Avid mountain bikers and accomplished multi-sport athletes alike rose to the forefront as the SDSSAA Mountain Bike circuit recently wrapped up their competitive fall race schedule at Walden Trails and Kivi Park.

And while the best of the best can more than hold their own with some very talented off-road cyclists in the province, their greater source of pride when it comes to the high-school events is seeing numbers grow as more and more Sudbury teenagers are willing to test their skills against the natural terrain of the area.

"I just like the atmosphere here," said Josh Rioux, a 17 year-old grade 12 student at St Charles College who captured the senior boys race in Naughton and slipped behind only Ryan Elgie from Korah at the NOSSA competition a week later at Kivi Park.

"I like just attending these events, helping to get the word out and try and be nice and helpful to the riders so they come back," added Rioux.

"I have a couple of friends that race here and I try and encourage them."

Beyond his involvement with the high-school MTB scene, Rioux is also making waves at Enduro events, placing well recently in North Bay but truly fascinated by the possibilities of putting himself to the test on true mountain settings in Western Canada.

Picking up first place finishes at both of the SDSSAA and NOSSA competitions, Lo-Ellen Park senior Megan Pineau would list both cross-country running and nordic skiing ahead of her love for the mountain bike setting, though she clearly has a proficiency in all of the above.

"It's definitely not my main sport (MTB) but I did it today with a couple of friends," she Pineau, besting the duo of Sasha Gilchrist (LEP) and Amara Wilson-Zegil (Manitoulin) by about 90 seconds or so in Walden.

"I have a great friend who lent me her bike today so I could race - and Mr Ward (LEP XC head coach Colin Ward) suggested we do it for off-day training for cross-country."

"It's a great way to get exercise and fresh air on my non-running days."

Still, with traditional fall weather in northern Ontario in the offing, the scenic mountain bike loop just west of Lively is not without challenges.

"It was definitely more muddy than I expected, especially when I was turning, and I just fell over," said Pineau, addressing her outfit that had clearly dealt with a tumble along the way.

"Overall, the trails were in really good condition," she added. "This is a much easier course than Manitoulin, which is a lot bumpier."

Following is a list of top-end finishers for the SDSSAA race in Walden earlier this month:

Novice Girls
1st - Adele Gervais (Horizon)
2nd - Aria Roy (Horizon)
3rd - Sarah Joyce (Manitoulin)

Novice Boys
1st - Blake Trottier (Horizon)
2nd - Matti Koski (St Benedict)
3rd - Nicholas Long (Lo-Ellen)
4th - Joe Zito (Lo-Ellen)
5th - I. Cisternos de los Reyes (Lo-Ellen)

Junior Girls
1st - Charlotte Seguin (Lo-Ellen)
2nd - Annabelle Denomme (Horizon)

Junior Boys
1st - Nathan Quackenbush (Manitoulin)
2nd - Jett Gasteiger (Lo-Ellen)
3rd - Fisher Picken (Lo-Ellen)
4th - David Joyce (Manitoulin)
5th - Ashton McConnell (Lo-Ellen)

Senior Boys
1st - Josh Rioux (St Charles)
2nd - Gord Farrell (Lockerby)
3rd - Eden Abols (Lockerby)
4th - Julian Luoma (Lo-Ellen)
5th - Isaac Quackenbush (Manitoulin)