Strong headwinds slow down Yukon-Haines bike relay

The Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay marked its 25th year last weekend. And once again, weather presented a particular challenge for riders making the 150-mile trek from the Yukon to Haines. 

Matthias Purdon, from Ontario, was the first biker to cross the white finish line in Haines’ Fort Seward, breaking away from a pack of other riders.

This isn’t Purdon’s first year making the journey from Haines Junction, along the Haines Highway. He’s done it twice before. And once, like this year, he road the entire 150 miles solo.

“I did it six years ago and it was a much more challenging day than today,” says Purdon. “It was rainy and I got kind of cold. I remember being pretty beat up at the end. I always wanted to do it again solo.”

Racers can choose to ride in teams or do the whole thing. Despite going solo, Purdon says other riders were still essential to his success.

“Definitely the wind made it harder,” says Purdon. “Even when you’re following someone and drafting, there’s still that extra kind of resistance. And when you’re at the front, it’s harder. So it sort of adds up. Everyone’s a little more reserved in their riding, because you can’t get away. On your own you won’t get anywhere.”

Overall, this year’s race was slow, thanks to the wind. Mike Kramer is the race coordinator.

“I’m not a weather person, but in the 50-70 km per hour range, up around checkpoint four,” says Kramer. “We had an outhouse blow over, that’s how windy it was up there.”

According to race organizers, this year’s fastest riders finished more than an hour later than the 2016 winners.

“I think the snow we had last year got traded in for a very very strong headwind, which made it very challenging for riders,” says Kramer.

The 25th anniversary race was supposed to take place in 2017. But the event was cancelled amid June snow in Haines Junction.

Kramer estimates 50-70 teams were not able to finish this year’s race.

The other obstacle this year? Road conditions on the U.S. side of the race. There is ongoing construction on the Haines Highway. And a section of the road is variable, with uneven gravel.

But, Purdon says he prepared for it, and it wasn’t an issue.

“I put new tires on because I knew that my old ones probably wouldn’t make it through without getting flat,” says Purdon. “You can ride gravel with a road bike.”

Overall, Kramer says the quarter century race was “safe, but very hard.”