麻豆社区

The annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay (KCIBR) was more than just a bike race this year, it was a test of resilience.

Cyclists battled some of the worst weather the race has seen in the last decade, with strong head winds and rain playing a factor along the majority of the 240-kilometre route.

Despite the conditions, Whitehorse cyclists continued to find a way to the top of the podium after winning seven of the 11 categories in last year's race.

Early morning rain greeted the cyclists as they departed from Haines Junction on Saturday and continued intermittently for the remainder of the day.

By the time the pack reached Leg 5, which features over 3,500 feet of elevation, strong headwinds had joined the rain, making the climb up the summit even more treacherous.

In the men's two-person division, Whitehorse teams filled out the top-10, including a first-place finish for Jonah Clark and James Minifie who formed team "Duble Truble鈥� and completed the race in 7 hours, 25 minutes and 38 seconds.

Clark rode the first half of the route, before handing the reigns over to Minifie for the final four legs.

"It was brutal conditions, it was pouring rain and about five degrees from the start,鈥� he said.

"Because it was so wet from the beginning, I think everybody got really cold in the first 70-km of riding.鈥�

Clark eventually lost the ability to shift as he hands went numb, forcing him to change gears with opposite hands for better leverage.

"I know a lot of people suffered pretty bad with the cold and not having their clothing quite right. I was pretty close in a couple of points of being too cold,鈥� he said, noting the conditions were the worst he's seen in seven years of competing in the race.

Clark cycled up 3,200 feet of elevation in Leg 4, before Minifie stepped in, and Clarke said all he could was laugh.

"There was a group of us all trying to stand up and hammer up the last hill but the headwind was so strong it wasn't doing any good. I stood up, took three pedals and just laughed and sat back down. It was pretty funny.鈥�

Once Clark finished up his portion, he jumped in the support car, cranked the heat and felt bad for Minifie.

"James really hammered Legs 5 and 6 and those were insanely windy. Luckily, we handed off and there was a group of three guys that got to work together so it wasn't as bad as being solo but the wind definitely took a toll on him. He ended up by himself for the last 60-km in the Chilkat Valley. He said it was pretty tough and I can only imagine.

"I've been there myself and fighting the wind in that valley is pretty rough. Once you're about 15-km from town, you're completely exposed and there was a really strong headwind. He told me he spent a fair amount of time just swearing at the wind.鈥�

Stephen Ball, who led the way in last year's men's solo division, placed second this time around after a sprint finish with Brett Boniface of Cloverdale, B.C.

Ball crossed the finish line in 7:41:15, less than a minute behind Boniface.

It was the fifth time Ball had completed the race solo and said it was the toughest conditions he's ever faced.

"I definitely did not have enough clothes on and the cold wears you down, I was pretty frozen most of the way through, it's hard to stay motivated through that,鈥� he said.

Ball also noted Leg 5 as one of the most difficult portions of the race, not only for the elevation and the conditions but also due to the two- and four-person teams switching over to new cyclists and pulling away from the pack.

"It's always a hard leg, you're climbing up the summit and it's always pretty windy.

It's the halfway mark for the solo riders so you're generally joining in with the two-person teams that are just starting out with fresh legs and you're already tired so it makes it pretty tough to keep up.鈥�

Ball said the cold also results in muscle cramps, which bothered him from Leg 4 onward and played a factor in the final sprint.

"I went to sprint and just cramped right up and I couldn't really do it,鈥� he said.

"He (Boniface) was stronger on the day so it's good. I had good support so it was great, no complaints.鈥�

On the women's side, Nadele Flynn was the top solo rider, finishing in a time of 9:02:15.

Flynn, who usually competes alongside Kerrie Paterson, opted to compete in the solo division this year as a way to celebrate the 20th running of the KCIBR.

In last year's race Flynn and Paterson took home the title in the two-person event with a time of 7:07:14.

Flynn said her past racing experience and competing in the Yukon had her prepared for the weather.

"If you do a lot of your training in the cold and you get used to it, you know what your body's used to and you know you can warm up again,鈥� she said. "If you attack some hills pretty hard you can get your circulation going again but if you've never done that you don't see the end to it and it's hard to get yourself through it mentally.鈥�

Flynn said Legs 4 and 5 were the toughest part of her day and she told her support team not to let her stop, even if she said she wanted to.

"With the change over at Leg 4, you can't keep up with the fresh legs and that's the long, bleak cold part and you just feel like you're never going to make it. Once you get through it you realize it's going to be warmer on the other side and there's a big downhill, it's something to look forward too and it gets you through it. It's an advantage knowing the race and knowing that stage doesn't last forever.鈥�

Flynn highlighted the endurance of another group of people throughout the race: the volunteers.

"It was a hard day to be out there as a volunteer,鈥� she said. "It's one thing when you're on your bike and you're a bit more self motivated but the volunteers are out there for other people, they were great.鈥�

Whitehorse teams also rode to top three finishes in the men's four-person division, with Northerm Window Racers leading the way in a time of 7:35:14, almost an hour ahead of second place finishers, Hoss Cats.

In the women's two-person division, Whitehorse team Pstyle and Dunmail were the top finishers in a time of 9:51:42.

In the women's four-person and eight-person division's Whitehorse teams also filled out the top-three, including first-place finishes for the Careful Cougars (9:04:13) and Klondike Rib (9:30:46).

Whitehorse teams also topped each category of the mixed division, in the two, four, and eight-person categories.

Registartion for the KCIBR closed on May 11 after each division reached its capacity.

It was the first time in the 20-year history of the event that it reached maximum capacity at the early registration deadline.

Of the 278 teams, a record number, they were 39 solos, they were 54 two-person, 90 four-person and 95 eight-person teams.