With American legislation aiming to make passports mandatory to cross all U.S. borders by Jan. 1 , 2008, it was probably only a matter of time until the pinch was felt by the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay.

But thanks to the recent arrests of Canadian terror suspects in Toronto, cyclists will be forced to take new measures sooner, rather than later.

In the past, KCIBR organizers had an agreement with U.S. Customs that cyclists riding Leg 7 were permitted to ride through without stopping to show their identification. Instead, their support vehicles would stop at the border and show it for them.

Now, because of the recent concerns over terrorism, all participants riding Leg 7 of this year's race will have to pack two pieces of I.D. or a passport with them on their bikes and will be asked to show their I.D. to customs officials.

'We found out late last week,' said Mike Young, the head organizer of the annual relay. 'We've e-mailed all of the team captains, the notice is up on our website and we've done advertising in newspapers.

'Hopefully everyone finds out before they start the race, because you'd have to bike back up that hill if you didn't have your I.D. It's much more fun to go down it.'

One of the KCIBR board members is a retired U.S. Customs officer and still has ties there, so she was informed of the change by her old colleagues.

Young said he understands, but it would have been nice to have a heads up at the beginning of registration, so they could inform all participants from the beginning.

In order to make things run more smoothly at the border, there will be separate check-ins for motor vehicles and cyclists. Vehicles will still stop at the usual border point while a temporary site will be set up for cyclists only, about five kilometres past the border offices, or about 10 km past Leg 6.

'The board has talked about timing issues,' said Young. 'I would be very surprised if any new records were established this year (because of the new customs measures).

'We're asking riders to use the honour system. If you go in (to the customs check) in a group of five or six, and you're done before the others, we ask that you slow up until all the original members of that group are done at customs and they can catch up.

'You'll have plenty of time to establish that sprint to the finish afterward if it is a competitive environment, though we do stress this is more a fun event than a race.'

Young said he hopes it will be similar to the Tour de France, when if a member of a pack wipes out, the rest of the group slows down until they can catch up again.

While U.S. Customs hasn't said the new measures will be permanent for the KCIBR, Young said he doesn't expect it will ever go back to being as relaxed as it was.

He said the board will talk about a number of different options for next year, in order to get accurate timing for the riders, taking into account the border delay.

'One of the options is having the actual checkpoint at U.S. Customs,' he said, adding it will be discussed further after this year's race.

It's the second time in this year's race that organizers have had to advertise changes to border regulations. Earlier, it was announced that American participants will now need two pieces of I.D. to cross into Canada, as opposed to previous years when just one piece was enough.

For a list of what I.D. is acceptable for customs agents on both sides of the border, visit the race website at www.kcibr.org.

Campers should also be aware that no beef product in any form raw, cooked or frozen or raw poultry will be allowed across the U.S. border, including hot dogs, burgers or milk. And no eggs, dog food, or citrus fruits are permitted either.

The 14th annual KCIBR is set for Saturday, with the start in Haines Junction at 8:30 a.m. for all solo, two-person and four-person teams, and 9 a.m. for all eight-person teams. The relay, one of the most popular sporting events of the year for both Yukon and Alaska cyclists, runs from Haines Junction to Haines, AK.

The relay consists of eight legs, ranging from 19 kilometres (Leg 1) to 39.5 km (Leg 2). Young, who has biked part of the course himself, maintains despite the differing lengths, there isn't necessarily any legs which are harder or easier than others.

Once again, the number of participants this year is expected to be around 1,200 the final day for registration was Monday. But in this year's race, there will be more four-person teams and less eight-person teams, a trend that has been building over the past few years.

'I think that's a combination of better bikes and overall, Yukoners and Alaskans getting in better shape,' said Young in an earlier interview.

The recent programs aiming for a reduce in greenhouse gas emissions also have more people looking to their bikes, said Young, which should bode well for the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay in the future.

The overall winners of last year's bike relay were the Animals of Fairbanks, a four-person team which completed the event in six hours, 49 minutes and 15 seconds.

While no new records were set in terms of time, a new record was set for the number of teams which pushed off from the start line, at 236.

And an unprecedented 21 solo riders took on the 238-kilometre (148 miles) challenge.

Whitehorse resident Jonah Clark took first place in the men's solo category.

KCIBR organizers are still looking for additional volunteers, though Young said the race should run smooth enough with the number already on board.

'It's been a little frustrating this year,' he said. 'Some people have had to back out (of volunteering).

'It's nothing major, but a little more help would take some of the load off other volunteers.'

Anyone interested in helping out at one of the checkpoints can contact Young at 334-6871, or show up at the captain's meeting at the Haines Junction convention centre, Friday from 6-9 p.m., and let Young know they'd like to help out.

The race requires around 300 volunteers every year, including RCMP, the Yukon Amateur Radio Association, ambulance personnel, ski patrol and board members.