HAINES, Alaska – Two weeks after losing the Southern Lakes Yukon Gran Fondo by inches, Joel Macht wasn’t about to let it happen again.

The 37-year-old Whitehorse cyclist emerged victorious in the 23rd annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay Saturday, out-racing younger rivals David Gonda of Whitehorse and Tyson Flaharty of Fairbanks to the finish line in Haines.

With 700 metres left to go in the 238-kilometre course, the race turned into an all-out sprint for the last three riders in the lead group.

“This is definitely the pinnacle of my athletic career,” said Macht, who finished in 7:05:08. “It was all-out to the finish. We were probably 20 or 30 metres apart, all three of us.”

Whitehorse teams were in the winner’s circle for all major categories Saturday night.

The local duo of Aaron Foos, 42, and Craig Machtans, 46, teamed up as “Kluane2Chilkat” to win the two-person category in 7:27:36.

Foos tackled the first four legs, before tagging in his teammate.

“Coming into checkpoint four, Aaron was just a few minutes off of the lead guys,” Machtans said, noting he could never catch up.

“I rode almost the whole race alone. It’s hard to focus that long by yourself. But it was a perfect day – no rain, not that windy.”

Topping the four-man category was a local team dubbed “Tim Hortons.”

The team of Doug Terry, Robert McConnell, Peter Sandford and Dan Reimer hit the finish line in Haines with a time of 7:21:07.

McConnell and Sandford were both the top riders in their class, while Terry and Reimer put together top-five finishes on their legs en route to the win.

Meanwhile, an eight-person mixed team anchored by Brad Avery and Rob Rees earned the eight-person crown in 8:39:32.

Known as the “Cycotics,” the Yukon team came from behind in the final leg to win the division by less than four minutes.

Avery pedalled through the tough third and fourth legs, while Rees anchored the team, cycling both the seventh and eight legs. The duo logged top-three individual performances among eight-person participants for each of their legs.

Other members of the winning eight-man roster were Elizabeth Reid, Don Roberts, Joy Vall and Kathleen Avery.

The race record of 5:55:55 held up for a 13th straight year. That seemingly untouchable benchmark was set in 2002 by a four-person Whitehorse team of Mike McCann, Hank Irving, Dan Harrington and Paul Christiansen.

A year after a record 1,300-plus riders made the journey, race co-ordinator Mike Kramer said the relay returned to a more manageable number of 1,225 this year.

Kramer said there were a few incidents involving road rash, including a bike-on-bike crash that resulted in helmet damage for one rider, who exited the race.

He also heard second-hand information that had one cyclist riding into the back of a parked vehicle.

“The bears were co-operative,” Kramer noted. “Lots of good sightings, but nothing close-up.”

The relay features eight legs ranging between the 19-km first leg to the 39.5-km second leg along the coastline of breathtaking Dezadeash Lake.

The race begins in Haines Junction (elevation 609 metres) and rises as high as 1,067 m at the Haines Summit, before bottoming out at 24 m of elevation at the finish line.

While hundreds of cyclists enjoyed creating unforgettable memories along the scenic Haines Road, Macht’s slim victory was the highlight.

“I was just happy to be there at the end,” said Macht – who rode under the moniker “Salty Nuts.”

“When you’re there at the end, anything can happen.”

A steady pace was established early, he said. And slowly but surely, the lead peloton shrank on the steep hill climbs.

With two kms left, the pace slowed, Macht said. And with less than one km to go, Gonda made the first move.

“He attacked and had about 20 or 30 metres on us,” Macht explained. “But he kept looking over his shoulder and I took that as a sign he wasn’t feeling super-confident.

“So I bided my time. I waited and waited, and at the bottom of the hill, I just went for it.”

Macht surged around Flaharty, caught Gonda and then took the lead into the finish line.

Runner-up Gonda was impressed by Macht’s last gasp.

“Joel has four kids and he’s 30-something. ... In 10 years, I hope I’m still that fast,” said Gonda, 27, who was coming off a third-place finish in the recently-completed Gran Fondo.

“It’s just how it goes,” he said of the near photo finish. “I think maybe (Macht) conserved a little more energy throughout the race. He was patient and saved it for the right time.”

Meanwhile, Flaharty returned to the race for the first time since competing in a four-person team several years ago.

The 29-year-old completed the race without a support team and said Macht and Gonda showed class by slowing their pace at checkpoints three and five, so he could refuel.

Flaharty was drained before the final sprint down the homestretch, however.

“I ended up pulling a lot more than I should have the last 10 miles,” he said. “It’s always kind of awkward when you have three people (drafting). But I just wanted to ride hard.”

Last year’s race victor Jonah Clark could not defend his title after reportedly suffering an injury while mountain biking recently.

Meanwhile, recent Gran Fondo champ Preston Blackie also could not participate in this year’s bike relay due to work-related reasons.

He lauded Macht and Gonda on races well run, however.

“I figured it was going to be one of those two that one,” Blackie said today from Mayo. “I would have bet on it.”