Yukon-Alaska bike relay set to mark 25th year, following 2017 cancellation

The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay was set to mark its 25th anniversary last year. But, June snow in Haines Junction caused the event to be cancelled. Now, the 2018 race will mark the quarter century anniversary. 

Just over 1,200 riders and 200 volunteers are expected to participate in this year’s bicycle race from Haines Junction, in the Yukon, to Haines Alaska.

“It is round two,” says race coordinator Mike Kramer. “We’re calling it the 25th anniversary again. Because we really did not have the 25th last year.”

Participants race in teams of two, four, or eight. Some take on the trek solo.

The journey along the Haines Highway is nearly 150 miles, taking runnings over a mountain pass. The weather can be variable, and sometimes surprising.

“It’s still the same race, the same highway. Whatever mother nature throws at us, hopefully without the snow,” says Kramer.

In 2017, the race was called off after organizers and participants woke up to a blanket of snow on the ground where the event starts in Haines Junction.

Despite the cancellation, one group of riders completed the entire race, on unicycles.

The team asked organizers to add an official unicycle category. But Kramer says, while the request was considered, it just wouldn’t work for this race. Though, unicyclists can still participate, unofficially.

“The unicycles, hats off to what they did last year and what they do on a regular basis but because of their slower travel speed, it’s not something that fits into our event. Because we are confined between our 8:15 a.m. start in Whitehorse and our 9 p.m. Alaska time finish in Haines,” says Kramer.

While Kramer hopes snow won’t be an issue, there is one road condition organizers are concerned about: ongoing construction on the Haines Highway.

“It’s a two-mile section and right now our understanding is up to one mile of that could be of a fairly coarse material that’s up to four inches in diameter,” says Kramer. “And so that’s a concern. The rest of it would be just compacted gravel.”

To ensure safety of the riders, Kramer says they will be presented with a few options.

“They can try to ride through there if they’ve got a road bike that’s got wider tires on it,” says Kramer. “They can switch to a mountain bike. And if neither of those things feel safe to them, then they also have the option of having the support vehicle pick the rider up, load the bike on, drive for the two miles, and then unload the rider and let them continue to ride.”

As always, Kramer wants to remind participants that the race is a recreational, fun event.

“There’s no big prize money,” says Kramer. “So for us the big measuring stick is that people can have a safe day during the event. So in terms of on their bikes and in their vehicles and certainly before the race starts and after the race finishes in Haines. We just want people to have a memorable weekend but memorable for all the positive things and not for anything tragic.”

The race is Saturday, June 16.