AUBURN – Last year’s Lake Auburn Road Race had the competitors wanting more.

The one comment John Grenier heard over and over again from cyclists after last year’s event was the suggestion of another loop.

“Almost every group came up to me last year and asked ‘Could we do another loop?'”,” said Grenier, the organizer behind the annual cycling event. “So we were able to schedule everything in without effecting anything.”

The added loop is a new twist to Auburn’s foray into cycling competition. The 11.5-mile course that winds beside Lake Auburn and around Taylor Pond will test riders even more Saturday when the racing begins at 9:30 a.m. There are eight different categories competing.

“The Pro’s are going to be doing 81 miles,” said Grenier of Rainbow Bicycles in Auburn. “Last year, they did 60. So everybody is doing an extra 11.5-mile loop from what they did last year. We found that although you want people to feel like they have a chance, you also want the race to break up a little bit at the end. You don’t want a big sprint finish where everybody who started the race is racing for the line at the same time. You want fitness to decide who wins to a point. There’s also strategy and luck involved. With another loop, the guys that aren’t as fit are going to have a hard time.”

The Lake Auburn Road Race is in its eighth year. Grenier expects to attract between 250 and 300 entries for the race, which are numbers the race has boasted the last few years.

“We’ve kind of peaked out, I’d say,” said Grenier. “We’ve had the same type of numbers.”

Though they’ve changed up the course over the years, this will be the second straight year this 11.5-mile route will be raced. This course has proven popular with riders because it is challenging but also gives all riders a sense they can compete.

“They like the quiet roads,” said Grenier. “The traffic isn’t overwhelming. Cyclist are looking for a safe road that’s challenging, but isn’t so far over the top with hills and terrain. They like the scenery and the rural route. They like to come to Maine, where the people are friendly. It’s a nice change from some of the other places they race.”

One thing different about this year’s race is the lack of the Criterium. In past year’s the Lake Auburn Road Race was followed by exciting racing through the streets of Auburn the following day. Because of road construction, the Criterium was canceled this year, but it is expected to return for its eighth year next May.

“A lot of people were disappointed that we couldn’t do the Criterium this year, but they understand,” said Grenier.