Inexperienced cyclists struggled against head winds throughout the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay, but even the Yukon's top cyclists had difficulty riding on Saturday.

Scott Kerby, president of the VeloNorth Cycling Club was part of the winning four man team Kunde Hospital.

The team was named after a hospital in Nepal to raise funds through the sale of team cycling shirts.

But Kerby nearly didn't get to start the race.

Riding legs one and two, just before the start at 8:25 a.m., his bike's rear tire separated from the rim during his warm-up. His start time was 8:30 a.m.

"Thankfully, someone in a parked truck with a pump was able to help me and I made it to the line one minute before the start,” Kerby said.

That spirit of helping others is what makes the Kluane Chilkat bike relay a special race, he said.

"I think that's part of the reason why it's such a great event,” Kerby said.

Once he got on track, Kerby said his team did great, alternating between riding in groups and alone. They hit wind, just like all the other teams but still managed to pull off first place in the four person mens division in a time of seven hours, 26 minutes and 54 seconds.

Tom Ullyett, another accomplished Whitehorse athlete was on a four man team as well, and rode to 25th overall out of over 250 teams.

His team Long Live Levesque ended up 10th in its category in a time of eight hours, 36 minutes and 27 seconds.

The average age of Ullyett's team is mid-50s, he said. Joining him on the team were veteran long-distance cyclists Bob Bowerman and Bill Curtis, as well as Dave Levesque of Calgary.

"Like all teams, we struggled with the wind on legs two to six,” Ullyett said.

Bowerman, who rode legs five and six thought his bike was damaged while riding uphill during the sixth leg.

"While riding up the Three Guardsmen hill on leg six, our leg 5/6 cyclist (Bob Bowerman) thought his back tire was low on air because his bike felt so slow in the headwind,” Ullyett said. "But he made up for it with a graceful and quick descent down the big hill on leg six.”

Ullyett commended chiefs of race Mike Kramer and Mike Gladish.

"Our hats go off to race directors Mike Gladish and Mike Kramer and all the volunteers,” he said,

Ullyett said the number of cyclists every year proves the Yukon is a community dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

"This is one of Yukon's marquee athletic events. The consistently high number of participants shows how committed Yukoners are to wellness and to physical activity.”