The racers in the High School Mountain Bike Series were chilly as they waited in the rain for their division to start on Wednesday afternoon, but they kept up the excitement well into the evening for the awards ceremony that followed the final race.

The big prize to be given away – an iPod Nano was looming over their heads as they powered through the cold track on the Chadburn Lake Rd. This race, hosted by Vanier Catholic Secondary School travelled trough dense forest and out across a forestry road, and back through the brush, weaving along power lines to the finish.

There was some confusion with the first division to start, the Grade 8 and open girls when they didn't weave back across the forestry road and into the bush again.

After the first lap, which took 11 minutes for the first and second place riders Shea Hoffman and Aiden Allen who took the proper course, it was decided the tiny short cut the other riders took would be accepted.

Hoffman, the first place winner for the final three races says he enjoyed the longer race better than the quick laps the first three races had.

"It's better if its full length,” he said. The racer, who biked throughout the summer says the longer the race is the more it pays to be prepared.

"Doing quite a bit of biking helps with the races,” he said.

Hoffman did not compete in the first race, where Aiden Allen won in the Grade 8 division. The new scoring system gave each rider points based on their placement.

Allen ended with 37 points for his first place and three seconds, and Hoffman achieved 30 for his three first places.

Scorekeeper Gilles Ménard says it pays to show up to all four races in the series.

While Hoffman has been mountain biking for awhile, some students competed with little experience, which Ménard says is great.

"It's a fun event, not so much a competition,” he said. The races cater to students who may not fit the mould of the regular team sports at school such as volleyball or basketball.

Ménard says it is unfortunate the number of older students has dropped this year, but younger racers came in to fill in the gaps this year.

"I like the participation of our younger crowd,” he said.

One of the closest divisions to watch was the girls, with only four competitors Wednesday's race was won by Rebecca Gaetz. Sara Burke-Forsythe and Adrianna Anttila had fought for first place since the first race of the season, and were within a few points of each other leading into the final race.

"It was good,” said Gaetz. "I didn't expect to win.”

The entire girl's division were part of the pack that made a wrong turn and ended up on the road.

This wasn't Gaetz' first participation in the high school mountain bike races, and it won't be her last.

"I come back every year,” she said.

The Vanier student bikes as a hobby and runs competitively. "I go biking a lot with my dad,” she said. "I do a lot of sports.”

Once the final racer came in the prizes began to be handed out. The students were full of excitement, hoping to have their names pulled for one of the prizes, donated by Phillippe's Bike Shop and Icycle Sport.

The biggest prize of the night to be awarded to a racer who competed in at least three of the four races, the iPod nano, was won by Martin Brenner, a Grade 8 student from F.H. Collins Secondary School.

2009 High School Mountain Bike Race Series Results

Grade 8

1. Aiden Allen E.E.T. 37

2. Shea Hoffman P.C.S.S. 30

3. Etienne Geoffroy E.E.T. 25

4. Findlay Sparling F.H.C. 22

5. Craig Berube F.H.C. 17

6. Martin Brenner F.H.C. 14

7. Sage Verrier-Siska F.H.C. 11

8. Brock Arcand Vanier 8

9. Andrew Crist Vanier 8

10. Liam Mostyn F.H.C. 8

11. Jake Duncan P.C.S.S. 6

9.Travis McCallum F.H.C. 6

1. Trace Bowers-Couture F.H.C 1

Grade 9/10

1. Simon Geoffroy E.E.T. 38

2. Elliot Berg Vanier 32

3. Josh Kelly P.C.S.S. 28

4. Logan Godin F.H.C. 24

5. Nigel Sinclair-Eckert P.C.S.S. 20

6. Francis Belanger E.E.T. 15

7. Kevin Salesse F.H.C. 11

8. Tyler Dewer F.H.C. 9

9. Jaxson Pierce F.H.C. 8

10. Chris Greek Vanier 6

11. Brydon Kulych P.C.S.S. 6

12. Dylan Sands P.C.S.S. 4

13. Thomas Mostin F.H.C. 3

14. Anatol Tuzelack P.C.S.S. 3

15. Calanhan Guidolin P.C.S.S. 3

16. Chris Fisher P.C.S.S. 1

Open Girls

1. Sara Burke-Forsythe F.H.C. 37

2. Adrianna Anttila F.H.C. 36

3. Rebecca Gaetz Vanier 26

4. Melissa Boare F.H.C. 15

Grade 11/12

1. Jason Zrum P.C.S.S. 25

2. Donald Fortune Vanier 25

3. Kelsey Schmidt P.C.S.S. 20

4. Logan Boehmer P.C.S.S. 17

5. Malcolm Bootroyd F.H.C. 10

6. Conor Oliver-Beebe F.H.C. 9

BMX

1. Alidas Jamnicky F.H.C. 40

2. Nathan Seifert F.H.C. 36