The 23rd Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay is all about safety and solos.

Ninety-three riders are registered to take on the 149-mile (240-kilometer) ride, up from 63 who registered last year.

Dan Humphrey of Haines is a two-time solo finisher, who also has raced on teams of 8, 4, 3 and 2 riders.

“Riding solo is a personal test. People want to see how they can do without a teammate. It’s a good measure of your strength. It’s an accomplishment, and you get bragging rights,” Humphrey said.

Jenn Walsh won the women’s solo race and finished it twice. She said Haines solo riders have a home-team advantage. They know the course and starting about halfway, they get a boost of applause from local checkpoint officials.

“I figured I needed to go 80 miles, then I was in the home stretch,” Walsh said.

Only 45 of 63 solo riders registered last year made it to the finish line. Headwinds battered riders most of the day. “A lot in this race depends on which way the wind is blowing,” said Gina St. Clair, a veteran of Haines four-person teams.

Besides winds that have blown riders into each other, causing wrecks, weather hazards from past relays have included sunburn and frostbite.

Logistical changes to this year’s race include 40 minutes added between start times for teams, a shift intended to reduce vehicle congestion and eliminate a bottleneck at race check point #2.

“We’re trying to spread everybody out. Last year we still had what we thought was some really poor driving, especially with people trying to get around riders,” said Judy Ewald, a member of the event’s board of directors.

Relay organizers also encourage participants to use the minimum number of support cars, Ewald said. “Some eight-person teams have cut back to one or two cars. There’s been a lot of effort to try to cut that back because it helps reduce congestion and accidents around checkpoints.”

Ewald said team captains should familiarize themselves with diagrams provided by the race about bicycle and car safety guidelines. Teams can be disqualified or face time penalties for not adhering to safety and traffic rules.

This year’s relay is a convergence of newcomers and weathered old-timers. Race veteran Chip Lende, 58, of Haines, is back after suffering a broken pelvis, punctured lung and three broken ribs in a crash during last year’s relay.

Lende’s hip now is held together with metal pieces, said wife and teammate Heather, 56, who herself was run over by a car while riding around Haines a few years ago.

“Chip promised me we’re just riding for fun. Of course you always do your best because of the adrenaline rush, but we’re not going to do our crazy best,” Heather said.

Newcomers include solo rider Jim O’Neil, 66, of Box Elder, South Dakota. O’Neil said he heard about the event on a trip to Alaska and came to Haines this year just to make the ride. A veteran of marathon mountain-bike races, O’Neil said he’s looking forward to the race’s challenge, as well as its sweeping mountain landscapes.

The relay has come a long way since its inception in 1993 as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the construction of the international road between the two cities. That event saw about 200 riders, mostly teams of eight, with many riders on mountain bikes.

“We’re still pushing eight-person teams,” Ewald said. “The main purpose of the relay is to get people out riding bikes.”

For more information, go to http://www.kcibr.org.