If you're a local cyclist looking for end-of-season contest options, two more events promise a return to the road and a chance to beat the coming cold.

Local cycling club VeloNorth will be hosting two races. First, the annual time trial along the North Klondike Highway, will take place Sunday, while the second, the grueling 19-km hill climb in Skagway, is set for Sept. 4.

Both are timed events, which will give contestants a chance to test their personal best against the top local competition.

Sunday's race follows a similar event held on the North Klondike Highway in May. Cyclists will use the same course with the addition of an extra five-km stretch, offering contestants a chance to end the season with a punch.

The events are both in their fifth year and are still relatively new to the local sports calendar. Though both are expected to draw a solid number of local competitors, it's the Skagway hill climb that has organizers anticipating a big finish to this year's event calendar.

"The Skagway hill climb is an epic thing,” Michael McCann, an organizer with VeloNorth, said Thursday.

"The race is only one hour and you're just grinding up the whole way to the top of the hill.”

The short challenge is not for the faint of heart. All about endurance, the climb takes riders from an elevation of about 50 feet to nearly 200 in about 60 minutes.

This year, competitors are expected from both the Yukon and Alaska.

As for this weekend's competition, McCann says contestants should expect sunny weather and near-perfect riding conditions, though if you're looking for a leisurely Sunday ride, you may not find it on the

North Klondike. Headwinds are expected, which should add an extra level of challenge to the event.

Sunday's race will begin at 11 a.m. with sign ups for the event taking place at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the gas station at the junction of the Takhini Hot Springs Road and the North Klondike HIghway.

A race start time for the Sept. 4 Skagway hill climb has yet to be announced.