It may be a fundraiser for the Prickly Pear Land Trust, but like a post-season game between the rival Yankees and Red Sox, you should expect intense rhetoric and perhaps a bit of controversy.

A hand-picked team of runners will look to regain the bragging rights from a squad of talented mountain bikers as the fastest athletes to summit Mount Ascension in the second annual Race to the Top.

Started last year to resolve a friendly disagreement between biker Eric Grove and runner Michele Bazzanella, the race hardly settled the score.

In fact, if rumors are true, last year’s race may have led to more questions, like what mode of transportation is really the fastest way up the mountain? And was Grove’s victory a fluke?

“Last year was a close race, but it didn’t seem to settle the question in other people’s minds,” said Grove. “That’s why we’ve expanded it — to be inclusive of some the best endurance athletes in town and to see how it all shakes out.”

Versions of last year’s race vary — the way stories do when they’re told on the street or discussed over beer. Some say Grove won by three full minutes. Others say he rode a “supped up bike,” making it an unfair race.

Newspaper accounts remember a closer race. Grove powered a single-speed bike up the mountain in nine minutes, 24 seconds. Bazzanella finished strong as well, reaching the summit in 10:11.

“We all know how hard it is, and I have nothing but admiration for Michele,” Grove said this week. “It’s turned into a great, friendly rivalry and a good fundraiser for a good cause.”

Friendly though it may be, the stakes have increased since last year. Captains have picked their teams to win, stacking their roster with seven of the best runners and riders from Helena’s pool of endurance athletes.

Grove, whose biking reputation often precedes him on local trails, is taking nothing for granted. He’s working to sharpen his focus and hone his attitude with racing in mind.

“Once a competitor, always a competitor,” he said, laughing. “Let’s just say I’m focusing a little bit more.”

Bazzanella was out of town this week and unable to respond the challenge laid at her feet. But Pat Judge, a member of Bazzanella’s running squad, said the team has been training hard for this and future races.

The team, Judge added, is ready to unseat the bikers as the kings and queens of the hill.

“We are supremely confident in the running squad and looking for revenge,” he said. “The runners have a natural edge. I think last year’s cycling victory was a fluke.”

Banter aside, Judge described the intense climb as highly anaerobic. Bike, run or walk the series of twisting trails and one understands the challenge facing competitors as they push themselves to the top in the fastest time possible.

The race begins at the 2006 Trail and continues to the top of Mount Ascension. Teams will earn a cumulative score, taking the four fastest men and one fastest woman from each team and adding up their times.

“It’s extremely challenging terrain,” Judge said. “I do have a lot of respect for both teams. They’ve pulled together a high caliber list of cyclists.”

Heather Nese of the Prickly Pear Land Trust said the pledge goal for the Race to the Top is roughly $30,000. So far, she said, the bikers have raised about $5,800 and runners $9,200, with the numbers growing daily.

“You pledge these dollars and if you pick the biker or runner and he or she happens to win, you don’t have to pay the pledge,” she said. “But as it turns out, everyone pays their pledge anyway. It’s informal for sure, but it’s a fun way to raise money, and we’re probably going to get close to our goal.”

Grove added, “We were looking at an opportunity to expand the scope of the race and make more money (for the Land Trust). It has certainly grabbed the imagination of more people, as evidenced by the outpouring of cash.”

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com