The Whitehorse High School Mountain Bike Series wrapped up on Wednesday with its fourth and final race of the year.
FH Collins rider Troy Henry destroyed the competition on the Riverdale powerline trail, finishing in the top spot for the fourth race in a row (a feat he also accomplished in last year’s series).
Competing in the Grade 11/12 division, Henry claimed the maximum 40 points, and a gold medal in the series, and was followed over the finish line by fellow FH Collins riders Lee Hawkings and Nansen Murray.
Hawkings and Murray finished second and third in the season points race as well.
Porter Creek’s Kelsey Kabanak also pedaled her way to a fourth win, and the maximum 40 points, in the Open Girls division.
FH’s Heidi Brook finished second, but it was her first race of the season and she didn’t make the podium.
Casey McLaren finished third, which gave her enough points to claim silver for the series, and Kelly Panchyshyn had enough points to claim the bronze, even though she didn’t race on Wednesday.
The Grade 9/10 division was a hotly contested series, with Porter Creek’s Jason Zrum and FH’s Logan Roots both winning two races.
Zrum took the series’ gold with a first place finish on Wednesday, while an absent Roots claimed silver.
The bronze was split three ways between PC’s Logan Boehmer, Jake Jacobs of Vanier and FH’s Geoffroi Bourcier (who came out nowhere with a second-place finish on Wednesday).
The largest division by far was the Grade 8 boys, and it was also the most wide open.
FH’s Brad Koprowsky recorded wins in the first and last races of the season, and that was enough to give him the series gold.
A three-way tie for silver included Vanier’s Matthew Pollard and FH Collins’ teammates William Thomson and Drew Spicer.
Ecole Emilie Tremblay’s Simon Geoffroy took the bronze, the only medal of the series for his school.
The BMX division was an all FH Collins affair, with Ben Seifert winning three of the four races and claiming the gold, while Nathan Seifert took the silver with a single win. John Krown took the bronze.
The racing series continues to grow in popularity, and plans are already being hatched for next fall’s races.
“It’s to the point now where kids coming into high school have heard about it, and they’re looking forward to it,” said organizer Chris McNeill, a teacher at FH Collins. “It’s starting to take on a life of its own.”
“We’re really thankful for all our supporters,” said Ecole Emilie Tremblay’s Manon Aubert.
“The RCMP, who have been involved since the beginning, Mount Mac for letting us use their trails, the Yukon Cycling Association and Phillippe’s Bicycle Repair for the prizes.”