Not only did this year's Tour de Whitehorse see a record number of riders, 61, toe the starting line for three days of racing, but records were exceeded in some events.

As well, the General Classification in the Men's Expert Class came down to the last five kilometres of the 90-km road race held Sunday.

All in all, 49 riders raced up Robert Service Way on Friday evening in a lung-searing two-km ascent that leaves most gasping for their breath at the top.

Everything started off with a huge bang when local rider Daniel Sessford, riding in the Men's Expert Class, broke Glen Iceton's hill climb record by 25 seconds.

A scant five seconds behind Sessford was Jonah Clark and a further six seconds back was Glen Iceton. Iceton was also under the record he set last year by 14 seconds.

Saturday morning started with overcast skies and light winds from the south as 51 riders signed up for the individual time trail what is called in the world of cycling the 'race of truth'.

Covering 40 km on an out and back course, there is no hiding, there is no drafting. It's you against the clock.

Janice Sheufelt from Juneau, who was the winner of the hill climb on Friday evening by one second over Whitehorse rider Allison Furniss, extended her lead in the overall competition for Expert Women by riding an exceptionally fast 40 km in a time of one hour, five minutes and 24 seconds, almost 90 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Allison Furniss. Furniss will be competing in the upcoming Canada Summer Games for Team Yukon.

Geoff Harries, as a result of an excellent time trial, took the lead in the Sport Men category which had been led by Michael Buxton-Carr after the Friday night hill climb.

Kelly Hollingdale extended her lead in the Sport Women's competition, as did Mike Turnbill in the Junior Men's race.

In the Men's Expert Classification, John McConnochie from Juneau took the lead on the strength of his outstanding time trial effort.

McConnochie blazed the course in 56 minutes and 33 seconds just over one minute ahead of Daniel Sessford. Sessford and McConnochie were the only two riders to dip below the one-hour mark.

The Tour wrapped up on Sunday with Expert Men racing 90 km, Expert Women and Sport Men racing 80 km and Junior's and Sport Women going 70 km.

Kelly Hollingdale and Mike Turnbill maintained their leads and not only won the Stage but also ended up winning the General Classification award in the Sport Women and Junior Men's categories respectively.

It was a close-fought race in the Sport Men and Expert Women's 80 km race and at the finish a group of six riders crossed the line so close together a blanket could have covered them. Geoff Harries crossed first with Allison Furniss only inches behind, followed by Michael Buxton-Carr, Heather Enders, Bill Curtis and Janice Sheufelt.

Janice Sheufelt ended up winning the General Classification in the Expert Women's competition and Geoff Harries in the Sport Men's class.

The most exciting race of the day was the competition that took place in the Men's Expert Class. With a field size of 27 highly-motivated riders and less than one minute separating Sessford and McConnochie, and 90 km of road to cover which included two laps of the dreaded Miles Canyon Circuit, the stage was set for a war of attrition.

The first 35 km were uneventful as the Peleton stayed together and rode at a quick but controlled pace. Things changed in a hurry as Jonah Clark started to force the pace on every hill and slowly the field thinned to 18 riders with only 20 km to go.

The last 20 km consisted of two laps around the Miles Canyon loop which means steep tough hills two times.

With one lap to go, the field had been reduced to seven riders as the rest of the bunch was strung out and many looked like they were now in survival mode.

At the base of the last series of hills on the second lap, Sessford attacked what remained of the field and immediately got a gap. Forcing the pace Sessford rode in alone to a take not only the Stage but the win in the General Classification by a scant four seconds over McConnochie, who finished sixth on the Stage.

But the most impressive ride of the day has to go to David Greer.He finished third on the final 90 stage in the Men's Expert Class, fewer than 30 seconds behind Sessford.

Greer and Sessford are members of the Yukon Cycling Team that will be travelling to the Canada Summer Games, which begin Aug. 6.

Here are the top three finishers in the five categories of the Tour de Whitehorse, starting with the time trials, hill climb and then the road race: expert men: first, Daniel Sessford, 57:47, 3:28, 2:19:17, second, John McConnochie, 56:33, 3:55, 2:20:08, third, Glen Iceton 1:00:02, 3:39, 2:20:06, expert women: first, Janice Sheufelt, 1:05:24, 4:44, 2:13:52, second, Allisson Furniss, 1:08:03, third, Heather Enders, 1:08:01, 4:52, 2:13:52, sport men, first, Geoff Harries 1:04:05, 4:37, 2:13:48, second, Dan Reimer, 1:05:24, 4:39, 2:14:00, third, Darren Holcombe, 1:05:38, sport women, first, Keltie Hollingdale, 1:15:12, 5:01, 2:14:57, second, Tanya Gadsby, 1:22:08, 6:14, 2:18:19, Sheila Senger, 1:24:27, 7:12, 2:39:24, junior men: first, Mike Turnbull, 1:09:40, second, Aubin Tuzlak, 1:37:38, 5:25, 2:17:31.

This article was submitted by Mike McCann.