This is the last day to register for the 18th annual Kluane Chilkat Bike Relay.

The online registration will close at midnight. This is the fifth year with more than 240 teams registered. The total number of 1,100 riders is slightly higher than last year's total.

As of Tuesday any changes to the registration must be done by email or in person at the registration night on Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Convention Centre in Haines Junction. The KCIBR website provides details on making changes. There is a $10 fee for each change made.

Race coordinator Mike Kramer advises that there is a slight adjustment to the highway closure this year.

"The highway will close for northbound traffic at Kathleen River and southbound traffic at Haines Junction at 8:15 a.m. The highway will reopen at 9:30 a.m. for southbound traffic at Haines Junction and at 10 a.m. for northbound traffic at Kathleen River.”

Two other changes will be noticed at the start line and finish line. All eight person teams will start at 9 a.m. instead of the two waves that were used for the last few years. All participants should take note that the awards ceremony, usually scheduled for Sunday morning, will be held on Saturday evening as soon as the race is over. Awards will begin at 8:30 p.m. Alaska time. The ceremony should end just in time to award the Red Lantern prize as the final team comes across the finish line.

The designated bike lane rule, initiated last year for checkpoint one, will be in effect again this year. Hundreds of riders and support vehicles are tightly packed during the first part of the race and there have been concerns for safety in past years.

To alleviate the hazard there will be a designated bike lane and vehicle lane within one kilometer north and south of checkpoint one at Kathleen Lake. The right lane and shoulder of the highway will be for cyclists and pedestrians only. The left lane and shoulder of the highway will be for vehicles only. Vehicles will only be allowed to travel southbound. This rule will apply from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. while the Haines Highway is closed.

Race coordinators and the RCMP will also enforce the rule that disallows parking in the first 3.8-km of the course and the rule that allows only leg one support vehicles to leave the pullout at kilometre 3.8. Vehicles that do not have ‘Support Vehicle' accreditation will not be allowed to leave the pullout until the highway opens at 9:30 a.m.

The Bike Relay is an international event that supports several non-profit groups in Whitehorse and Haines, Alaska. All except two checkpoints are run by non-profit groups in exchange for a $1,500 honorarium. The money for checkpoint honorariums is raised through entry fees and sponsorships.

Checkpoints this year are being run by Lyrical Hounds, Swim Yukon, Fair Aid Society, Suzuki Strings and Haines Hospice. Haines Venturer Scouts will run the finish line. There are several other not-for-profits who help organize the event. Haines Junction Minor Hockey provides checkpoint setup, Yukon Amateur Radio Operators Association (YARA) provides communications and St. John Ambulance provides first aid.

YARA are a very important link for communications during the event. They ensure that any problems can be communicated quickly to the EMS in Haines or Haines Junction. YARA has installed new communications equipment at Chilkat near the Three Guardsman with the assistance of Northwestel and at Lutak Lumber in Haines, so there is nearly 100 per cent coverage for the event, making it much safer for participants.

The relay depends on these volunteers and the organizers are pleased to be able to support the groups who make it possible to run the event.

Relay organizers have put an emphasis on greening the event this year. Teams are being encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing fuel consumption, and more compostable materials will be used at the supper in Haines. The Haines Friends of Recycling will be providing bins at the Parade Grounds at Ft. William Seward in Haines.

Major sponsors for the relay are Lotteries Yukon, Northwestel, Norcan, and the Yukon Electrical Company. The relay also relies on support from the Department of Highways, RCMP, Alaska State Troopers, and Emergency Medical Services in Yukon and Alaska.

For more information email kcibr.org@gmail.com or visit the event's website at www.kcibr.org

Submitted by Mike Gladish and Mike Kramer, race organizers.