by Stay Rad. It worked for him and he had a great Dirty Kanza. Leah and I took turns pulling for Jenny and made sure that she was going to finish. No matter how hard I backed off, or ate food, used bathroom stops I felt very flat that day. Menso placed third. Not because they don’t make sense, but because I have zero experience with them. Lezyne pressure drive pump because relying on CO2 cartridges is silly when you’re in the middle of nowhere and you can get a pump that’s the same size as and weight as two cartridges. Time off work? For overall race strategy, I think Craig Richey’s advice nailed it. Everything I feared in work, family, life sorted itself out because I stayed persistent and believed that I could do it. There is so much uncertainty these days. Part 2. No conditions are the same. It involves tasty IPA and Vermont's finest cheeses. Team CLIF Bar Cycling athlete Menso de Jong talks about his experience at the Dirty Kanza 200 race in Emporia, Kansas. I recently read a book, “Swimming Home”, about women who competed in open water swimming, during a time that was unheard of for them. Thanks to some last-minute luck, Symns snuck into the field for the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200. Check. Now that you’ve committed to racing the Dirty Kanza, you’ll need a training plan that can help you get across that finish line. Between the Covid forced postponement and the internal and public upheaval that occurred when event founder Jim Cummins made some misstatements, no one was quite sure what to make of the future for the Dirty Kanza gravel race. It involves hard riding, easy ride, ample tapering, and much more specific riding where quality is taken over quantity. Six Gravel Bikes for Dirty Kanza. So you want to take on the Dirty Kanza 200, the 206 mile gravel race through the flint hills of Emporia, Kansas.I’ve been meaning to write an article about this race for over a year based on my experience in this race, and with the 2019 event fast approaching, now is the time! After this year’s disappointment, I agreed to meet some friends in Eskridge, KS on May 11th for the Gravel Ride for Maisie’s Pride. I have heard nothing but good things about it. I trained and did the Gravel Metric. But more than a week after Maisie’s, my usual post-race indulgence of beer and donuts was interrupted by an email containing a registration code for the DK 200. Memorial Day weekend brought temperatures in the 90s and everyone’s outdoor rides were torturous. Living in Colorado, I have the luxury of many endurance mountain bike races to choose from, and they have all the important elements I just mentioned. I have had to overcome navigating, riding alone, training, pacing, eating, and riding in the dark. Jon designed a route that started in Aurora, IL took us up to Campton Hills, west to Maple Park (near Dekalb), south to Sheridan, IL (very well near Morris / Illinois River again) and back to Aurora. For me, it’s all of it. Since it took some time to assess my friend’s mechanical and part with one another, I was in the back of the race. My Road to Kanza June 13, 2018 by Stay Rad. The marquee event is 200 miles long, sending riders deep into the Flint Hills of Kansas, which are named for the abundant flint gravel that litters the ground. “I need the torture” I told her jokingly. The Dirty Kanza is now Unbound Gravel After complaints that the race's name was derogatory toward Native Americans, the organizers committed to a change. Join our team and make a difference in the sport. He has won Dirty Kanza twice, and just about every other gravel race on the map. He will check back in after his 202-mile day to report on how it went. Our now 3 ½ year old son was out of the 5 time-per-year ear infections and sickness phases. (sort of—one night sleeping in a minivan counts, right?). Not to mention removing the tubeless valve stem if using a tube to fix the flat, and that solution has proven to be less than ideal. You have to go for it and ride out the “waves”. The weekend after Easter April was Rough Road 100 (km) a local gravel /road race in Morris, IL along the Illinois River. The best swimmers know that the ocean “owns” you, and you have to ride out the currents and conditions. 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This was a day to test our mental fortitude. Once I had a few bites of prosciutto ham and part of my mini Coke I felt like a rock star. Check. For more from Emporia, see our 2019 Dirty Kanza coverage. Road to Kanza - Menso de Jong - Post Race on Vimeo Unlike a lot of my fellow riders, there will be no aero bars on my Dean. Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Cyclist…Or Essentials for Yourself! For less than just one race entry fee, you can get months of ‘cross bliss, without the suffering. For us mere mortals, I’ve found even at a solid Zone 2, low Zone 3 effort, at about 130 miles in, I’m smoked. In his pre-race gravel report, he shares what he has done to prepare for Saturday’s race. Persons engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists","bikers" or less commonly, as "bicyclists". Mile 75 felt like mile 1 to me. Some of the road names were familiar to me from Frostbite 40. Knowing how that feels was a good learning experience and I didn’t see it as a failure. The middle part of May finally cut my long rides shorter because I was in the taper phase. Riders with inclinations toward racing and hard solo efforts will find the rim’s drag-taming, and cross-wind defying shape a welcome upgrade to their rides. I will finish this training plan. Terry McKall November 14, 2019 Whether touring around town or taking the road less-travelled, the Kanza is sturdy and stiff, whatever the terrain. Official race website; 2018 DK200 race footage (example of race and road conditions) Highway maps: Emporia city map, Lyon County map (includes Emporia), Kansas map This page was last edited on 16 November 2020, at … a. time. Back to covered arms and legs. I rode the Dirty Kanza 100 in 2015 and 200 in 2016, but like most people, missed out on the lottery the last two years. We use cookies for quick energy and to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. When you add it all up, I’m super stoked to be going back because there’s something special about the Dirty Kanza. Enjoying our comprehensive coverage of every title race? The Road to Kanza - A Newbie Takes on the World's Biggest Gravel RaceCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. The setup on my Dean performed admirably during Maisie’s, but there’s one key factor that keeps nagging me—tubeless or not tubeless? We did pick up another woman, Leah Barry. Consider a donation to support CXM. If the test rides are a bust, then back to the 38mm Challenge Gravel Grinder with tubes. Neil Shirley Road to Dirty Kanza: Checking in at the Belgian Waffle Ride April 10, 2018. I prefer to avoid hydration packs for endurance racing because the weight on the shoulders and back takes its toll over time and refilling them can be time-consuming. 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