Despite some frustration and disappointment in the last few months, it's full speed ahead for organizers of the 13th annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay (KCIBR).

There were 215 teams signed up as of Monday afternoon for this year's relay, which runs from Haines Junction to Haines, Alaska, with registration open until next Wednesday, June 22. Last year's number of 234 teams set an event record, as did the number of participants at 1,207.

While the date of the race has always been the third Saturday in June in previous years, this year, organizers were forced to change the date to the fourth Saturday in order to receive RCMP support. At the time the date change was announced, at the beginning of March, coordinator Mike Young could not say why it had to be done, only that it was beyond the board's control.

Earlier this week, media learned that the reason RCMP could not help out the weekend of the 18th was because they were needed to provide security for a meeting of foreign dignitaries, which was scheduled to take place in the territory this weekend.

But the meeting was cancelled, which means all that hard work by the KCIBR board, and the frustration of competitors having to change their plans, was for nothing.

'Obviously, it was a little bit frustrating,' said Young in an interview Monday. 'Especially for the people who booked their tickets in advance ... we received some e-mails from people disappointed with the date change. But again, it was completely out of our control.'

Young said the local RCMP have always given tremendous support to the relay over the years, and the event couldn't have run without them. He agreed, though, that the change in date may have affected registration somewhat.

'Overall, the numbers pretty much stayed the same as last year,' he said. 'However, there were people who had planned over a year for this event and they weren't able to come, so that's disappointing.'

Next year's relay is once again scheduled for the third week in June, although the meeting of foreign dignitaries is apparently being rescheduled for June 2006. Young said the board will alter the race date again in the future if the same need arises, although he is hoping to avoid a repeat of this year's disarray by learning of the meeting long before the spring.

'We do have a board member in communication with the RCMP and we're trying to find out as soon as possible the exact date of the meeting next year, so that no one commits and is than unable to compete.'

Organizers were fortunate to receive full cooperation from the Alaska Marine Highway System, who rearranged the extra ferries originally scheduled for the third week.

There will be an extra ferry shuttle on the Friday before the race, as well as the Sunday and Monday after, for those Alaska residents participating in the relay. On the Friday, June 24, ferries depart Juneau at 7 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., while southbound, there are two sailings one at 9:45 Sunday morning and one at 12:45 Monday morning.

And the 24 hours of light bike relay will run this weekend, rather than the originally scheduled date of next weekend.

Everything else seems to be in order for the relay, which consists of eight legs, each ranging from 19 kilometres (Leg 1) to 39.5 km (Leg 2). Young, who has biked part of the course himself, insisted despite the differing lengths, there isn't necessarily any legs which are harder or easier than others.

Last year's overall winners, Les Schwab II from Juneau, who were also first in the men's four-person category, finished the relay in six hours, 53 minutes and 16 seconds. That was just one second ahead of men's solo rider That Montana Dude, AKA Dave Nigh.

In the men's two-person division, Glenn Iceton and Nathan Doering were tops with a time of 7:08:05. And in the men's eight, it was Prostate Power finishing first with a time of 7:44:35.

The top women's solo rider was Michelle Boisvert, with a time of 7:45:50, while 4 She's To The Wind was close behind in the women's four-person category, collecting a time of 7:53:54.

Derailleur Wanna Duo? had the best time in the women's two-person division, clocking in at 9:55:20. In the women's eight-person category, Slippery When Wet posted a time of 8:29:24.

The top mixed team in 2004 was the four-person group Fairbanks Mix, with a time of 7:04:44. The Fischer Family Flyers came in first in the mixed two-person category, picking up a time of 7:52:56. And in the mixed eight, it was Blood, Sweat and Gears claiming first place with a time of 7:52:40.

There are still a few volunteer positions open for the relay. Anyone interested can e-mail info@kcibr or call 633-2579. In the past, the relay came close to being cancelled due to lack of volunteers at checkpoints one and two. But this year, the Canada Summer Games volleyball teams will be taking care of checkpoint two while the Yukon Schutzhund Association will staff checkpoint one.

'It's a lot of fun, it's a good stress reliever and it's a good social gathering in Haines,' said Young in an earlier interview, when asked what makes the Kluane Chilkat race special. 'It's a great way to spend a weekend.'