Organizers say Kluane-Chilkat Bike Relay and Fishermen’s Barbecue were a success

Riders in the annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay headed out of cool, wet weather in Haines Junction and toward a hot, sunny finish in Haines, Alaska. (Lex Treinen/for the Chilkat Valley News)

By many accounts, it was mostly sunny, pleasant ride for Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay cyclists over the weekend.

New race coordinator Monika Kozlerova said there were no major incidents, and just a few bear sightings.

“The ambulance crews said they were sitting around and tanning all day,” Kozlerova said. “Honestly, it went so smoothly that even the old-timers told me they haven’t had a race like this in a long time.”

She and others at the Fishermen’s Barbecue in Haines said it also seemed as though people finished rapidly this year, with the first ones rolling in between 2-3 p.m. – likely aided by a tailwind out of Haines Junction.

“Everyone was super fast on the start line,” Kozlerova said.

She said there was almost no wind on the Haines Summit, so it was easy and fast to get through there as well.

“It was like a nice breeze,” she said. “I saw girls biking in bras and shorts.”

Kozlerova said the race started in Haines Junction with a moment of silence for a cyclist who was killed in a hit-and-run in Whitehorse on June 13. He was supposed to be volunteering at checkpoint 1.

Larry Jurgeleit holds the grill open as Mike Denker checks salmon fillets during the annual fisherman’s community barbecue on Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Haines, Alaska. (Rashah McChesney/Chilkat Valley News)

A few thousand people headed to the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds for the annual fishermen’s community barbecue.

Harry Reitze, of Haines Packing Company which donated and processed all of the fish, said they went through 700 lbs of grilled coho and 225 lbs of fried ling cod.

“Based on plates, I think it was between 2,400-2,500 people,” said Southeast Alaska State Fair executive director Amanda Randles.

Randles said she thinks the crowd was quite a bit larger this year than it was in previous years.

“I ordered 2,000 plates because that has been enough in the past,” she said. “I will not make that mistake again.”

Randles said they were down a few volunteers, which generally happens on a sunny day, so it was a bit of a scramble for the ones who showed up. But, they had just a small amount of food leftover and it seemed like everyone had a great time.

Rashah McChesney - Chilkat Valley News