Stiff headwinds played a major factor in Saturday’s Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay.
The winds slowed racers considerably — between one to two hours, according to KCIBR president Rob Welton — on their way from Haines Junction, Yukon to Haines.
“It blew between 20 and 40 miles per hour headwind the entire way,” Welton said.
Matthias Purden, a solo rider out of Whitehorse, Yukon, finished first overall with a time of 8 hours, 17 minutes, 9 seconds.
Juneau’s Peter Jackson, 29, another solo rider, was the fastest Juneau team to the finish line with a time of 9:36:06. There were a total of 24 teams from Juneau in the race and approximately 300 overall. Jackson, who finished seventh in the men’s solo division, said he used the race as a training for the Fireweed 200 race next month in Southcentral Alaska.
“I experimented with nutrition and pacing, and focused on keeping a positive mental attitude in the conditions,” Jackson said by email. “I was satisfied with the ride and the results on paper were an added bonus.”
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.
