On July 3, 1993, a bicycle relay was held between Haines Junction, Y.T. and Haines, Alaska to celebrate the 50th birthday of the road that links the two communities, part of a four-day international celebration dubbed “Dalton Trail Days.”
Held on the same day as the the grand opening of the Dalton City attraction at the fairgrounds, the first Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay drew 166 riders on 34 teams, including 110 Canadians.
More than half of competitors rode mountain bikes or hybrids, and others switched to mountain bikes at 30 Mile Haines Highway to navigate two miles of gravel surface.
“This has tremendous potential,” Skagway tourism director Bob Ward said after the relay’s first running. But the event launched humbly, with a starting line in a parking lot behind Haines Junction’s statue known as the “wildlife muffin,” and some riders carrying lunch in paniers.
“Some people had an idea and put it together and now look where it is,” race coordinator Mike Kramer said this week.
Organizers expect as many as 1,354 riders and 344 teams at this year’s 25th running of the race, including 92 making the ride solo, 98 teams with eight riders, 95 teams of four and 49 teams of two.
Overall, the race has sped up, teams have shrunken down, and the event has become more popular. Registration sells out more quickly each year and mountain bikes have become a rare sight.
“There are more people who’ve done it every year and more people who moved here and heard about it. And there’s a significant number of people looking for a tour to ride in,” Kramer said.
Events like the KCIBR are becoming more common, but the hospitality of people and the ride’s scenery lock in its appeal, Kramer said. That it remains just a regional event is intentional.
Organizers have chosen to not promote the event outside the region and have even passed up chances for big-name sponsorships, said Dave Ringle, a past president of the relay’s board of directors.
“If you got all elite riders, it would take (the race) somewhere different, and the focus would be on performance instead of participation. We decided if we were going to err, we’d come down on the side of participation,” Ringle said. “I’d say 10 to 20 percent of the riders are competitive. The rest of us go out for a good time.”
The race also happens without government funding, said Chip Lende, a longtime relay rider and board member.
“What’s remarkable is that we’ve never had to ask anybody for money. It’s always been self-sustaining, since its inception. I think that speaks to how much people like it. But it really has to do with volunteers. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do it.”
More than 200 people from both sides of the border volunteer and about $16,000 from entry fees go back to the community nonprofits who do the work. In that way, the race is about supporting the towns where riders live, Kramer said.
This year’s race may be the smoothest for a while. Construction work on the road, from 3 Mile to 25 Mile, is expected to be under way by the time of the 2018 relay. The work will greatly expand road shoulders that are perilously narrow in some sections.
“In the long haul, the event should be a lot safer, but in the meanwhile, we’ll have to flex with the conditions,” Kramer said.
The relay even comes with instructions for riders encountering bears, which are sighted every year. If riders have any fear, they should stop and wait for a support vehicle to get them past the bear, or use a support vehicle as a kind of shield. Or just wait and enjoy the experience, Kramer said.
“We’ve got ribbons for first, second and third place, but nobody’s riding it for the ribbons. I think that for most riders, if they have to stop for a while and watch a bear in the road, that’s just some of the gravy of the event,” he said.
For the 25th anniversary, there will be special prizes for volunteers and a small keepsake for each participant donated by Icycle Sports of Whitehorse, Y.T., Kramer said.