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Yellowknife to Hay River Ride is on, despite highway closure

A highway closure has thrown a wrench into the seventh annual bike ride from Yellowknife to Hay River, but organizer Andy Wong isn't throwing in the towel just yet.

"It will just make it a bit more of a work in progress as we proceed," he says.

Forty-five cyclists are expected to head out of Yellowknife this morning for the three-day, 500-kilometre ride.

Typically they would ride 175 kilometres before camping the first night. Instead, due to a planned highway closure on Highway 3, they may have to turn back at Edzo.

Wong says he's been told there's a slim chance the burn may not go ahead if the wind conditions aren't right. In that case, the ride will proceed as planned.

"Obviously it has to be safe enough that I can feel I can bring young children along on the trip, even though they are not riding. So if we're going to ride past Edzo even if the road closure doesn't happen, we're not going to take a chance, so to speak, just to conclude this ride."

If the burn goes ahead, Wong says they'll turn back and camp about halfway between Behchoko and Yellowknife.

If they have to do that, they will still ride 500 kilometres over the three days, but the ride will end about 50 kilometres short of Hay River.