Andrew Higgins of Durham crashes during the Winterbike Championship Series race at Lost Valley in Auburn on Sunday. The ski area hosted the downhill mountain bike race during the final day of the weeklong Auburn Winter Festival. “Racing on snow is similar to racing on sand,” said Gavin Vaughan of Sharon, Vt. “You never get a good bite with your tires and are always sliding sideways,” added Vaughan. “It’s a mental game,” said Bruce Wallingford of Westbrook. “You have to be in control of your speed all the way down. We older guys tend to have an advantage because we are not overzealous,” said the 47-year-old Wallingford. Studded tires are not allowed for safety reasons. Wallingford said brand new “big fat wide tires are the best, but there are people with bald tires out there kicking my butt.” The next Winterbike race is on Feb. 21 at the Camden Snow Bowl.

Gavin Vaughan, left, of Sharon, Vt., and Tim Howland of Sugar Hill, N.H., cruise over the first jump during the Winterbike Championship Series race at Lost Valley in Auburn on Sunday. Vaughan took first in this pro heat race, and Howland came in second. The event pulled in some of the top downhill mountain bike racers in New England. “He is the fastest guy on the East coast,” Bruce Wallingford said of Vaughan. “This is my first time racing on snow, but I am no stranger to mountain bikes,” said Vaughan.