Bike relay to be held for first time in four years
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TweetAn international bike relay that draws visitors from across the world is back on schedule for next June after three years off.
The Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay (KCIBR) board announced last week that the 148-mile race would be on June 17, 2023, starting in Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, and ending as usual at the Fort Seward Parade Grounds. The annual Southeast Alaska State Fair’s Fishermen’s Barbecue is after the relay, at the fairgrounds.
“There's absolutely no bike relay like this — where you adventure through the wild Canadian and Alaskan hinterlands and try to make your way to the barbecue,” said Haines resident and KCIBR board member Richard Clement.
Clement said the board also decided to add a new category next year for e-bikes. Participants racing on battery-assisted bicycles will be limited to eight-person teams. If anyone on a team — or everyone — uses an e-bike, they will be placed in that category.
There are also the usual solo, two-person and four-person relay categories. Registration will open in March. The race normally draws over 1,000 participants, composing about 220 teams. It has a registration limit of 1,200 racers.
Sign up will cost $85 per person in March, then bump up to $95 starting mid-April, Clement said.
The annual community barbecue occurred this past summer but not the bike race, which was canceled 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic-related concerns and border restrictions. Instead, in June, the board organized a virtual event; participants completed the eight 30-kilometer legs wherever they wanted over a span of nine days. The race also was canceled in 2018 because of snow.
This year, Clement said, “we're going to make sure that there's no wind, and the sun is shining, and it's 70 degrees.”
The bike relay was established 30 years ago. More information can be found at https://kcibr.org/.
