More than 2000 riders are packed together anticipating for the gunshot to fire so they can start their grueling, gravel, bike adventure through Kansas!

What is the Dirty Kanza?

The Dirty Kanza is when,“more than 2000 bike riders” ride either 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles or 200 miles on gravel. This is one time that downtown Emporia is packed with people from around the world waiting to ride on our gravel roads! The Dirty Kanza is held in Emporia Kansas early June.  People can come watch the finishers at anytime of the afternoon.  On the Dirty Kanza website, the authors said,“34 participants in 2006, to an anticipated 2,200 riders in 2017” (About Dirty Kanza).  Sometimes the weather conditions are not the best.  One year it was really hot, one year it was raining (it was really dirty) then some years it is just perfect!  If you are doing the 100 or 200 cyclists try to beat the sun, this is where cyclists try to get in before sunset which is around 8:00.  If you do beat the sun then they will give you a plaque (A wood plate saying that you have beat the sun)!  The Dirty Kanza committee usually keeps the routes pretty close each year, but every so often they will change the route and make it more difficult.  The evening is fun for everyone in the family! There’s many shops that come and sell their goods, really delicious food, people can cheer the riders on with load cow bells, fun activities such as rock wall climbing, bouncy houses and you can watch Skywalker’s or Sunflower gymnastics doing tricks on the trampoline!     

What do cyclists need to race the sun during the DK?

Cyclists will need their team uniform which usually is spandex like shorts and a dry fit cycling shirt which usually has the company (Mulready’s, Kiss 103.1, KVOE, Orange Mud, Gravel city and many more)  that the bikers are riding for.  I sat down with Tom Taylor, a regular participant in the Dirty Kanza to find out what is important to theses riders.  Riders obsess over equipment choice”.  Riders will need cycling shoes which look like waterproof shoes that have dull spikes on the bottom.  A bike and helmet will come in handy too, razor sharp gravel can shred tires and clogging mud can jam the device that changes the bike’s gears! Usually cyclist have a support crew which is where the support crew goes to each checkpoint and gets riders a water refill, the riders can stop and rest for a little bit and they usually have food at the checkpoints.  “Each checkpoint is about 50 miles before your next resting point” .  In the Dirty Kanza 200 their is 3 checkpoints.    A backpack that has some spare parts, food and water, because their bike can brake.  It’s not something you must have but  will come in handy is sunglasses to block the sun out of their face when riding up the treacherous hills.  Cyclists use a GPS to track where they are at and how much farther they need to go.  Carrying tools, spares and padding on your butt is necessary.   It’s very important to have a light on the back of your bike because chances are high that they will be riding in the dark.

How does the Dirty Kanza effect other citizens in Emporia?

In my opinion the Dirty Kanza is really fun and I look forward to it every year!  My uncle(casual Cyclist/Bobby Thompson) does the Dirty Kanza 200 and has been doing it for the past three years.  my family gets to hear about it a lot.  Once the Dirty Kanza is over he takes about a week or two to rest and get his back, neck legs feeling better he is back to practicing.  Bobby does other races such as the Lunar Kansas it’s way shorter than the Dirty Kanza and it starts at night(Lunar=Moon=Night) and his whole family does it too!  Some of my parents friend have done it too, they say,“I only have to do this one time and that’s good enough for me”!  I interviewed Reagan Thompson because her dad participates in the Dirty Kanza 200.  The Dirty Kanza is like a holiday to Reagan because it amusing seeing her “dad finish his big accomplishment” as well as other people!  Reagan also likes going downtown for the after party, “she likes getting to walk around eat good food and visit with people”.  Her favorite time of the block party is when it is dark and they have humongous lights shooting into the dark sky showing the riders that they are close, also the music is cranked up even louder!  Reagan does ,“worry about her dad” (Bobby Thompson) because you can get hurt easily while riding on the gravel roads.  While she is waiting for her dad to finish her and her mom drop Norah (Reagan’s sister) off at their grandma’s house, while they go to all of the checkpoints.  They,“wait for a rider on their team and give them water and food and sometimes restock their bags”.   The hotels are usually packed up during the Dirty Kanza, so Reagan’s family lets a cyclist stay in their home.  Last year the cyclist was British and “his name was Paul”.  Reagan enjoyed having Paul over at their house because it was different having one more person at the dinner table and her and her sister “,“loved the british accent”!  One bad thing with Paul staying at our house is that  had to, “sleep in my sister’s room and he slept in mine”.  The next person I interviewed was Bobby Thompson (DK 200 rider).  Bobby races and is sponsored for Mulready’s.  I was wondering why he does the Dirty Kanza 200 and his answer was “I like the outdoors and I enjoy the [excellent] feeling when I complete a challenge”!  Bobby said that the Dirty Kanza is hard physically and mentally.  The reasons why it is challenging is because “your body gets tired” so you have to remember to stop “to eat and drink”.  The cyclists have to practice a lot in order to be prepared for the race!  He (Bobby Thompson) said bikers usually have to ride between, “40-100 miles a week”!  Also they need to, “eat and drink healthy”.  “I plan on doing the Dirty Kanza 200 in 2018”!

In conclusion the Dirty Kanza is a challenging race that takes a lot of time and work!  If you are going to ride in the race you will need a lot of equipment in order to succeed!  The Dirty Kanza has some good and bad things to it but mostly good!  All of my information came from Tom Taylor and About-Dirty Kanza.  If you want more information, or to participate yourself, check out those websites!