Revised - The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay (KCIBR) is finally back after a four year hiatus.

It will start June 17 in Haines Junction and finish in Haines, Alaska.

The team registration, which includes two, four and eight person teams, is full but solo registration is still open to anyone who wants to join.

The Star spoke to the race coordinator, Mia Lee on Wednesday.

“It is still open to solo riders because that’s a really long distance and a lot of people aren’t sure whether they can do the distance, so they have until May the 12th to register.”

Lee said there isn’t a maximum number of solo riders.

“It really depends on our numbers. Our cap is 1200 riders. And that will fluctuate a little bit with the solo riders, but it kind of all balances out in the wash in the end.”

However, according to a KCIBR press release, any interested teams are encouraged to check the KCIBR Facebook page for updates towards the end of May and early June, as some registered teams may choose to sell their spot.

When asked about the fees to get in this race, Lee said, “The early bird registration fee was at $85 per rider. And whether you had five people on your eight person team it doesn’t matter. You still had to pay for eight spots.”

The regular fee, $95 per rider, kicked in March 22.

“What’s included is also an amazing barbecue salmon dinner in Haines Alaska, at the Alaska State Fairgrounds. It’s a fantastic dinner, and it’s definitely worth going to.”

People can also purchase a race T-shirt for $25.

Registration filled up quickly.

“So just to give you an idea, in the first four hours of registration being open, we were half full. And in two days, we were three quarters full. And then it tapered off. And then slowly but surely, people were starting to add teams. And then when people realized, ‘oh, there’s only 12 spots left’, it was sold out. And that was last Wednesday.”

When asked about the four year race absence, Lee said, “We’ve been cancelled for three years because of COVID. But we also had the extra added challenge of being a cross border event. So we hummed and hawed last year as to whether we could put the race on and there was just too much uncertainty with the border. We just decided ‘nope, we’re gonna come back full on when COVID is over and done with’, and now all the restrictions are lifted, and it’s just regular border crossing.”

The race ended up being cancelled in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

“The race, in its history, since starting in 1993, has run every year except 2017. Everybody knows that year; that was the snow year. And so the race was cancelled the day COVID hit in 2020, and it was too complicated to run it in 2021 and 2022.”

Regarding the snowfall, Lee said, “It was quite surprising. I was a race official. Mike Kramer was the race coordinator and I remember five o’clock in the morning poking my head out the door and looking down the way and Mike poking his head out the door and it was a bit of a surprise.”

There are no qualifications required for this race but you are expected to be fit enough to get to the finish line. Having said that, for the first time, e-bikes are allowed but placings with e-bikes won’t count. Lee described the race route.

“Well it is about 240 km long. And there’s a variety of terrain for sure. Leg three has a nice steep uphill so that’s the grunt. So broken down, there are eight legs. Leg one is 19 km. It’s the shortest one and it goes from Haines Junction to the Kathleen Lake pullout and it’s pretty gradual, like a gentle uphill. It’s not too difficult. So for anyone who’s new to this, that would be a good ride for them to try. “Leg two is the longest leg and that takes you into the headwinds of Dezadeash Lake, in most cases. It’s commonly a headwind because we’re heading southbound.

“Leg three, as I said, is the grunt. It’s almost 25 km long and that takes you up around Million Dollar Falls. Leg three is a climb and leg four is the climb. They’re both up. And then leg five would be my favourite because it’s on the plateau. So it’s just like stunning scenery. That’s another long one. It’s about 31 and a half km. So up and down, up and down, but like nothing too serious.

“And leg six is the downhill coming down the other side. So people go screaming down. Leg seven is the flats because once you come down the hill, you don’t have a lot of hills. But you get the afternoon headwind. That one is 37, almost 38 km long. So it’s almost as long as leg two. Leg six takes you to checkpoint six. And then right after that you’re crossing the border. So you’re going through U.S. Customs. They all have to stop. And once you get to checkpoint seven, then you’re riding leg eight into Haines where the finish line is.”

Lee was asked how it felt to finally hold the race after a four-year hiatus. “Oh my God. I don’t know how to describe it. I mean, I’m overwhelmed. There was a lot of planning to do and there have been challenges. But you know, securing the highway permits and all that kind of stuff, I mean, now it’s a reality. It’s like ‘yeah, it’s definitely happening, the race is full.’ That was very exciting. That part was really great for all of us, but myself and all the board members are just really relieved and very, very happy that this event is back on track.”