sport in the history of California," said Jacques-Maynes, formerly of San Jose and now of Watsonville. "There were 1.2 million people following us last year. You can't fit that many people into a stadium, even if you pack it seven days in a row. You can do it on a single road that's 100 miles long."

Modesto's involvement, in particular, has been "refreshing" for Jacques-Maynes. He was in town Jan. 29 for a vintage bicycle exhibit at the McHenry Museum. Being welcomed by city officials and hearing them pick up bike lingo made him feel good.

"It was really good to see the level of support and passion when they were speaking about having the tour come and what it meant to them personally as well as the benefits to the city," Jacques-Maynes said. "The mayor (Jim Ridenour) said he never contemplated it as a sport. Now he's an old hand at it. He had become passionate about cycling. It can really grab people's attention like that."

Should the goals of his Bissell Pro Cycling Team fall in line the way they did last year, Jacques-Maynes sees himself opening such a big points lead he won't have to worry about losing the NRC title.

By the end of April 2007, Jacques-Maynes was doing so well the team knew helping him maintain his lead was the priority. He finished consistently in the top five and led by six points heading into the finale. He was overtaken by Rory Sutherland, another Tour of California competitor, in the U.S. 100K Classic in Atlanta on Sept. 3.

"Now that I've had some time, I'm very proud to be able to finish second," Jacques-Maynes said. "The guy who won it was a great racer all year long and obviously deserved to win. I want to fight that much harder in order to get it again this year."

Bee staff writer Kelly Jones can be reached at kjones@modbee.com or 578-2300.