Planners look ahead to 2023
The Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay (KCIBR) board decided on Monday to cancel the June bike race linking Haines and the Yukon for the third straight year due to challenges associated with the pandemic.
“The two main barriers were that the city of Haines Junction and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations don’t want any non-discretionary travel in their territory right now. And also the requirements to get into Canada are going to be too hard to satisfy,” said KCIBR board president Rob Welton.
In a normal year, two-thirds of the race’s riders are from Whitehorse, Welton said, adding that currently in Whitehorse coronavirus PCR tests are limited, so riders would have trouble meeting Canada’s border testing requirement.
The race was canceled in 2020 and 2021. Last year the board organized a virtual event; participants completed the eight 30-kilometer legs wherever they wanted over a span of nine days in mid-June. Welton said it was fun but required organizational work and only about 40 people participated, so the board decided not to host another virtual race this spring.
The race normally draws 1,200 to 1,300 participants, composing about 220 relay teams, Welton said.
Thom Ely, who established the race in 1993, called the cancellation “unfortunate” but said he understands the board’s decision. “It’s a wonderful event, and I hope that it gets back to normal here as soon as possible,” Ely said.
The board postponed a decision on this year’s race several times. “We kept delaying and hoping for better news (about COVID), and things seem better now but we felt we couldn’t put the decision off for another month and have enough time to put the race together,” Welton said.
“It was a difficult decision but the health of all those involved is the highest concern,” local KCIBR board member Richard Clement wrote in an email to the CVN.
More information about the event and the board’s statement on this year’s cancellation can be found at http://www.kcibr.org.
“I know everyone looks forward to it every year, and don’t lose faith because we’re committed to putting it on next summer,” Welton said.