The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay is ready to roll. 

The eight-leg race will start at 8:20 a.m. Saturday in Haines Junction and finish in Haines, Alaska. 

Co-ordinator Monika Kozlerova said today registration for the teams closed April 5 and May 10 for the solo riders. 

There are 327 teams and 95 solo riders registered. More than 1,200 riders in total will be taking part in the relay race. 

“It’s pretty crazy, and we are full. So that’s going to be super-exciting,” Kozlerova told The Yukon Star. 

“We were setting up the checkpoints yesterday, so everything is pretty much ready for the race.” 

Kozlerova said there was a race package pickup for the riders Tuesday and another one today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Da Ku Cultural Centre in Haines Junction. 

“We are super-excited. I think it’s gonna be amazing,” she said of the general mood. “We do have a lot of volunteer groups that are returning. A lot of people have been reaching out to me, which I very much appreciated.

“A lot of the people were just so excited and so happy to be part of it. I think it’s going to be great.” 

Kozlerova said the pre-race preparation has been pretty hectic. 

“It’s a huge race. I’ve been working on this for over half a year now.” 

In addition to the more-than 1,200 riders, there have been about 200 volunteers to deal with. 

“It’s been very fun. I very much enjoyed it, but definitely hectic,” said Kozlerova. 

The solo riders and two-person teams will be the first to start the race in the Junction at 8:20 a.m. Saturday.

They will be followed by the four- and eight-person teams at around 8:45 a.m.

The Alaska Highway will be closed at 8:15 a.m. for about one hour. Riders are expected to start showing up at the start line at 7:30 a.m. 

“There will be a lot of traffic controlling going on, on the highway, especially around the checkpoints, so at some points along the highway, there will be only one lane open,” related Kozlerova. 

“We don’t want any accidents.” 

The first riders are expected to arrive at the finish in Haines at around 4 p.m. and up until 9 p.m.

There will also be a salmon dinner in Haines Saturday evening at the site of the Southeast Alaska State Fair.