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In her first season of racing bikes, Veronica Porter is off to a strong start.

She has won both of the first races of the season, capturing her second victory Thursday night at the U Kon Echelon time trial.

Porter, 13, won the female U15 division, a 17K race along the Alaska Highway near the Carcross Cutoff, in 35:22.

鈥淚t was alright, a bit rainy,鈥� she said at the finish. 鈥淚t went a lot faster than I thought it would.鈥�

It was Porter鈥檚 first time trial race. Last week, she won her first criterium (she was the first female, while Lucas Taggart-Cox had the fastest overall time).

Conditions were not ideal for the time trial, with a headwind blowing on the riders鈥� way to the turnaround point.

鈥淭he downhills felt like uphills at some points,鈥� said Porter, who is also a member of the Yukon biathlon team. 鈥淏ut it wasn鈥檛 too bad.鈥�

A massive dark, looming cloud also opened up part-way through the race, drenching the riders.

But all of the 15 racers who started, also finished.

Oscar Setterington, who won the boys鈥� U15 division, was at his first race of the season.

鈥淚 kind of just gave it all I had and went hard on the hills because I鈥檓 better on the hills,鈥� he said. 鈥淪pun out on the flats and tried to conserve my energy on the downhills.鈥�

In time trials, racers are started individually, at an interval and race against the clock.

鈥淚 like it a lot because you鈥檙e not competing other people, you鈥檙e competing against yourself,鈥� said Setterington, who finished in 34:18. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to beat yourself and improve on how fast you can go.鈥�

The fastest rider on the course, David Jackson, did just that, beating his personal best on the course by about three minutes.

鈥淚t went really well I thought,鈥� he said after the race, covered up in a Habs rain jacket. 鈥淢y race plan was to reach the goal of being close to or under 27 minutes and I managed to do that.鈥�

Jackson finished in 27:07.

He utilized gear from his sponsorship with Whitehorse鈥檚 Cadence Cycle, using sleek, streamlined equipment and tucking into the aero bars 鈥� grips sticking up from the middle of the handlebars 鈥� to battle the headwind.

His favourite event is the time trial because he seems to excel at it and even the rain cloud couldn鈥檛 dampen his spirit.

鈥淎 little ominous, but I thought, if it rains on me, oh well, I鈥檓 used to it,鈥� he said.

And when it did finally rain on him about 5K from the finish, he thought, 鈥淚 better go faster.鈥�

The race schedule now moves north for the weekend with the Tour de Haines Junction. The tour is a three-stage race, with the hill sprint and time trial taking place Saturday and the road race taking place Sunday.

More information is available by emailing organizer Trena Irving at trenairving@gmail.com.

Time trial results

Adults: 1- David Jackson (27:07), 2- Trena Irving (33:18), 3- Stefan Gladwin (43:12). Youth U15 female: 1- Veronica Porter (35:22), 2- Ava Irvin-Staley (36:02), 3- Mollie Fraser (37:12), 4- Isla Hupe (43:28), 5- Greta Gladwin (53:51). Youth U15 male: 1- Oscar Setterington (34:18), 2- Clayton Chapman (38:16), 3- Orin Gladwin (43:09). Youth U17 male: 1- Thomas Bakica (36:48). Youth U13 female: 1- Asha Neumann Dar (40:07), 2- Anna Potvin (40:09). Youth U13 male: 1- Johna Irving -Staley (53:43).