Dirty Kanza 2020 Discussion, Training & Racing (DK200)

I definitely would prefer at least 3 aid stations. I guess for me, the 200 miles on gravel is challenging enough. I’m less interested in the challenge of being able to carry enough water and food between the aid stations.

Less wind and cooler conditions…yes please :smiley:.

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Same weekend as Marathon Mountain Bike Nats. Just sayin’.

I think I’m going to wait for 2021. I’m just not sure if we will be in the clear by then. Our borders are currently closed and if the race does go ahead and I just can’t get into the country I’d be pretty bummed.

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Dunno about the winds, but I would bet it will still be very hot and could be hotter than May 31.

Avg temp May: 75
Avg Temp June: 84
Split the difference since it is May 31 and call it 80*

Avg temp Septt: 81, but you are in the front half of the month on Sept 12, so likely warmer on average (but close to monthly avg)

Will largely depend on the day, I guess…

A review of the National Weather service history shows that this will not be a cooler ride. No 90’s but still hot. Plus there is quite a bit of wind at that time of year. Also, two less hours of sunshine means beating the sun will be especially hard at this time of year.

The real issue is that all the hotels are full. Two other events in town that weekend make this impossible to find someplace to stay. This will be the deal breaker for me. No lodging, no riding. Wish they would have just cancelled till next year.

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They give 3 options. A full refund, a deferral until next year, or riding on the proposed date.

I’m still waiting to see what they do with the dorms. I managed to get a room initially, but I can’t imagine that they’re able to actually provide a room in September.

They’ve been sending emails the last couple days canceling the dorm reservations. The students will be back and the dorms are unavailable.

Well then… yeah, it looks like they changed their FAQ page to say that in the last day or so. I haven’t actually gotten the cancellation email yet. I guess I have a decision to make. As has been said by everyone else, this sucks. Thanks for the heads up.

I’ve (almost) secured entry into sept’s DK200!! I’ve already paid, just waiting for the email. I got in via a charity slot that I paid for.

I’m so excited!! I’m just going to blissfully ignore COVID-19 and pretend this is going to happen.

Tire question, what do ya’ll think about the Specialized Pathfinder Pro? They come in 38 and 42. Colin Strickland used 38s to win.

I’m thinking probably 42 for me, but I can’t decide. The gravel at DK is pretty mellow, yet sharp…is that correct?

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Run 42s. Colin ran 42s…

https://www.cxmagazine.com/gravel-bike-colin-strickland-allied-able-2019-dirty-kanza-200-1

I’M GOING TO RUN 42s!!! :smiley: :metal:

What pressure did you run? How much did you weigh?

Solid tire choice and definitely run 42’s…don’t even think about the 38’s.

I ran ~30psi @ 153 lbs. for reference.

Congrats on getting in…fingers crossed they run it!!

Ran 38 last year. Won’t be doing it again for 2021. 42 or maybe even 48. There’s no real benefit to 38s.

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95kg - plan to run 40mm Donnelly’s @ 35 psi. See you there!

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I’m bummed about the move because I had a goal to beat the sun and the average sun-up time for Sept 12 in Emporia is 12 hours, 32 minutes. For all of us, that is much harder. As a female, that means I have to have a time that breaks the top 3 of last years finishers (4th was 12h 42m). Based on best bike split, if I set my goal time for 12 hours to account for rest stops and the inevitable flat or 2 (my rest stop plan is to grab n’ go - no temptation of chairs or any of that), I would need to ride this at a .71 IF. That is pretty crazy. I’m not a pro. But I guess if I was to race this thing in 12 hours I could be… HA! :rofl: Open to suggestions!

I will be watching the updates from DK200 team to see if they plan to make any changes based on the time of year. I’m remaining positive, tho! Might as well train like I’m going to win this bad :honeybee:.

ps - If I drop out, I have a hotel room in Emporia and could transfer it to someone on the forum cuz yah gotta look out for your TR buds.

I’ve seen elsewhere that someone emailed and the response from DK was that the Race the Sun time will be the same as the May date.

So there will be two Race the Sun’s I guess. Beat the actual sun and beat the May sunset time.

What is the may time needed to beat the sun?

This year the May time would have been 14:38 so it’s a huge difference. DK100 goes off at 6 am in May, about sunrise. Will be interesting to see if they mass start in the dark or push it back to 7 am. A later start would make the chasing the sun goal unattainable for mortals. I am doing DK100 so there is still hope.

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