After three weeks, the Yukon High School Mountain Bike series is heating up.
Thirty-three riders saddled up for the third race of the four-race series, which was hosted jointly by Vanier and FH Collins on Grey Mountain Road on Wednesday.
The Grade 8 division had 16 riders on the course, and FH’s Trevor Hanna led the pack over four laps of trail, finishing in front after two third-place finishes in the previous races.
Hanna is now tied with Logan Roots for first place.
Roots lost some ground this week after winning the first two races. He finished out of the top four.
In the Grade 9/10 division FH Collins’ riders continue to dominate — Logan Kleedehn finished first, followed by Lee Hawkings and Nathan O’Grady.
In the points standings, Kleedehn pulled away from O’Grady after being tied for first last week, while Hawkings now sits in third.
In the Grade 11/12 division, Troy Henry, of FH Collins, is nearly unopposed, as he posted his third straight win.
Porter Creek’s Ryan McLaren finished second for the third time as well. While Graedon Ferguson, of Porter Creek, posted a third-place finish.
Henry leads the points race over McLaren, with Ecole Emilie Tremblay’s Olivier Roy- Jauvin and Vanier’s Doug Ponsioen tied for third.
FH’s Taylor Hannah is tied for first in the open girls division with Casey Lane, both posted an unopposed first-place finish in a single race.
Next week (October 4th) is the last race, and the RCMP designed course will run in the Chadburn Lake Road and Nisutlin Road area.
Points standings after three races:
Grade 8
1st Trevor Hanna, FHC, 22
Logan Roots, FHC, 22
2nd Adrian Hawkings, FHC, 16
3rd Jack Lanigan, PCSS, 12
Tyler Wynnyk, VCSS, 12
Grade 9/10
1st Logan Kleedehn, FHC, 26
2nd Nathan O’Grady, FHC, 22
3rd Lee Hawkings, FHC, 18
Grade 11/12
1st Troy Henry, FHC, 30
2nd Ryan McLaren, PCSS, 24
3rd Olivier Roy-Jauvin, EET, 14
Doug Ponsioen, VCSS, 14
Open girls
1st Casey Lane, FHC, 10
Taylor Hannah, FHC, 10
Intersport fun run
Despite the chilly temperatures, 17 walkers and runners turned out for the last Intersport Fun Run/Walk event for the season.
The fastest male on the five-kilometre course was Luke Carlos in a time of 17:22; the fastest female was Sandra Orban in a time of 21:53.
(The last Athletics Yukon hosted event for the season is the Yukon Cross Country Championships, this Sunday, October 1. This event will be held on the Mt. McIntyre Ski Trails (upper parking lot), registration time at 11:30 a.m. and race start at 12 p.m.)
Results:
Women’s five-kilometre run
1st Sandra Orban, 21:53
2nd Elyn Jones, 24:09
3rd Nicole Hulstein, 30:37
Women’s five-kilometre walk
1st Maggie Griffiths, 39:08
2nd Susan Dennehy, 39:08
3rd Karin Keeley, 39:52
4th Doris Dart, 40:22
Men’s five-kilometre run
1st Luke Carlos, 17:22
2nd Keith Thaxter, 19:31
3rd Rob McConnell, 19:55
4th Don White, 20:13
5th Chris Locke, 20:56
Men’s five-kilometre walk
1st Rick Griffiths, 36:05
2nd Lorne Whittaker (4-km),
38:08
Gold panning championships
The Klondyke Gold Panning Association and the Klondike Visitors Association announced that the 2007 World Gold Panning Championships will be held in Dawson City August 20 to 26, 2007.
The event is expected to draw competitors from around the world as well as local sourdoughs and our Alaskan neighbours.
These annual championships are held in a location chosen by the World Gold Panning Association and provide international exposure.
Last year’s event was hosted by Tankavarra, Finland. The 2008 event will be held in Navelgas, Spain.
Check out www.dawsoncity.ca for more information.