This year’s Yukon Energy Road Cycling Championships happened on May 30-June 2nd. The stage race entailed 4 events: A circuit race around Whistle Bend pond, a criterium at Titanium Way, a road race as part of the Southern Lakes Yukon Granfondo, and it finished with a time trial on the North Klondike Highway.

Although there were fewer participants than in previous years, the racing was really fun and fast.

There was one guest rider from Juneau, Will Coleman, and he took first in the expert men division. David Jackson, a Yukoner rider living in Victoria and riding for Dr. Walker Chiorpracter’s riding team was home to race and came second overall in expert men. Rod Savoie came third.

In Expert women, there was only one female, Trena Irving. Irving is coach and founder of U Kon Echelon but she raced and helped kids in their road races for Southern Lakes Granfondo. The Granfondo proved to be a windy one, and on the Carcross road, it was windy and rainy, causing difficult race conditions.

The last riders of the U Kon Echelon youth teams had great tailwinds for some of the final 50 km leg, getting them to Marsh Lake in good times.

In youth racing over the weekend, there were some good results and good news for some of the females. Mathilde Roldan and Tori Vollmer have completed their trials and are officially on the Western Canada Games cycling team for Yukon, along with Ava Irving-Staley, Mara and Aisha Roldan, and Veronica Porter.

Vollmer had a stand out time trial.

“Everything came together and today was the best cycling race ever. My spinning and pedal stroke made sense and I was going the fastest I’ve gone,” said Vollmer.

This is very positive after having a bad crash in Penticton last weekend and coming back so strong.

Other notable youth performances came from Johna Irving-Staley, finishing the tour with a strong time trial. He and Taiga Buurman were close in results with Buurman coming first in the crit and Irving-Staley just edging him out with a bit of a faster time trial.

In novice youth, Alex Lebarge completed his first stage race with vim and vigour. Lebarge rode extremely well and is able to improve his speed and riding technique in every race.

Thomas Vollmer was the youngest rider at 9 years old and he did fast racing to take first in U11 boys.

The two final road races for U Kon Echelon are today; a time trial at Carcross Corner and Wed. June 12, a final criterium at Titanium Way.