The annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay, a 148.4-mile race between Haines Junction and Haines, arrives in town Saturday afternoon.
The event draws racers from as far away as Fairbanks and Seattle and allows riders to compete solo or in relay teams of up to eight riders. After an early morning start in Haines Junction, racers ride up and over the pass, descend down the Haines Highway, where road work is paused for the day, then finish at the fort.
The race is in its third decade but only recently returned from a three-year COVID hiatus. Despite the break, organizers feel the race now has its momentum back, and competitors have been posting fast times. Last year, solo winner Tyson Flaharty, of Fairbanks, finished in just over six hours and 17 minutes, 22 minutes off the race record of 5:55:55. That was his second straight KCIBR win. Flaharty, who first rode in the race as a teenager almost two decades ago, will be back to defend his title.
On the women’s side, last year’s winner Heather Clarke, of Whitehorse, was just two minutes off the 6:58:11 women’s record set by Haines’ Jenn Walsh in 2013. Walsh returns and was Haines’ top finisher last year, even though she said the race “wasn’t competitive” because she was coming off of four marathons, an ultra-marathon, and a triathlon. She doesn’t plan to break any new records this year either, as she’s coming off a February hip replacement, but will be riding.
Even without Walsh in the mix, riders of that caliber, like Flaharty and Clarke, have a good shot at historic times this year, especially because they may be getting some outside help from the weather.
Bike relay board members Rob Welton and Richard Clement said they were hopeful a favorable weather forecast would hold steady for the weekend. That includes sun, but also notable winds. Ordinarily in the race, cyclists spend most of the day punching through a headwind, but in recent days winds have reversed course and are instead blowing south. That would mean a tailwind for racers – a big factor in a sport where aerodynamics are at a premium.
“We’ve been doing this race for 30 some years, and a tailwind has happened only three or four times,” Clement said. “That’s when records are broken.”
In another notable change, this year’s course will have a new finishing route due to construction on Second Avenue. Instead of riding the usual gradual uphill towards Mud Bay Road, cyclists will instead have to climb Totem Street to the finish line. That should be popular with spectators, packing more drama into a tighter stretch around the finish. It might be less popular with riders, who will have to muscle their way up the steep incline with a full day of riding already in their legs. Organizers say the route change also avoids the dangerous intersection at Mud Bay Road.
After the race, mayor Tom Morphet will preside over a ceremony for the winners, which will be at the Fisherman’s Barbecue at the fairgrounds. That’s another first, as the ceremony has previously been held near the finish line.
Even for experienced riders, the relay can be unique. The race format, with large teams and e-bikes allowed, draws racers at a variety of speeds and experience levels. That can be a challenge, Clement said, when riding alongside cyclists who aren’t used to group riding. When cyclists are packed in tight, unexpected movements can cause big domino-chain crashes. The course is also notable for the potentially wide range of climates it includes. That can be hard to dress for, Clement said.
While those contingencies are difficult to plan for, Clement said the ideal race plan is well-established, and it hinges on the first stretch of the course.
“The trick to winning the race is to get a good start,” Clement said. “It’s uphill, and you need to be ready to go at the starting line so that you can get into a good group up the climb.”
Because of the aerodynamics of cycling, racers are far faster riding in a group. Which group you find yourself in, and how fast that group is, Clement said, usually shakes out in that first stretch. Moving up between groups later on expends extra energy.
As for mindset in tackling that opening challenge, Clement’s was simple: “I just hate to see people getting smaller in front of me,” Clement said. “They should be getting bigger.”
Flaharty said he would also be focusing on climbing sections, but more specifically the large climbs about 40 miles into the race. “When you get to the bigger hills around 40 miles, usually they hit those climbs pretty hard and it thins out,” Flaharty said. “You see who’s left and go from there.”
Flaharty said he’s been focusing on longer races, like his recent win at the Iditarod Trail Invitational, which he completed in 1 day, 20 hours, and 53 minutes. Compared to that, the six-hour bike relay is practically a sprint. Regardless, Flaharty said the approach remains the same: “You just take it one mile at a time and hope you can hang on,” Flaharty said.
Even after cresting the big climbs, the best positioned, fastest riders still have hours of work left to do. Clement said that one of his big advances in the past year has been perfecting a fuel strategy: not gasoline, but rather quick, easy calories to consume while riding. There’s a secret homemade energy bar recipe Clement said he has been dialing in over recent months, but he categorically refused to share the full details of his proprietary blend.
He was, however, willing to give two tips to others hoping to make their own bars.
First, Clement revealed that a key ingredient is Nutella. Second, he said consistency is key; too crumbly and a rider has to over-consume water to swallow the bar. Too sticky, and the food ends up less in the rider’s stomach, and more on hands and handlebars.
The other board member, Welton, is also a strong rider. Compared to Clement, however, Welton was less focused on getting things exactly right, and said his competitive days were behind him.
“It’s all about getting out there together,” Welton said. “This event is about the long-term friendships and the people you meet on the road.”
That sentiment was echoed even by Flaharty at the front of the pack. “It’s a special race, and if you’re not going to enjoy it I don’t know why you’re out there,” Flaharty said, before adding a caveat:
“But winning is fun too.”