Last year, four cyclists made the journey from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk at the start of summer.

Now, the Inuvik Cycling Club is turning the trip into a full-blown time trial.

Cycling club president Chris Bruckner told Inuvik Drum the plan is to shuttle down to Tuktoyaktuk at 7:30 in the morning June 19, with hopes of reaching the Arctic Ocean sign in Tuktoyaktuk by 9:30. From there, the cyclists will set out at 10 a.m. sharp and make their way south across the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway for the 156 kilometre ride back to Inuvik.

So far, eight brave souls have signed up for the ride.

Having done the trip last year, Bruckner said heSA国际影视传媒檚 learned some valuable lessons and adjusted the plan this year accordingly. To make the event more accessible, a relay option has been added, allowing for teams to complete the full ride collectively. HeSA国际影视传媒檚 also pushing the date a bit later into the year.

SA国际影视传媒漌e had nice weather leading up to the day,SA国际影视传媒� said Bruckner. SA国际影视传媒淛une 13 was kind of an anomaly. It was like around zero and got up to five degrees and was kind of drizzly.

SA国际影视传媒淭his year, weSA国际影视传媒檙e hoping for for really nice weather. So thatSA国际影视传媒檚 why we picked the events sort of around the solstice to kind of give us that nice Goldilocks zone.SA国际影视传媒�

With the ride wrapping up across from the Western Arctic Visitors Centre, Bruckner has an added incentive for would-be riders: at the end of the ride heSA国际影视传媒檚 hosting a barbecue celebration for all involved.

Biking from Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik can be a time consuming process. Bruckner said he expects to complete the ride in five to six hours, but noted for some it could take as long as 10 or 11 depending on the state of their bike and their fitness levels. But he said he would keep the barbecue fired up for everyone, no matter how long they take.

SA国际影视传媒淚t could go all night,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Helmets are mandatory and proper tires are highly recommended.

Bruckner noted riders should be prepared to do a lot of uphill as well. In fact, he said the ride involves an excess of 1300 metres of climbing.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 gravel road and it tends to be really soupy on the Tuk side,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淓specially if you donSA国际影视传媒檛 have wider tires, you really get sucked down and you start to sink, which obviously takes a toll on your your energy expenditure for the day.SA国际影视传媒�

If getting from the Arctic coast to the south side of Inuvik on a bike alive isnSA国际影视传媒檛 a challenge enough for riders, Bruckner added there is also a running competition on who can make the best time on the trip.

A mobile phone app called Strava tracks best times between locations all around the world, including on the ITH. Cyclists can download the app, turn it on and track their time as they make the trip.

So far, Bruckner is the world champion in the time trial, with a July 25, 2020 time of five hours, 11 minutes and 10 seconds at an average speed of 27.9 kilometres an hour.

Noting he still needed volunteers to run support vehicles, Bruckner said anyone who wanted to get involved either as a participant or volunteer should email him at 911chris.bruckner@gmail.com or reach out to him on social media.

He also said anyone who needs help preparing for the ride should reach out to ensure theySA国际影视传媒檝e got everything they need, since even in the summer the weather in the Arctic can be unpredictable.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e hoping for you know, ideally a nice tail wind, 20 degrees and sunny but you never know what youSA国际影视传媒檙e gonna get out here.SA国际影视传媒�