Though the series may have gotten off to a slow start, the cyclists who came to race Tuesday night at the Orange County Speedway pedaled pretty darn fast.

Only about a dozen devoted bikers, all of them men, showed up at the 3/8-mile track, more commonly used for motorized racing, for the first event in the Twilight Points Race Series.

If you're not involved in the cycling world -- a world of fanatics addicted to soaring heart rates, aching muscles and clean-shaven legs -- a dozen entrants might seem like a fine turnout, especially given that it was a weeknight and was still 90 degrees when the races started around 6:30 p.m.

But many competitions draw upwards of 50 bikers, and this race had been capped at 75. The low turnout was blamed in part on there being another race that same evening in Winston-Salem. Besides, it was the first race of its kind at the Orange County Speedway -- the country track on N.C. 57 outside Rougemont, near where Orange, Durham and Person counties meet.

There will be two more races in the series, on July 1 and 15.

"It's starting out small but every event starts out small," said Mac Canon, president of the Carolinas Cycling Association and that night's chief judge.

Those who came cycled at speeds averaging more than 27 mph during a heart-pounding 40 minutes, going around the track 55 times. Their heavily muscled legs resembled loaves of brioche, and sweat poured down their spandex-covered bodies.

A video camera was set up at the finish line to make sure Canon, and Judy Rhyne, the chief referee, scored accurately.

The cyclists worked to accumulate points that would affect their rankings with the USA Cycling Association.

A points race is not simply a race to the finish line. Along the way, cyclists get points for each lap in which they finish in first or second place, for finishing in the top five during the occasional "sprint" lap (which was signaled by a bell), and for lapping the pack on the tight, steeply banked track designed for stock cars.

Series organizer Mike Vandy said he thinks the two races that are left will draw more of a crowd. These races should draw many folks from the Triangle who otherwise trek to the Triad, where most local races are held.

"The word's not out yet," said Vandy, who placed second in Tuesday's second race for the 'A' class bikers, those most advanced. The first race combined the 'B' and 'C' classes because of the small turnout.

Durham residents Chris Oishi and Adam Haile were happy to have an event in their backyard -- it's hard to drive an hour to a race on a weeknight.

"It's a fun thing to do on a Tuesday night," Haile said. Before the race began, the two "B" classers changed into their racing outfits and warmed up by tooling around the track for a bit. Haile went on to finish second, Oishi fourth.

There was only one spectator -- a lone wife, Ginny Lawrence, a cyclist herself who came to watch her husband, Dan, compete. He needed three more points to go from a Category 3 to a "cat 2" -- and he hoped his third-place finish would get him there.

"Come on guys," she yelled as her husband and a few other cyclists zoomed past. "Work together." The Lawrences are in Raleigh for the summer only. They drove all the way from St. Louis rather than flying so they could bring their bikes.

Working together in a race with fewer competitors presents challenges, Vandy said. The fewer bikers there are, the more headwinds on the track. It's smarter to "draft," or follow in someone's wake, to cut down on your own drag. In larger events, it's easier to draft by default.

It also can be easier to get hurt, especially if novice cyclists are competing. Many of the bikers present Tuesday night had some form of scar, bandage or both to show for a recent spill. Others, like Vandy, had older war wounds. His left ankle is scarred and bows out quite a bit, but he's lucky. He survived being hit by a car during a race back in 1991, and after a 12-year hiatus from the sport, has become competitive again.

"It's the fitness," he says, that got him back in the saddle, "but it's also addictive."

Having only a dozen bikers made it easier for those who needed a break to step aside. Some, realizing they weren't going to place, made way for those still pushing hard on the inner loop of the track.

When it was all over, the guys agreed to forgo their prize money that evening. Vandy paid $200 to rent the course, and the entry fee was only $15 per person. If the award money were handed out, Vandy would have lost a lot.

But it wasn't about the money. Some bikers competed in both races that night -- workout junkies getting their fix.