Thus far this spring, Anthony Clark () has been a man about the Northeast gravel scene, racing at the front of races in both the U.S. and Canada.

This interview was ostensibly supposed to only be about his gravel racing, but with Clark’s infectious energy and personality that matches his colorful Squid bike, we ended up covering so much more.

On the gravel front this year, Clark was one of the headliners for the Durty Bikes Series in Upstate New York. He took second to Curtis White (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld) in close finishes at the Ossian Giant Gravel Grinder and Prattsburgh Gravel Classic before getting a win at the Hills of High-Tor.

[ICYMI, I interviewed White about his gravel grinding this spring]

Gravel grinding is nothing new for the Western Massachusetts resident. “I literally started doing it like six years ago,” Clark said. “This year was my sixth Paris to Ancaster. I just focus on being a full-time cyclocross athlete, and gravel has worked really well with that.”

Gravel is nothing new for Clark. 2019 Ossian Giant Gravel Grinder, New York. © Anne Pellerin

Armed with his Squid cyclocross bike and now running tubeless tires year-round, hitting the gravel scene is an easy transition for Clark before getting things dialed in for the long cyclocross seasons he has been putting in.

“It’s really great because you can represent your cyclocross sponsors all year round, you don’t have to worry about getting a road contract, you don’t have to worry about changing your bike,” he said. “You literally just ride your ’cross bike and put fatter tires on it depending on what race you’re at. It’s frickin awesome. It’s like the best thing ever for a ’cross guy.”

The gravel-then-cyclocross approach has been working well for Clark. This past cyclocross season was his fifth with the Squid Squad, and when all was said and done, it proved to be perhaps his best yet.

Clark kicked his season off Down Under in Melbourne and by the time he wrapped up at Worlds in Denmark, he had raced in seven countries and brought home four wins, including three in Japan. He also finished fifth at Pan-Ams and podiumed at Gloucester, where he gave an all-time great post-race interview.

“Every weekend I was calling my son in tears because I was so happy and proud of myself,” Clark reflected. “Other years I have been really proud, but I think my first year as a pro I literally finished 5th 18 times. I was just so frustrated because it was fifth place every weekend. It felt so good this year to always be fighting for the win or the podium. It was just so nice calling my son and telling him how I was doing.”

Anthony Clark hopped to his first victory of the season. 2018 WSCXGP Day 1. © L. Lamoureux

As mentioned above, I started out chatting with Clark about gravel racing, then we covered some cyclocross, his training, hanging with Jeremy Powers and Stephen Hyde and a whole ton of other things. Whut?!

You can read a transcript of our conversation below.

Interview: Anthony Clark on Gravel, ’Cross, Family, SickWhats

Cyclocross Magazine: Are you out in Sacramento, are you out East? You’ve been racing a lot out East?

Anthony Clark: Nah man, I’ve always lived in Massachusetts. I train in California sometimes. Last year I went out in June and did Lost and Found. Dude, everybody always asks me that, “Dude, how’s living in California?” I’m like, “Dude, I’ve lived in Western Mass my whole life.”

CXM: Haha, I thought you moved out there, but I guess I’m with everyone else in being wrong.

AC: It’s totally cool. It’s a question I answer literally every day. My kid’s here, I couldn’t move.

CXM: Let’s talk some gravel racing. How long have you been doing the gravel thing?

AC: What?! I literally started doing it like six years ago. This year was my sixth Paris to Ancaster. I just focus on being a full-time cyclocross athlete, and gravel has worked really well with that. It’s different than road racing. It plays to my advantage more. I would always do Battenkill and Paris to Ancaster. I would always line up for like four gravel races with a road season, then as more gravel races popped up, I didn’t have to do as much road racing.

I would do like six, seven gravel races a year and then maybe one road race. Then bam, go and do a 30-race ‘cross calendar.

CXM: Is gravel your quote-unquote base training for the year now?

AC: Yeah, it’s kind of like one of those things where you start training for the year, I don’t really take any time off. Maybe I take one week off per year. This year, I started gravel racing for some intensity in the spring, and then after that, I kind of switch over to doing more speed work in July and August to get ready for cyclocross.

It’s really great because you can represent your cyclocross sponsors all year round, you don’t have to worry about getting a road contract, you don’t have to worry about changing your bike. You literally just ride your ‘cross bike and put fatter tires on it depending on what race you’re at. It’s frickin awesome. It’s like the best thing ever for a ‘cross guy.

CXM: Are you seeing value for Squid and your other sponsors from doing more and more gravel races?

AC: I think the way my sponsors are set up I get to represent them with my own lifestyle. And then going to races, going to cool events and doing a full ’cross season, I think it all adds up. I’ve had the same sponsors for going on six years now. It works great for me. We have a great relationship. I don’t like changing a bunch of stuff like that. I think it works out really well.

You wouldn’t believe the number of people who turn out for these gravel races. It’s like an ocean of people. It’s pretty awesome.

Anthony Clark has been repping the Squid Squad across the world. Elite Men, 2019 Hoogerheide UCI Cyclocross World Cup. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: It seems like Squid is a really good fit for you. You literally got to see the world this year. Could you ever see yourself being on Stu’s team with Cannondale?

AC: Nah man. That works great for like Stephen [Hyde]. Stephen is just super pro and legit. I’m also pro, but I don’t know, my style fits better with Squid. Stephen fits really well with Cannondale. I think that’s the beauty of ’cross racing. You get a diverse group of people.

I mean Stephen has been with Cannondale as long as I’ve been with Squid. It’s one of those things where you build the team around you so it matches your personality. With ‘cross and gravel racing, we all get to race each other in a situation that works for us.

CXM: Speaking of racing people from across disciplines on gravel, I did an interview with Curtis [White], and he said the toughest part of his spring has been trying to drop you. What’s it been like racing against him and some of the other cyclocross guys?

AC: Whut?! Aww, I frickin love riding with Curtis because he never … lets … up. All day, we just smash our faces in. There was one point where JPows was in the break with us, and he was like, “Come on guys, I’m hanging on here.” It was just attack after attack.

Curtis said, “We’re not going to get any better if we don’t keep attacking each other and forcing ourselves to get better.” I agree. Every race with Curtis would come down to a sprint because we would refuse to stop attacking each other.

It’s so cool to be competitive during the race, but after the race, it’s super fun to hang out with Curtis. He’s a funny kid. That’s how it is with everyone. We’re all super close off the bike, joking around, riding, training together.

Stephen and I go train together and hit trails together. You just want to push each other to get the best result possible for you, but you don’t want to let somebody just get the win. It’s really nice to have that competitiveness with each other and still be friends.

CXM: I think it makes it more fun for us to cover you guys because you are all friends. You’re coming off one of your best seasons as a professional cyclocross racer, and it seems like everyone has stepped up to just smash faces every week. Has that made you a better rider and has that been frustrating at times?

AC: I used to get frustrated. I would say the first two years of me being a pro I would get frustrated by it, but the past three years, I would say have been the best years I’ve had so far. Instead of getting frustrated, I learned to just embrace it and work harder. I would try to train off of it. I worked on doing more motor pacing.

Then when I go to the races, I’m super calm during pre-ride, but then when it’s go time, it’s go time. I just try to ride in the group. I look who’s going strong and say whatever and try to go to the front.

I’ve tried to race my own race instead of racing everyone. If you’re trying to race certain people, that can get in your head and you can get weird animosities. I don’t really want that kind of toxicness inside me. I try to race the group of people I’m with. I don’t really care who’s in the group with me, I just try to win whatever group I’m in that day.

Everyone has stepped it up so much. I like it. It’s one of those things where if you’re fast that day, you just keep riding with them and say, “Hell yeah. That’s what we do.”

CXM: I don’t know if I got to catch up with you in Denmark, but how did Worlds go?

AC: It was pretty awesome. I got my face kicked in. I wanted to get like top 25 super bad. I trained super hard for it. It was just a flat, really windy course, I did my best. The first two laps I was in the top 30 and then slowly dropped back. Then Cody [Kaiser] and I kind of did a time trial together and helped each other, and then we both got pulled at the same time. I did the best I could and I’m proud of what I did, but it’s just ironic because both times I’ve been to Worlds, I’ve literally finished 43rd both times.

Anthony Clark represented Team USA at Worlds. 2019 Bogense Cyclocross World Championships, Denmark. © Patrick Means / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: Making the Worlds team will be a big goal for you this coming season to improve on that 43rd then?

AC: I used to always have to petition for it, but it would get lost. I petitioned two years in a row, and then I got selected in 2016. Then this year, I knew it was one of the few years I’ve gotten to dial all my training in instead of working a ton. I wanted to just make it. The whole year I just crushed the season. I wasn’t super stressed and was super positive about it.

Nationals, I went in and was healthy. I knew it would be good for me because it was muddy with a ton of running. I knew all I had to do was get a top 10 to hold my top 5 ranking in the U.S. It wasn’t like I was automatically qualified, but like JPows said, he was like, “Dude, you’re fifth in the country. There’s no way you’re not going.”

It felt really good to be selected for the team without having to petition for it. It felt good. They only took five Americans and I was one of the five. It was a really great way to cap off that season. I think I won three or four races; I’ve never won that many in a season.

Every weekend I was calling my son in tears because I was so happy and proud of myself. Other years I have been really proud, but I think my first year as a pro I literally finished 5th 18 times. I was just so frustrated because it was fifth place every weekend. It felt so good this year to always be fighting for the win or the podium. It was just so nice calling my son and telling him how I was doing. The last five years have just been awesome.

CXM: I was thinking back to the race at Pan-Ams where you finished fifth, I think. That was an insane day of racing, and you raced so well. It was awesome to see you consistently turning in good results literally across the world.

AC: Watt?! Ah man, it is really profanity awesome man. Wut? The last two years, we’ve really done the Squid World Tour. All these big UCI races stared popping up, and we were like, we’ll just go to those. I was really happy I got to do it. I know this year we’re going to do more of the American circuit. Do the World Cups here like last year. I don’t know if we’ll do another World Tour, but for two years I’m happy I got to do it because it was really sick.

I tell people you can’t buy experiences. The last decade coming up through the JAM Fund and then racing for Squid going on my sixth year, I tell people you could give me $5 million but I’d have to give back my experiences and I would say hell no. There’s no price tag on it. Everything I’ve worked for and done. If I sit here and think about it, I might start crying because I’ve done some of the coolest things I’ll probably ever do.

CXM: Speaking of your son, how old is he and is he riding bikes yet?

AC: He rides BMX bikes with me. He’s 10. I’m trying to get him into faster bikes, so we’re going to go pick out a new bike this summer. I’m going to see if he wants a mountain bike so we can trail shred together in Robinson. I do my training during the day, but after work, we’ll go ride BMX bikes. I would love to go ride some trails with him.

CXM: BMX is how Sven started, and there are a number of other folks who started racing BMX, so who knows where it will go.

AC: That’s what I said. I figured I’m not going to push him, I’m going to let him see. I don’t want to push bikes on him, but I will let him know that dude, this bike rides better in the woods. Then he’ll be like, “This is sick.” And I’ll be like, “This is sick.” And then we’re just being sick together.

CXM: So maybe we’ll see him at Cyclocross Nats sometime soon?

AC: I don’t know if he’s smooth enough on his bike yet. We’re working on it.

CXM: Fair. We’re just bouncing around here, but going back to gravel, it seems like the scene really fits your personality. Is that the case?

AC: I think so. With how busy my family business is and stuff, it was getting super hard to go do big road races and try to get on a road team. It’s really easy to escape for a gravel race weekend. It suits my power abilities a lot more. Road racing is a lot of cat and mouse. That’s fine, I do like it once in a while, but the gravel scene and a couple of road races works out so much better for me.

CXM: The dudes who have been throwing down against you have talked a lot about your climbing. Have you always been a good climber and is that something you work on specifically?

AC: I’ve always been really good at it, and there aren’t really any flat rides out here. Every day I ride three to three and a half hours. I do 2,000 to 5,000 feet of climbing every day. I don’t really train with heart rate or power a lot. I train with those like once a week if that. I usually just do it by feel, and I have for years now because I can’t handle all the anxiety of training plans and stuff. I know that sounds ridiculous, and people are like, “I don’t believe that!”

I have training plans from Al at Cycle-Smart that I kind of follow, but basically I just do it by feel. If I feel really good that day, I just go and just smash it. I’ll go pick a 3-hour loop with like 5 15-minute climbs, and I’ll just go and slay all of the climbs. If I think I’m going too easy, I’ll start going harder and harder. It’s one of those things where you don’t know how hard you’re going, but you’re going really really hard. I’m probably overtraining a bit, but it feels better to me than looking at a screen.

I train with a computer, but just to track my mileage so I can log it. Your power numbers vary, and they can mess with your head. If you don’t have any power numbers to mess with your head, you’re never in your own head at a race. It’s just like, eh, I feel good today. You’re not like, “Oh my gosh, my power is 25 watts lower, what am I going to do?”

CXM: Cyclocross has some specific skills you need to develop. You can be a smasher, but you still have to be able to do short bursts and stuff like that. Do you work with your coaches on getting those workouts in your training?

AC: I guess the biggest thing I did is I got 37mm road tires from my sponsor, and I ride on them every day. I ride trails, I ride dirt roads, I ride gnarly stuff. All on road tires. Ever since I switched, I can hang with Stephen training now. I used to get dropped by him every two seconds. It’s really really helped because if you can corner that fast on road tires, you can certainly do it with a little bit of tread. It always makes me more confident on the bike and correct things faster. I’m not as shaky.

Honestly, that’s the biggest change I’ve made. I’ll go on training rides with Powers, and I’ll have road tires on. We’ll be in Robinson slaying each other on the trails riding road tires. I used to get butthurt about it when I would get dropped, but now it’s like a mission not to get dropped while riding slicks. I’ll train with people who are like, “Holy shit, this guy’s on road tires, are you kidding me?” They might be 37s, but they’re still slicks.

It teaches you weight transfer really well. If you’re going up a steep, loose climb, you have to transfer your weight so your tire doesn’t spin. You learn it’s nothing about tread, it’s where you have your weight when you’re cornering, how you feather your brakes so you’re not washing out and drifting the corners. Drifting is okay, washouts are usually because you’re not controlling your brakes correctly. I’m not saying I don’t crash, I definitely crash. The only way you’re going to get fast is pushing the limits.

CXM: Do you do all this on your Squid?

AC: All this on my Squid. I don’t own any other bikes. I literally haven’t ridden a different bike since, let’s see, I started riding a Squid in April of 2014, so I haven’t ridden another bike since April of 2014.

CXM: We’ll say a while.

AC: It’s been a while, and I haven’t been on anything but Squid. My mountain bike is a Ventana, which is made by the same company. Ventana welds all the Squids, so it’s basically a Squid. My road bike that is coming next month will be a Squid.

CXM: Doing all that ripping, whether it be gravel, cyclocross, trails, on the same bike, do you think that has been helpful?

AC: Yeah, I think so. It’s just a super comfortable bike. I’ve even done some road races on it. I got second at a road race last year on it. It’s super fun. I just put open tubulars on it. I didn’t do any crits, but I am going to do NE Crit Week this year on the new road bike. They just released a steel road bike. I’m pretty stoked.

CXM: Would you ride carbon if you had to?

AC: Ahhhhh, I don’t know man. I’m a metal bike kind of guy. People are like, “Oh it’s heavy.” It’s like, “No it’s not. I’m pocket-sized. I’m 5’5″ at 135 pounds. My bike weighs 17 pounds.” I don’t care about a gram. I have full Zipp everything, my bike is ridiculous. I don’t want carbon. Carbon breaks.

You know how many Squid frames I’ve broken? Zero. And I ride like a jerk. One time I tried to hop a park bench, and I slipped and smashed the downtube at like 20mph and it just dented it. I raced on that bike all year with a dented downtube. It was totally fine.

I remember Chris was rebuilding it, and he was like, “Dude, what the eff happened?” “Nothing,” I said. He goes, “Dude, what the eff happened?” It was totally fine. The bike I went to Worlds on in 2016 had a dented down tube. It’s totally fine, and that bike is hanging on my wall now. I trained on it all through winter, and was like, “You know what, I don’t want to ride this bike anymore because if anything happened to it, I would be heartbroken.” Now I see it every day.

Then the bike I took to Worlds this year, I think after this summer I’m going to hang that one up too. I don’t want a car to hit me or something bad to happen to my bike. We’ve been through a lot together.

CXM: How do you balance ripping and being a jerk and not killing yourself?

AC: I don’t. I wear a helmet and act first and think later. That’s how I live my life. It usually works out, but some times it definitely doesn’t. It’s totally fine.

CXM: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from riding with JPows and Stephen?

AC: I’ve learned a lot from Stephen technically. He’s taught me a lot about riding my bike just from training with him. JPows has done the same. JPows has really helped me in the sand.

The biggest thing JPows and I have figured out by training together over the years is the reason we race, the reason we ride bikes is because we love it. And if you stop having fun, you’re not doing it right. It’s really that simple. You ride your bike a lot, you’re going to be fast.

Then you go race your bike, and some weeks you’re 1st, some weeks you’re 5th, some weeks you’re 10th. Whatever man. It’s all the same. We’re just racing. You can’t win them all. You can try. We all try every time to win them all. Shit, Paris to Ancaster there were 20 people on that front line who could win that race. It’s like 20 people killing each other all day trying to win a bike race. It’s like, “Hey, not every day is your day.”

CXM: That’s kind of what JPows said about retiring. He was like, “I still want to win,” but his wife responded, “Yeah, everyone wants to win, and they’re younger than you.”

AC: It just gets harder every year you get older. You’re trying to buy a house and do all these things as you get into your 30s. Bike racing works when you’re younger, but when you get older, you need a little bit more money and you’re trying to make everything work. And when you get older, life gets more demanding. By the time you’re 36, it’s kind of hard of racing with these guys who are like 24. You get tired when you get older. There’s nothing you can do about it.

That’s the way it’s supposed to work. You race for a decade to 15 years, then the young kids who looked up to you start kicking your butt. Then you sadly start nodding your head and saying, “I guess I’m going to have to start racing less.”

CXM: I’m 36, and I go ride with the kids who go to college in my town and it’s like, “Oh my gosh, you guys are so strong and talented. You kids are better than me and you don’t even try.”

AC: There’s a photo of Curtis and me racing together at a NYCross race together like 9 or 10 years ago. He was a little kid. He was like 14 years old, and I was like, “Ah, I don’t have to worry about this kid.” Now he’s come up, and he’s a monster. Racing with that guy, it’s like, “Dang Curtis, I can’t go any harder. Stop it. Stop.” He’s so frickin talented, he’s good technically. It’s pretty cool to see him come up and start smashing everyone.

Spencer [Petrov]. Spencer is a great kid and super fast. Lance [Haidet]. Lance is another one. He’s so strong, and he’s such a nice kid. I love racing these guys because you’ve gotten to watch them grow up and race with them. They change from these punk teenagers into grown men who are kicking your butt. It’s like, “Dang it, why couldn’t you just stay a punk teenager?” Tobin [Ortenblad], Lance, Cody [Kaiser]. I remember seeing them as teenagers and now they’re aging up and smashing.

Clark topped one of his young rivals at the 2017 West Sac GP. 2017 West Sacramento GP (Saturday). © J. Vander Stucken / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: We admittedly have our favorite riders, but this year at Nationals, I was literally cheering for everyone in the field. There are just a lot of great dudes who are racing. and you’re all so fast. It makes it fun to cover.

AC: I was talking to JPows a long time ago, and we were talking about making the scene a community where we all want to do well, but nobody wants any animosity or hate. You don’t want it to be where you want to beat a guy because you hate him. I want to win because I ride my bike a lot and just want to win the race. I think it’s great because everyone just shreds each other’s legs off and it’s great to watch. Then at the end, we all hang out, and it’s like, “Can’t wait to get you next week.”

CXM: Speaking of shredding, what are you up to the rest of the summer?

AC: I’m going to do the Black Fly Challenge. I want to do New England Crit Week. Then in July, I’m just going to train, help my dad out with work and hang out with my kid every Sunday. Then August I’m going to do Vermont Overland, and then in September we start the cyclocross season man. I’ll know my full calendar in a week. That’s pretty dope.

CXM: What’s your family business?

AC: My dad owns a rental company, so I lift heavy stuff all day, drive trucks, set up tents and get buff. I ride my bike three hours every day at lunch time. I work anywhere from 40 to 50 hours a week. It’s not bad. It helps keep me skinny.

CXM: How does that work training while you’re exhausting yourself at work?

AC: I don’t know, I’m tired a lot. It’s the path I have and the path I fell into. I used to try to fight it and ride a lot more while working less. But as I got older, I’ve decided to fight it less. I can win any race I want to. I ride so much that it will be fine. Ever since I stopped stressing, it just got easier. It sounds ridiculous, but it works out pretty well. Some days are hard, but you have easy days and you have hard days. Whatever.

CXM: Like JPows said, everyone has their own path that they take, and they make it work for them. For him, he was doing JAM, he was doing Behind the Barriers, and he somehow made it work.

AC: JPows is like me. He doesn’t really function very well unless he’s needed. At the end of the day, like Jeremy told me, “Ant, even if you made a million dollars, I guarantee you that you’d still be helping your dad because you’re not one to say no when someone needs help. Every time I look at you, you’re helping somebody else.” It’s because I need to be needed or I don’t really want to do stuff every day. I like to help people.

JPows needs to help people all the time. He was the sickest pro racer ever, and then he started helping all these people. He started JAM and helped a bunch of us come up through it. It’s one of those things where we all have personalities and you just have to embrace them.

CXM: It’s been awesome chatting with you man.

AC: Dude, it’s been super dope.

CXM: I’m looking forward to seeing you smash this fall.

AC: Hell yeah brother.

Featured image: Jeff Curtes

The post 🦑❤️🚴‍♂️🌪️🔰🌎: Anthony Clark’s Path Includes Cyclocross, Gravel, Family and SickWhats appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

When I was in high school, my basketball coach chose the slogan “Luck = Preparation + Opportunity” for one of our seasons. Cheesy? You betcha. But it can also be applied to the story of the Salsa Chase the Chaise lounge that has been a fan favorite at gravel events the last two years.

The Chase the Chaise lounge made its first appearance at the 2018 Land Run 100, and as race leaders Michael van den Ham and Mat Stephens approached, Salsa’s Mike Riemer and his team faced a big moment.

“We saw Mat and Michael coming up the rise and we could hear them talking, ‘Are we stopping? Let’s make it quick.’ And we were honestly ready for them like a poorly trained Formula One pit crew,” Riemer said. “In and out, and they were on their way, and those of us working the Chaise were so stoked, cheering for them and thanking them for stopping. That moment was amazing.”

The photo of Van den Ham and Stephens stopping on the couch could not have been better marketing. What better way to show the laid-back nature of gravel racing than with the two race leaders taking the time to pose for a photo on a red velvet couch in the middle of the Oklahoma plains?

Mat Stephens and Michael van den Ham were the first-ever riders to stop at the Chaise Lounge. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Their two-man break was the opportunity. It turns out that there was some preparation from Riemer before that moment.

“At each event last year, I’d speak at the rider meeting and beg slash plead slash encourage the leaders to stop,” Riemer admitted.

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity.

The Chaise Lounge is Born

In retrospect, Van den Ham and Stephens stopping were likely not necessary to make the Chase the Chaise lounge a viral gravel hit.

With whiskey/Twizzler/tequila/bacon/you-name-it rest stops a regular part of gravel events, a laid-back way for the informal groups that form at gravel events to commemorate their afternoon of gravel succeeding is not surprising.

Salsa, the Minnesota company, was in a good place to capitalize on the gravel boom thanks to the company’s location, employees and history.

“When it comes to gravel, we were in the right place at the right time, with the right people,” Riemer said. “By that I mean Salsa really did design the first modern gravel race bike; the Warbird. That happened because so many of us at Salsa, including our engineers, were taking part in those early gravel events here in the Midwest.”

The story of how a couch ended up in the middle of gravel roads across the country did not happen overnight. Like many ideas, it was workshopped and bounced around until inspiration struck the team of Riemer, creative director Kelly McWilliams, copywriter Mark Sirek, graphic designer Collin Grant and brand manager Justin Julian.

“The idea really began with me wanting to figure out a good way to take portraits of the participants in the gravel scene,” Riemer said. “I brought the idea up once for discussion, but we didn’t get to a good place with it. A year later, I’d been thinking about it some more and had added the idea of using a piece of furniture as a consistent prop.”

“Kelly is the one who thought of using a chaise lounge. I believe she said, ‘It has to be something that you’d never expect to find on the side of the road,’ which is funny now because I know the cats down in Kansas City have actually found a chaise couch on one of their gravel rides.”

The Chaise Lounge has become a hit, even with large groups. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Once the idea was in place, the team had to find a couch. Last year, we saw the folks from the Hilly Billy Roubaix in West Virginia snag one from the side of the road. The Salsa folks went for the more virtual side of the road.

“Kelly searched the interwebs for the right one. I like to tell people that it was salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic,” Riemer joked.

The Chase the Chaise lounge and Salsa’s guerilla marketing campaign were born.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. 2018 Hilly Billy Roubaix. © Mike Briggs

The Chaise in Action

By the time we saw the Chaise lounge during the 2018 Dirty Kanza expo, it had already taken on a life of its own after appearances at Land Run, La Grand du Nord in Minnesota and the Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder.

The Chaise lounge had a VIP spot at the 2018 DK expo. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Last year’s events include the Land Run 100 and Dirty Kanza as “no-brainers,” and then Salsa added a few other events based on pre-existing sponsorship of those races.

This year, the Salsa team expanded their calendar and the events where the Chaise Lounge will appear. We have already seen it at the Land Run 100, and it will again be making the trek to the Flint Hills for the Dirty Kanza weekend. Other 2019 events include the Ochoco Gravel Roubaix in Oregon, unPAved of the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania, Gravel MOB of California and Miami’s Gravel Gladiator.

There is no doubt that every rider who encountered the couch has a story—and likely a photo–of it, but it has also made numerous appearances at the pointy ends of the races.

While Stephens and Van den Ham stopped at Land Run last year, Women’s winner Amanda Nauman passed right by and ended up getting some flack for the decision.

Nauman, however, got redemption later in the spring when she took time to pose on the red velvet Chaise couch on the gravel roads of Michigan’s Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder. Who said there are no second acts in gravel race couch sitting?

Nauman got Chaise redemption at Michigan Coast to Coast. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

At the Dirty Kanza 200 last year, the Chaise lounge gave aero-bar hater Geoff Kabush the chance to make amends with aero-bar proponent Stephens as the two battled for the third spot on the podium at the iconic gravel event.

A DK200 aero bar standoff broke out in the lounge. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

This year, Salsa has a new couch, but the tradition of the race leaders stopping at the Chase Lounge continues for both the men and women.

The tradition of the leaders stopping at the Lounge continues in 2019. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Women’s Land Run 100 Nina Laughlin stopped in the lounge as well.. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Making Memories, One Seat at a Time

As has become clear during our coverage of gravel races across the country this year, gravel events are about everyone, not just those at the front of the respective races. For us mortals in the gravel world, the chance for a rest stop or some roadside encouragement can be a welcome relief during the long slog toward conquering our rough-road goals.

For Reimer, the Salsa Chase the Chaise lounge is another opportunity for folks to get some much-needed cheers.

“I am certainly pleased, blessed, thrilled and thankful at the response it receives, and more importantly, it really has created a lot of great memories for many people, including me,” he said. “Life can get pretty serious sometimes, even at bike races, and it is really nice seeing folks being able to take a brief timeout from all that, and to just relax for a bit.”

The Chaise Lounge is a chance to relax and have some fun. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Of course, not everyone chooses to stop for a quick photo at the Chase the Chaise lounge, whatever the reason.

“We always hope they’ll stop, but if they don’t that is perfectly fine,” Riemer said. “There can be a lot of reasons that someone might not want to stop—trying to win, in a world of hurt, bad mood, don’t know what the heck is going on, just don’t give a hoot. Or our favorite, witness protection program.”

That said, thanks to the limited number of rules in gravel racing, if you choose to ride on past the Chaise, there is still a chance for couchy redemption.

“We try to offer some encouragement to everyone regardless of whether they are stopping or not, and you can usually coax a high five out of them. I’m pretty sure some that don’t stop regret it later, and we have had people turn around and ride back to the Chaise after first dismissing it.”

We will be keeping our eyes out for the Chase the Chaise lounge at the Dirty Kanza 200 less than 2 weeks from now, although it is likely unfair to everyone doing the work to hop out of the air-conditioned car for a photo on the couch.

For the 2019 schedule and photos from past events, you can visit chasethechaise.com

The post Hot Seat: Salsa’s Chase the Chaise Lounge has Become a Viral Gravel Hit appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

“I want to give a shoutout to all these small-town promoters who are putting events on because they have sweet roads around them. That’s what awesome about it; it’s kind of a punk rock mantra—if you don’t have a scene, you just make one. Everyone’s doing that across the country. You could travel around the country racing gravel every weekend.” – Corey Godfrey

Debates about what is punk rock these days aside, Godfrey nailed it when it comes to gravel events in the U.S. Gravel events abound in locations across the country and every year, new ones continue to pop up.

Got some great local roads? Invite folks over, draw a route on a map and throw a sweet post-race party. Simples.

A fun aspect of gravel is since it is still a growing discipline, it attracts riders from across the disciplines. Just this year, we have seen a WorldTour roadie, cyclocrosser, pro mountain biker and gravel specialist win the two biggest races we have covered. With gravel growing in popularity and prestige, we are also seeing more riders like Nina Laughlin who specialize in gravel racing and travel across the country to do so.

There are a number of gravel nomads who are making their mark on the gravel scene by putting in big miles in the van and big miles on the unpaved roads. With so many gravel events out there, we rounded up a few to ask them for their gravel event superlatives.

Our panel for this Ask the Gravel Pros includes (we are going alphabetically by first name here):

Alison Tetrick

2017 Dirty Kanza 200 winner, 2017 and 2018 Gravel Worlds winner, gravel pirate

Tetrick showed off her pirate side at the 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Amanda Nauman

2015 and 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 winner, Land Run 100 winner, surprising resemblance to a panda

File photo: Amanda Nauman. photo: Magnus Manske, used under a Creative Commons license

Corey Godfrey

2010 Dirty Kanza winner, Gravel Worlds co-race director, cornbread liker

Corey Godfrey is the Gravel Worlds co-race director. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Josh Berry

2018 Dirty Kanza silver-medalist, Gravel Worlds podium finisher, dude:

Josh Berry at EuroCrossCamp, 2009. © Nathan Phillips

Kae Takeshita

Dirty Kanza top 5 finisher, 2019 Barry-Roubaix winner, 2019 Land Run 100 silver medalist, possessor of many talents

Kae Takeshita flies on gravel roads and literally knows how to fly. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Ask the Gravel Pros: Gravel Event Superlatives

Cyclocross Magazine: Favorite gravel event?

Alison Tetrick: How do you pick your favorite gravel event? They are all so different. I think the best part about gravel that no stone is the same. You can’t make me pick a favorite. I have too many. Each event I have gone to is unique and special in its own way that offers challenges and community and fun.

Amanda Nauman: The granddaddy, Dirty Kanza.

Corey Godfrey: That’s a tough one. I’m really partial to this new event in Nebraska that starts and finishes north of Lincoln. It’s called the Bohemian Sto Mil. “Sto” is 100 in Bohemian and “mil” is mile. A couple of my friends are putting it on. It’s very similar to how Gravel Worlds started. Free, postcard entry, they do really cool stuff at checkpoints. It’s kind of my new favorite event. It’s really challenging heading into the Bohemian Alps.

Josh Berry: Dirty Kanza! I was forced onto the plane last year, I was dreading going out there. Thankfully I showed up to a new friend and Ted and Laura King to hang out with. We were there early and that place has some awesome people. The energy is unreal; it is intoxicating,

I got so excited to just go see how deep I take my body into it’s darkest place. Welcomed with an early rain storm to clean the air, I was blown away when it cleared to open beautiful prairie and dual track into the sun rising through the purple dawn.

The horses galloped next to us as I fought to become one with the environment. I let the wind be my friend, I turned off all of my metrics that day and just let my mind run. I laughed, joked, attached, panicked, felt the world push me and subsequently crush me.

I finished with thousands of other new friends all with smiling faces. Beers were handed around as our own war stories were shared of our battle together with the endless support of the community. The people make this race something truly spectacular. Get over the 200 mile thing, it didn’t feel that long.

Kae Takeshita: I can’t really choose one! There are so many fun events out there. Big or small. High profile, low key, or totally grassroots. Races or fun rides. Chip timing or hand-written number on a piece of cardboard or none. All graveling is good! There are very many I have not done but I enjoyed all I have participated in.

The granddaddy of them all got two voters from the panel.. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Magazine: Hardest gravel event you’ve done?

Alison Tetrick: Every time I am doing an event and if I am going as hard as I can, I always think it is the hardest day of my life. Then, you know the feeling, you finish the ride, you are raising your glass with your friends in celebration and you just feel satisfied.

When we are out there suffering with our gravel party crew, we are questioning our life choices and why the hell we signed up for this. It is so hard!  If you are pushing your limits, and challenging yourself, it is hard. Isn’t it supposed to be? It never gets easier, and it is always a challenge. But isn’t that why we do it?

Of course the DK200 has the distance and conditions that make it exceptionally grueling. But even at much shorter events like the Crusher in the Tushar, I wouldn’t want that course one mile longer. I was convinced I was going the way of the Sundance Kid and it wasn’t pretty.

I don’t think we should be intimidated by what is the hardest thing to do, but more what event inspires you to get out there on your bike and prepare to get better and challenge yourself. Where will you find the most joy in completing and where do you want to visit and see all the sights and eat and drink and be merry?

Amanda Nauman: Any of the events at altitude like Crusher in the Tushar. The most intimidating are the events over 300 miles like DKXL though, because of the sleep deprivation factor.

Corey Godfrey: TransIowa and the DKXL are tough. They’re both basically 350 miles. I did 11 TransIowas, but I think I only finished 5 of them. A couple of those were rain-shortened. Just the multi-day gravel events are so tough. DKXL was super hot and humid. For TransIowa we had snow, rain. I got hypothermic three times and had to drop out. Those are just nutty man. It’s a different level of nutty.

Josh Berry: Crusher in the Tushar. It’s the shortest one too. But the climb just keeps coming and coming, It will rain, it will be hot, it will be windy, and that is just on the first climb.

Everyone is faster and skinnier than you on the first. Thankfully the second climb lasts only about forever, and I can catch the struggling minds as I finish a few beers on my way to the finish. I did well once, that might be all I have.

Kae Takeshita: Each event has its own uniqueness and challenges, it’s difficult for me to compare which one is harder because they are all so complementing to their region. It’s true that a longer event involves more planning and preparation, and it does take longer to finish. That does not necessarily mean it’s harder just because of the distance, though. Elements such as weather and course conditions make things harder.

The wet and cold, say 35-45 degrees F, combination is harder on the body than sunny and dry and 20 degrees F combination. Once there was a race where I was ambulanced to a hospital ER after falling unconscious within a couple of miles from the finish due to acute hypothermia. Another close call again due to rain and in low 40s, where I wasn’t quite sure if I could even make it from the finish line to the parking lot. I had to be assisted to my car because I was shivering so badly. Hypothermia is a serious condition, your mind doesn’t realize your body is shutting down.

Years ago, in one of the races I did in early March, when the pavement ended it was not gravel on the ground but frozen thick solid ice. I did not have studded tires and I just ran what we had at that time (32mm cyclocross tires). And we were not going slow. Pretty scary! Just go straight and do not turn the wheel!

 And other indirect factors are always out there. Stress and fatigue from work and other life events are something I believe everyone can relate to. Just getting to the races can be a long travel by air or ground and quite exhausting. The foods out of town especially in a rural area can be another issue. I recently had a really bad stomachache during a race weekend and kept me up all night. When possible, I bring my own food to eat instead of eating out.

The Crusher in the Tushar is known for its beautiful views and tough climbs. © Cathy Fegan-Kim

Cyclocross Magazine: Underrated or hidden gem of a gravel race?

Alison Tetrick: If I tell you that event, will it make it too popular? Will it become overrated? There are two events that I was able to compete in last year that I thought were truly special: Chino Grinder and unPAved PA.

I really like attending events that I can get close to the pulse of the community, have less stress and indulge in new sights and roads. Chino Hills takes you through the foothills of Sedona and offers a challenging yet very safe course. It is a perfect time of year to enjoy Arizona, and also offered me new vistas and terrain that I never imagined I would be able to visit.

unPAved takes you through Amish Country and into the most amazing and secluded mountains in Susquehanna River Valley. I had a spectacular time and was inspired by not only the people I was surrounded with, but also the untouched terrain that offered so much history and depth. It didn’t hurt that I won a Whoopie Pie medal, which I promptly consumed.

Amanda Nauman: Rock Cobbler in Bakersfield, CA. This was the first gravel event I ever did and described it as a really long ‘cross race when I finished it. It’s got a local, grassroots vibe that I have always loved about these style of events, and I highly recommend the trip out to Bakersfield for it.

Corey Godfrey: There’s another local event called the Solstice. It’s usually right around the Summer Solstice. It’s a 100-miler that’s very grassroots and fun. It starts and finishes in Malcolm, which is a town we usually go through for Gravel Worlds. I’m a big fan of that one.

Just in general, if you look at the calendar of gravel races, I want to give a shoutout to all these small-town promoters who are putting events on because they have sweet roads around them. That’s what awesome about it; it’s kind of a punk rock mantra, if you don’t have a scene, you just make one. Everyone’s doing that across the country. You could travel around the country racing gravel every weekend. And fairly cheaply too.

Josh Berry: Ruta Del Jefe. Camping in some of the most beautiful lands and sending it on a multi-day bike packing ride in one day is a blast. Huge environment changes, huge climbs, super smooth white sandy roads, big rock to jump off all while supporting great causes and getting two camping nights (before and after) with the best food and best people. I don’t want to tell you much more because I’d like it to stay small.

Kae Takeshita: I believe this event now has another name and formats are different, but an unsupported race I did in Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 2016 was a very memorable one for me. It started in Marquette, Michigan, which borders Lake Superior. It’s the one I had an encounter with a fully grown male moose when I was going through the woods alone.

While browsing the internet during lunch at work one Friday, I happened to discover this low-key, free 150-mile event. It was only two days away. I was intrigued immediately, sent some messages to the event host to find out more details as I was not familiar with the area at all. After a group ride on Saturday morning, my husband and I packed up and drove 380 miles north for the Sunday adventure. As we drove north, the temperature dropped, and the scenery and the type of trees drastically changed.

Everyone else was on their mountain bike or fat bike, and I was the only one with a cyclocross bike with drop handlebars. My husband rode an old mountain bike with 26” wheels but I did not have a choice. It was either that or my road bike. Back then, there really weren’t many selections of gravel-specific wide tires and I was on 32mm tires. The event director did warn me saying, “Oh my, 160 miles on the CX bike will take being hardcore to another level.”

Until this day, I personally still have not ridden my bike in any remoter place than that area. “Very few people explore this area and only a handful live out there part of the year,” I was informed by the event organizer.

Hidden gems exist across the country. You may have to head to Cyberia to find some, however. 2019 Rasputitsa Gravel Race, Vermont. © Nolan Myers

Cyclocross Magazine: Top bucket list gravel event?

Alison Tetrick: I am excited to go to The Rift in Iceland this summer. I have never been to Iceland, so what greater excuse than to go ride gravel bikes there. And well, I did go on a bike packing trip in Kyrgyzstan once. Bikes are a vessel for all bucket list items. Adventure time.

Amanda Nauman: For everyone? I think everyone needs to get to Kansas for Dirty Kanza at least once in their life for any of the available distances.

For me? Rebecca’s Private Idaho. I’ve never been able to do it based on proximity to ‘cross season, but this might be the year I make it over!

Corey Godfrey: I think I’ve done them all. I guess there’s some out there I don’t know about that I want to try. Maybe that one down in Florida would be pretty sweet.

I am going to Iceland to do The Rift. That’s on my current bucket list. It’s 200k, and I guess it’s around a volcano. If you look at the profile, the first half you’re climbing and the second half is descending. I guess you have to cross some glacial melt rivers. It will be pretty fun.

Josh Berry: This year I am most excited to do the Oregon Trail Stage Race, It’s a first-year event in likely my favorite place, The Cascades. Fully supported, point to point days, camping gear transferred for you and many awesome Oregon beer wine and food producers there to provide the after party. I hope the cell service is sparse, the camaraderie is high, and the courses are wild. I have no doubt it will be the best event of the year.

Also, Grinduro Japan! I really hope I can figure out how to afford to get out there for this new event.

Kae Takeshita: There are more and more out there so I can’t name a specific one, but I’d like to go ride many more regions I have not visited yet.

I get myself fridge magnets for the states where I’ve ridden or raced my bike. There are many states I have not gotten a chance to visit or have visited for work or pleasure but not with a bike.

Cyclocross Magazine: What makes a good gravel event? What makes a great gravel event?

Alison Tetrick: Community. Make it fun. Make it a party. Remove the stress. Create an adventure. Make it safe.

I love gravel events because I can explore and express myself. After a long road racing career at the highest levels, I have to check in with myself when competing in gravel to make sure I am having fun and enjoying the adventure. I am willing to choose my health and safety over any result. I want to be able to take myself less seriously and lower the pressure in my life and tires. I want to have the option of carrying a flask in my pocket and eat bacon at a rest stop.

I think what makes a good event great is the ability to unite all levels of cyclists to enjoy life on two wheels and celebrate the battle of the day after the event. We are all in this together. Make it a gravel party. Don’t be lame. Cheers to gravel, let’s keep making great.

Amanda Nauman: A good gravel event has an excellent, memorable course. This would likely include incredible views, very little pavement, chunky gravel, glorious dirt, and challenging conditions.

A great gravel event has an excellent course, amazing people, and inviting atmosphere. It’s the people and the vibe that make an event great.

Corey Godfrey: Meeting new people during the gravel events while sharing miles pedaling toward a common goal of finishing an event. I’ve met some amazing people over the years while riding gravel. I may only see them once or twice a year, but there’s definitely a bond.

Interacting with locals and volunteers is also something I really enjoy. The landscape and terrain are a really enjoyable feature of the gravels events, but so are the local inhabitants of the land.  Most folks are very welcoming and enjoy learning about where you’re from and why you’re riding on gravel.

Josh Berry: A podium. A win. … Half kidding.

The people! Dirty Kanza, Rebecca’s Private Idaho, Crusher, Belgian Waffle Ride are created by genuinely awesome people I have been lucky enough to know. Each of them surrounds themselves awesome people and the energy vortex is created.

They find some challenging yet safe and supportable courses. They know the event is not about the silly people marketing it as a race but the 99.9 percent of people that are there to have fun.

A good gravel event is a challenging vacation.

A great gravel event is a challenging vacation with all of the parties.

Kae Takeshita: A challenging course with various features, showcasing what the local riders are proud about their playground and the area’s cultures and history. Course previews are always nice to have, safety remarks and markings for possible hazards if necessary. Also, I like it if the start time is not very early, but it’s necessary for some events.

Racing itself is the main event of the day, but hanging out and socializing with friends and their family, volunteers and race promoters and sponsors after the race is a ton of fun, and I always look forward to it! When the race day schedule and venue are set up so everyone can stay and enjoy each other, I think it makes it really great.

Familiar faces from my current home Chicago and Illinois, friends who also have traveled far, my Panaracer/Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change team members who I don’t get to see often (we are all from different states) and all friends I made throughout the past several cycling years. It’s like a reunion and also an opportunity to make new friends, so I really value and cherish the social time afterward.

The post Ask the Gravel Pros: Gravel Event Superlatives, Hidden Gems and Bucket Lists appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

[caption id="attachment_122891" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] i9’s booth was tough to miss at the final Interbike. 2018 Interbike. © Eric Takayama / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

While best known for its mountain bike wheels, the North Carolina company also offers wheels that are geared toward providing a colorful ride for cyclocross and gravel.

We favorably reviewed a pair of Ultralite CX wheels built on the Torch i25 disc hubs in print issue #25 in 2014. The set with the aluminum Ultralite CX rim—now called the Ultralite 235—and stainless steel butted spokes weighed in at 1,380g. We liked the light weight, low-pressure tubeless reliability and durability despite smacking the rim into an unseen buried rock!

One cousin of the Ultralite CX is the new Ultralite 240c TRA carbon, tubeless-ready wheelset. We take a first look at the Ultralite 240c TRA in this In Review Spotlight before putting it to the long-term test.

[caption id="attachment_135195" align="aligncenter" width="1277"] Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA

The carbon Ultralite 240c TRA rims are the result of a collaboration with Reynolds Cycling, and the wheels are built in i9’s Asheville shop. The tubeless-ready rims have a 24mm deep profile and a 24mm-wide hookless design.

[caption id="attachment_135203" align="aligncenter" width="1251"] The tubeless rim has a hookless design. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Our review wheels came built with Industry Nine’s TRA (Torch Road Alloy) hubs. The TRA hubs have a 60-tooth drive ring with 3 pawls offering 6 degrees of engagement. This differs from the Industry Nine mountain systems that have 6 pawls either in 2 phases for 3 degrees engagement or the new Hydra hubs that yield a 0.52-degree engagement.

The TRA hubs save a hint of weight and have a bit less drag versus the mountain hubs, and 6-degree engagement for ‘cross and gravel is likely more than enough.

[caption id="attachment_135199" align="aligncenter" width="1223"] The wheels come with i9’s new Torch Road Alloy hubset. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The TRA system uses direct-thread aluminum spokes, machined at the Industry Nine factory in North Carolina and color anodized for style. The spokes weigh about 6 grams each, about the same as an Ultralite DT Evolution (2.0/1.5/1.8) stainless spoke with an alloy nipple. Industry Nine claims better spoke reliability with the direct thread design. Spokes are laced using a two-to-one pattern we saw at Sea Otter a number of years ago.

[caption id="attachment_135200" align="aligncenter" width="1252"] The alloy spokes are threaded into the hub. Boiled linseed oil is the preferred spoke thread lube. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Interestingly, the spoke wrench flats are at the rim side where the integrated spoke head is. The threads are on the hub, so you’d think spoke windup would be a problem. A 1.5mm hex fitting is at the threaded end. Industry Nine uses boiled linseed oil as a spoke lubricant and says spoke windup is not a problem.

[caption id="attachment_135201" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The wrench flat is at the rim end of the aluminum spoke. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Our set came with 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axles. End caps are also available for quick release front and rear, 15x100mm thru-axle front and 12x135mm thru-axle rear.

One appeal of purchasing Industry Nine wheels is the opportunity to do color customization, although all black is the default. There are three levels of color customization with an upcharge for each. One color with black costs $50, all one color is $160 and two or more colors like our review set is $265.

From a weight perspective, the Ultralite name is anything but false advertisement. Our set (with tape and valve stems) weighs 1,380g, with a 640g front and 740g rear. Remove the valve stems and you’ll save 30 grams per wheel. The rims have a claimed weight of 355g.

One of the few gravel wheelsets we have recently seen come in lighter is the Stan’s Grail CB7 at 1,274g. The Spinergy GX Gravel alloy wheelset impressively has a list weight of 1,505g.

The base price for the Ultralite 240c TRA wheelset is $2,375, and as-built, our set is $2,640.

Initial Set Up and Impressions

The Ultralite 240c carbon rim has a hookless side wall. The hook offered no advantage for low-pressure applications while complicating manufacturing and adding weight.

Low-pressure tubeless tires rely on the bead shelf for sealing. Notably, the bead shelf of the Ultralite 240c rim has no bead retaining ridge as the Ultralite 235 had. Tires mount easily, but some will slide off the shelf when deflated, as we experienced with a new Ritchey Megabite 38. That would pose a problem on the trail.

After setup and a two-day wait for the sealant to set up under the bead, I deflated the same tire and it remained sealed and seated on the shelf. I would still like to see a bead retaining ridge in the profile for more confidence in the field.

I will, on the other hand, say that bead retaining features have made removing a tire challenging at times which can be a problem of a different sort both in the shop and in the field, so six in one hand, a half dozen in the other.

[caption id="attachment_135196" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The provided valves help provide a good seal. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The initial ride had a small amount of spoke ping from each wheel that did not alter wheel trueness or roundness. The subsequent rides exhibited none of that.

The lightness of the Ultralite 240c TRA wheels compared to their immediate predecessors was instantly noticeable from the first pedal stroke and acceleration from a stop. With hard cornering, the lateral stiffness is also remarkable for a relatively light wheelset, something that we noticed with the super light Stan’s CB7 wheelset.

The wide rim offers relative handling security with lower pressures and wide tires, so I’ve been running 20-25 psi for a 38mm Ritchey Megabite, a supple and reliable tubeless choice but not the tightest bead fit. Despite the question of bead security, the tires passed the pinch test and have not unseated in any trial or situation yet.

I will be putting in some time on the i9 Ultralite 240c TRA wheels during some upcoming gravel races, and #crossiscoming, obviously. I will put the wheelset through our performance gamut and offer a long term review of these attractive light wheels. We certainly enjoy having the bike dressed up with the colorful spokes!

[caption id="attachment_135194" align="aligncenter" width="1277"] i9s wheels are definitely pretty to look at. Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

For more on the Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA wheels, see the specs and gallery below.

Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Specs

Price: $2,640 as-built, $2,375 base price
Weight: 1,380g (actual); front: 640g, rear: 740g (actual)
Rim Weight: 355g (claimed)
Rim: Carbon, tubeless-ready, hookless design
Rim Width: 24mm internal
Rim Depth: 24mm
Hubs: i9 Torch Road Alloy (TRA), alloy, Centerlock disc, 160-tooth drive ring, 3-pawls
Freehub: Shimano/SRAM 11-speed, XD-R compatible
Spokes: i9 direct-thread anodized aluminum, 24 front and rear, 2-to-1 pattern
More Info: industrynine.com

Photo Gallery: Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clinchers

Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clincher Wheelset. © C. Lee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post In Review: Industry Nine Ultralite 240c TRA Carbon Tubeless Clinchers appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

We’re heading into the biggest week in gravel, not only because of the Dirty Kanza and Lost and Found gravel races, but because you’ve got a chance to win your very own set of Spinergy GX gravel wheels, complete with Spinergy’s vibration-absorbing PBO spokes in the color of your choice.

Spinergy is giving away a pair of its GX gravel tubeless disc wheels, complete with your pick of custom colors of PBO spokes.

Spinergy says the winner of these wide, tubeless disc wheels will:

Experience next-level gravel grinding with these lightweight GX wheels equipped with Spinergy’s bullet proof PBO fiber spokes for a difference you will immediately feel!

With an internal width of 24mm, these are ideal for any gravel or mixed surface tires. Weighing only 1495 grams for the set, these wheels can handle any terrain you will encounter. Take the fast line, not the easy one, with PBO power.

Think that’s all marketing hype? We put them to the test. Read our full review of the Spinergy GX gravel wheels here.

Entering just takes a few seconds, and we’ll have additional chances to win through new Spinergy trivia questions throughout the week. You’ll also get additional entries by spreading the word. Enter via the widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to see what you might be rolling on? Have a watch of Spinergy’s video of the wheels in action below:

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After completing two Dirty Kanzas, Colorado’s Mark Symns was unable to break through the lottery put in place for the last two years. Thanks to some last-minute luck, Symns snuck into the field for the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200.

In his pre-race gravel report, he shares what he has done to prepare for Saturday’s race. He will check back in after his 202-mile day to report on how it went.

by Mark Symns

They say that life often throws you curveballs, but this year I got one that was a pleasant surprise for once.

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. 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.

This winter I had a Dean Torrey’s gravel bike custom made, and come hell or high water, I was going to ride some legit, Flint Hills gravel. Maisie’s was no doubt 119 miles of the quality Flint Hills gravel I was looking for, and I considered my hunger for gravel satisfied.

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.

Thanks to some good luck, I was in! But when you live an hour north of Denver, there’s more to heading to Emporia, Kansas for a 200-mile unsupported ride than having a registration code.

After Maisie’s Pride, Symns got the good news he was headed to the Dirty Kanza.

Could all the necessary elements be pulled into place? Time off work? Check. Lodging? Check. (sort of—one night sleeping in a minivan counts, right?). Hiring a support crew? (dragging my 2-year-old and 7-month-old to Emporia and back was not something my wife or I were willing to consider) Check.

Turns out I didn’t have a legitimate excuse not to pull the trigger. DK200 2019, here I come, ready or not.

Next, every gravel rider’s obsession—gear. The setup on my Dean performed admirably during Maisie’s, but there’s one key factor that keeps nagging me—tubeless or not tubeless?  I’m well aware of the advantages of going tubeless and have run tubeless on my mountain bike for years, but in my mind, there are several significant drawbacks.

Symns has a Dean Torrey’s ready for the DK200.

Frequently flats in the Flint Hills come from cuts to the sidewall. No amount of sealant will fix that. If one does get a flat, tubeless tires are usually considerably more difficult to get off the rim and seated when trying to put it back on, which can eat up valuable time.

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. It’s often a temporary fix, in my experience, requiring further troubleshooting and repairs not too far down the road.

And of course, if I go tubeless, which ones? There is an overwhelming number of options these days, but I’m limited to what’s available in my area—at this point even with two-day delivery that only leaves time for installation, not riding and troubleshooting.

A quick Google search for what’s both available and good for DK conditions (38-42mm width, moderately-sized knobs and extra flat protection) concludes with the 40mm Ritchey WCS Speedmax. If the test rides are a bust, then back to the 38mm Challenge Gravel Grinder with tubes. It seems a certain amount of handwringing over tire selection is a prerequisite for any gravel race.

The rest of my setup is fairly dialed. Three to four bottles on the bike per leg, depending on distance and heat. One Beta Red, one or two Skratch and one water. 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.

I will be using my Garmin Edge 1000 for navigation and riding stats and a Stages power meter to remind me how not-elite my riding is.

Unlike a lot of my fellow riders, there will be no aero bars on my Dean. 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. Clueless patch kit, tire patches, one tire lever, Crank Brothers Multi Tool 17, two spare tubes, a shop rag for when things get messy and some cash all fit in a medium size saddle bag and should take care of 95% of the mechanicals one will likely encounter.

The Spot GPS tracker will also fit in there, for calling search and rescue in the event of a true emergency, and so my family can follow my progress via the phone app.

For overall race strategy, I think Craig Richey’s advice nailed it. Except one thing, tip #4—spending a lot of time riding at threshold.

Evidently he can hold 250-300 watts for 100 miles. Good for you if you can, but I can’t. 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. At that point, I have to limp along and wait for the second wind to kick in, as he did.

But I’m clearly not in it to win it. Everyone rides a race like this for their own reason—the challenge, the solitude, the adventure, the camaraderie, the scenery. For me, it’s all of it.  I love that a race like this demands everything; fitness, patience, determination, the ability to strategize and adjust and deal with any number of gear and conditions related issues.

The Flint Hills await for Symns 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

When you add it all up, I’m super stoked to be going back because there’s something special about the Dirty Kanza. Like for many others, my first DK200 is what pushed me to break my previously conceived barriers of what I could do on a bike and introduced me to the world of endurance racing.

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. But there’s something missing when comparing them to the Dirty Kanza.

Maybe it’s because I lived in Kansas for much of my 20s or the unmatched vibe surrounding and permeating the entire race, from the pre-race meetings at the Granada to the enormous cheers at the finish line, even if you arrive well after dark like me.

Whatever it is, I can’t wait to taste it again. Even if it’s on short notice.

Stay tuned for a gravel report from Symns after his 2019 DK200 adventure. For more from Emporia, see our 2019 Dirty Kanza coverage.

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One could likely excuse the Dirty Kanza 200 for resting on its laurels after building one of the biggest bike races in America. However, event co-directors Jim Cummins and Lelan Dains like to keep the race moving forward. “We like to keep things fresh, including the route,” Dains said.

To that end, the 2019 DK200 on Saturday will feature a new course that heads north from Emporia into the Flint Hills. “I think this is the first time we’ve used these roads since maybe 2013 or 2014,” Cummins said. “Riders who have been coming to the race for a long time might recognize some of them.”

Dains said the race team likes to use the same course for a few years, so expect to see these roads for the next few DKs, if you can win the lottery, of course.

New Route

The 2019 DK200 course officially measures 201.7 miles (we’ll call it 202), making it a bit shorter than last year’s 206-mile route that went due south from Emporia. The race will start going north along Commercial Street out of Emporia and then return to the traditional finish, passing through towns including Eskridge, Alma, Alta Vista and Council Grove.

The 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 route is heading north from Emporia. source: Google Maps

Similar to the other Dirty Kanza races, riders will get the full experience of the Flint Hills, with a total amount of climbing of over 10,500 feet (per RideWithGPS). Most of the climbing is between Miles 20 and 185, so when riders are delirious and talking to tress at the end, the going will be a bit smoother heading back to the finish line party.

2019 Dirty Kanza 200 elevation profile. source: RideWithGPS

Although the Texaco Hill climb from Mile 65ish is gone from last year’s route, Cummins said there is at least one early feature on the route that he can see splitting things up. “There is a 4-mile section at Mile 26 along E. Kaw Reserve Road that could break things up early at the front,” he said. “It’s a minimally maintained road that is pretty rugged. We flatted two truck tires in there while driving the route.”

New Checkpoints

Also new this year is the use of just two checkpoints instead of three. Last year’s course had checkpoints roughly every 50 miles, but this year, the distance between the only spots riders are allowed to get assistance is a bit greater.

Cummins and Dains said that although having one less checkpoint means riders have to carry more supplies, there are definitely benefits. “One thing that is nice about having two checkpoints is we have more freedom in the route design,” Cummins said. “With three, we were kind of limited knowing we had to stop three different times.”

Checkpoint 1 will be in the town of Alma at Mile 64 and the Checkpoint 2 is at Council Grove High School at Mile 162. According to the minimal Dirty Kanza 200 rulebook, riders are only allowed to receive from their support team at the two checkpoints.

The change in the number of checkpoints is a bit of a twist that might affect how much food and water riders carry between them, but the Dirty Kanza race directors put that info in the SAG Guide released well ahead of the race. “We want to give everyone the information they need to finish our race,” Cummins said.

The madness of the DK200 checkpoints will be squeezed into two stops this year. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

New Experiences

Both Daines and Cummins are not just in charge of planning the Dirty Kanza, they are gravel riders themselves. If you are worrying the new route will not be Send-It Certified, never fear.

“We’ve ridden the entire route,” Cummins said. “I think people are really really going to enjoy this course.”

For full course information including GPX files and maps, visit dirtykanza.com. The password protection should be removed at 6:00 p.m. Central time.

Win a set of Spinergy GX gravel wheels here.

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Gravel racing is an eating and drinking contest. Stay fueled to stay fast, my friends. – Josh Berry

Amanda Nauman and others have long maintained that gravel racing is really an eating contest with bikes. Most of us here like bikes and eating can be pretty fun as well, so maybe that explains gravel’s popularity.

So, eat food, go fast. Simples, right?

Well, not quite that simple. A lot goes into gravel nutrition … What to eat, how often to eat, how many calories to consume. How are you going to carry your food and fluids? Are there foods that do not agree with your stomach while riding long distances?

We reassembled our group of experts from the Ask the Gravel Pros Superlatives—Kae Takeshita, Josh Berry, Corey Godfrey, Amanda Nauman and Alison Tetrick—to ask them how they stay fueled and fast during long gravel events. This time, we are going in reverse order by first name.

All five will get the chance to put their advice to the test this Saturday at the Dirty Kanza 200. For more on nutrition, see our interview with Good to Go author Christie Aschwanden.

Ask the Gravel Pros: Gravel Nutrition

Cyclocross Magazine: What do you eat during gravel races? Do you have a special go-to food?

Kae Takeshita: Tropical trail mix I buy at a local market. I remove all the nuts and give them to my husband Dan and keep the dried fruits to eat on the bike. This way I get assortment and he gets nuts to snack on, a win-win situation. I do carry some gels, energy bars and energy chews, too; it’s a pocketful! I don’t have one specific go-to food but bring a variety.

Josh Berry: Whatever I can get my hands on. Ted King gave me plenty of UnTapped Maple gels at the Dirty Kanza last year; so yummy plus they saved me. Pancetta gruyere rice cakes are my favorite thing to make for a bougie snack I am always stoked to open. I am a fan of jalapeño chips and Heath bars at gas stations paired with the drink that got me through my ski tuning days, Starbucks double shots.

Bananas are my go-to. They are the perfect food and they are naturally packaged. You cannot go wrong. Just make sure you open them like a primate, your future or current lover will appreciate it each time.

Corey Godfrey: My dietary choices are all over the place. Nuts, trail mix, fruit snacks, soft energy bars and sometimes the occasional garbage—donuts, pizza and candy. I eat whatever sounds good at the moment but try to avoid really heavy foods such as fried or greasy foods. My main focus is on keeping calories onboard consistently throughout the event without any huge influxes.

Amanda Nauman: Whatever I’ve been training with around that time. I say that because there’s been nothing consistent about my nutrition plans during the past five years. Food choices evolve, but I always suggest people go with what they’ve been training with and nothing new on event day. For example, don’t plan to eat 10 gels in the first 5 hours unless you’ve actually tried that on a training ride and know your gut can handle it.

Use long training weekends and practice events to try different nutrition strategies. My go-to lately has been gummy worms. Stick to low-fiber choices for easy digestion and plan for salt cravings at the tail end of the long events.

Alison Tetrick: My nutrition depends on the duration of the event. When the intensity is harder and more “race like” at the beginning, I tend to fuel like I would in a road race. I stick to simple carbohydrates such as GU Energy gels and GU Energy chomps.

As the race distance increases and you get beyond that 5-6 hour mark, I start adding in more whole foods and listen to what my body needs. I have been known to crave everything from potato chips to frosted circus animal cookies to donut holes to beef jerky.

I think the trick is to eat early and often. Sometimes during the beginning of the event you may not be thirsty or hungry yet, but you can really put yourself into a deficit if you don’t take care of yourself from hour one.

Cyclocross Magazine: How often do you eat? Calorie goal per hour?  

Kae Takeshita: Whenever the ground is smooth(er) and steady(ier) and there is no worry that I’d lose the food I am holding.

Josh Berry: Training I eat every hour. Racing every 30 minutes. I am a big boy so 300 calories is my goal.

Corey Godfrey: I try to eat at least once an hour with a goal of getting 300 to 400 calories in per hour. Getting calories in early and often is vital to fending off stomach issues later in the day. Waiting too long to eat and then stuffing oneself at a checkpoint often leads to overeating with subsequent stomach issues and heavy legs.

Amanda Nauman: I aim for 200-250 calories per hour depending on the event and the effort.

Alison Tetrick: I aim to consume about 250 calories per hour and at least 1 bottle per hour. I think it is easy to put calories in your bottle and then you consume one other item per hour. Such as one GU Stroopwafel and one bottle of electrolytes.

Cyclocross Magazine: What else have you tried that didn’t work? Why?

Kae Takeshita: Nutrition on the bike is a constant trial and error process. I know what works and stick to it, and I definitely know what doesn’t work for me. For instance, anything with sorbitol does not agree with me. I do try new products but read the ingredients carefully.

Josh Berry: Not eating is a good way to be slow. I have always struggled with my weight, and it’s a real battle for many people to find what works for them. Sure I have been skinny but man, did I have no power. I have found if I really crush the food in hard training, I feel better all the time and lose more weight as I am boosting my metabolism.

In typical training days, I stick to eating something every hour, making sure it is something I enjoy that is not a fat. Healthy fat after the ride is awesome, I live on that. Cultured salted butter, avocados, coconut oil and nut butter are all strong figures in the calories I no longer count.

Corey Godfrey: Dense dry energy bars and straight liquid calories have never agreed with my stomach. I really enjoy food, so depriving myself of the food I enjoy only makes the event more difficult.

Amanda Nauman: Those anti-cramping hotshots do not work for me. I fought nausea at the Belgian Waffle Ride a couple years ago from the spicy flavor in those. I don’t think spicy is good for my gut at any sort of intensity.

Also loading calories at checkpoints does not work; that’s a mistake I made once and will never make again. Keeping the flow of calories consistent is better than trying to digest a whole sandwich or entire pizza at a checkpoint.

Alison Tetrick: One time I had a smoked salmon omelet before a criterium. I don’t recommend that. My theory is that anything you put in your body you should be happy with the taste if you need to regurgitate it! Apple fritters are fantastic for that. I recommend donuts.

Cyclocross Magazine: Do you have a post-race food “reward?”

Kae Takeshita: During the week I stick to a specific diet, so I look forward to the finish of the event as an opportunity to go shopping and splurge on some dessert.

Josh Berry: A tall boy Michelada Picante and a smoke or two as I drive away in my Camaro.

Corey Godfrey: I’m a big fan of chocolate milk and a couple of bananas. Post-race food should be nutrient dense. Getting plenty of fluids and some calories within 30 minutes of finishing is my number 1 priority. The recovery goes a lot easier if you eat well after crossing the finish line. That’s the best time to replace the depleted glycogen stores.

Amanda Nauman: Nothing specific, just whatever I’m craving. I’d say it’s normally something salty, not sweet. After a Muscle Monster there’s definitely alcohol involved in some form or another.

Alison Tetrick: Bourbon? Pizza? Burgers? Margaritas? Nachos? Do I really need to make a list? Anything and everything. Every day is meant to be celebrated. Life and living is a reward in itself, not just completing a gravel event.

Sometimes frites are what you need to finish a gravel event. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Magazine: What hydration gear do you use during a 100-mile race? 200-miler like the Dirty Kanza 200?

Kae Takeshita: I usually just use bottles, but depending on the temperature, availability of water and span of checkpoints, I opt for a hydration backpack as well. When I have multiple bottles I can use different flavor in each bottle, making my taste buds a little happier rather than having the same flavor all day long.

Josh Berry: I mix maple syrup, lemon and sea salt in bottles. If I have to grab something packaged, I go for UnTapped then Skratch. I always have a bottle of just water in case my body is not liking the sugars I am in taking.

DK200 with rest stops? I am sticking to half bottles of water and half bottles mix. I will have some single serving UnTapped without caffeine and a hyper hydration by Osmo Nutrition or Skratch.

Corey Godfrey: I try to use bottles for all the gravel events as I don’t enjoy having extra weight on my back. I have some liter bottles that I currently use. For extremely hot and humid events with distances greater than 75 miles between water stops, I’ll use a hydration pack.

Calculating consumption based on the ambient conditions dictates the decision. Last year at DKXL I chose to use a hydration pack in order to ensure I had enough fluids. I’m really glad I did.

Amanda Nauman: Big bottles that are 26 ounces and Orange Mud packs, either the 1L Gear Vest or 2L Endurance Pack.

Alison Tetrick: During the longer events it is helpful to wear a hydration pack, such as the Camelbak Chase vest, which carries an additional 1.5 liters of fluid to ensure you are hydrated. With each aid station at the DK200, I pick up a fully filled Camelbak Chase vest and 2 new bottles for the next leg of the journey.

Cyclocross Magazine: Do you drink just water or a sports drink?

Kae Takeshita: I don’t have just one particular one I use. There are so many nutrition products out there and I like trying new products and flavors. I do not stick with one flavor. After many many uses of the same product with the same flavor, there will be one day it starts to taste awful. It may happen during a long race, so each bottle has a different taste.

There are often single serving packets available, and whenever I get a chance, I give a new one a shot. I’ve tried many of the major ones that you see in the bike shops. It’s good to know what I like but also important to know what I do not like.

Josh Berry: A mix. I prefer to rely on whole foods and natural sugars. You will see me with a Coke and whatever mix the race is giving out as in these long events you have to take what you can get.

Corey Godfrey: The hydration strategy depends on the ambient conditions. If it’s early in the season and cooler, I’ll go with straight water and supplement with a sports drink at stops. In hotter, humid conditions, I’ll go with a drink mix that has electrolytes and some calories throughout the entire event. Less sweet the better.

Amanda Nauman: Drink mix and electrolyte tabs in bottles or bladders. For the longer events I’ll use my Orange Mud packs, which have been a lifesaver for long durations. I go against the grain of traditional practice by putting drink mix in the Orange Mud bladders so I can guarantee easy calories into my system. I’ve discovered it’s hard for me to eat at the beginning of hectic gravel events because of the bike handling, so easy access to calories in the bladder has been crucial for me because I don’t have to take my hands off the bars and dig for food in pockets.

Alison Tetrick: I stick to GU Energy Roctane electrolytes in my bottles. Like I said previously, I try to ensure I consume 1 bottle per hour.

Alison Tetrick can always be seen with her hydration pack … and maybe a post-race beer. 2018 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Magazine: Any stories of bonking during a gravel race?

Kae Takeshita: Not necessarily on a gravel ride but there were times that my energy level was low due to lack of calorie consumption. I get sleepy on the bike, and it’s not really a good thing. My brain needs some sugar! When it’s cold you need to consume more calories.

Josh Berry: I cracked on my last ride. I have been doing XC mountain bike racing, and I am burning way more sugar than I am used to as a fat-burning stage racer. I missed the 1-hour window as I was having so much fun ripping some singletrack on my Giant Revolt. At the climb out I was dead, but thanks to some extra fuel as soon as I smashed some Honey Stinger Chews, I was able to be back on top of power and glide home.

Gravel racing is an eating and drinking contest. Stay fueled to stay fast, my friends.

Corey Godfrey: Oh yeah! I’ve had some really dark moments before where I questioned every decision I’ve ever made in my life after having a full-fledged bonk hit me square in the teeth. I’ve hit the wall so hard I didn’t feel human anymore. Primal instincts kicked in and all rational thought processes were put on pause. All I could think about was food. Usually something very sweet and easy to consume. Chocolate or Twinkies have been the go-to for bonk fixation in the past.

Waiting too long to eat and underestimating my caloric needs have led to bonks. Sometimes I just run out of food because I was on the course for longer than expected due to a mechanical or less than favorable roads conditions. Carrying some extra food is worth the weight to fend off a bonk.

Other times, I’ve bonked because I’ve ridden on the rivet for too long and refused to sit up and eat. I didn’t want to lose a wheel or get dropped from a group. Well, bonking will lead to both and much worse. Lessons learned and often forgotten when in the heat of the moment.

Amanda Nauman: Not that I can remember. If you ask any of my friends they’ll tell you I’m really good at eating and drinking on rides. I always have a back-up stash of calories just in case something goes wrong and I’m out for longer than I initially planned. I’ve probably been dehydrated more often than I’ve been behind on calories. Always be eating!

Alison Tetrick: No! Never. Ha. The thing I love most about these endurance gravel races is that I have pushed my body beyond limits I did not even know were possible.

The first time I showed up to DK200, I had never ridden over 125 miles. I didn’t know how my body would handle it, and it brought all the sides of crazy out. I mean, I saw storm troopers out there!

I think I was fueled for the adventure, but perhaps we often ignore the emotional and mental energy that is required to keep pushing forward. Your body performs the best if you take care of all sides of it, and that can come from your training and your fueling preparation but also your visualization and positive self-talk.

We’ve got this! Wait, who is we? Last I checked it was just me and my bicycle all alone. Well, at least someone is listening to my crazy.

The post Ask the Gravel Pros: Stay Fueled to Stay Fast, My Friends appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

After moving back to Vermont to be closer to his business UnTapped and his family, defending Dirty Kanza 200 champion Ted King decided to take a different approach to prepare for the 2019 DK200.

It’s a path he is calling the Groad to Kanza.

“I think I’ve done almost 30% less training by time and almost 40% less training by distance [compared to last year],” King said. “Being in Vermont, I’ve largely been doing other things. I spent some time skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, spending time in the gym, which I really didn’t do when I lived in California. Then the distance, on a fat bike or riding around in super cold temperatures, you just ride less far.”

Thus far this year, King’s Groad to Kanza has taken him to a 600km fat bike backpacking adventure in Ontario, the Fat Bike Birkie in Wisconsin’s Northwoods and more “traditional” events such as the Land Run 100 and Belgian Waffle Ride.

“Every event I go to, I call it a test. Each test, Belgian Waffle Ride and others, has gone really well. I’m really happy with how it’s gone,” King said about his Groad to Kanza so far.

With several events now under his belt, King now faces the challenge that all the groads have led to—Saturday’s Dirty Kanza 200. King enters as a two-time winner of the famed Kansas race. Last June, he slowly whittled the field down to just him and Josh Berry before riding to the win at “the dirtiest Kanza yet.”

When he gets to the start line in Emporia—heading north this year—King faces the toughest field to-date, with former winners, WorldTour riders, professionals and even a former NFL player set to race the 202-mile course.

“I feel confident, and I know it’s going to be, hands down, the most competitive race,” he said about this year’s field.

Ted King returns to defend his DK200 title in 2019. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

No matter what happens out on the course, King said that he always looks forward to the annual trek to Emporia. “It was really that welcoming, fun, convivial community that struck me from the beginning. And I want to make sure that continues as gravel is in this state of fluid change,” he said.

We got a chance to chat with King during a break while he was working in the UnTapped office. We asked him about the Groad to Kanza, his own race Rooted Vermont coming up later this summer, the 2019 DK200 and more. Read on for a transcript of our interview.

For more from Emporia, see all our coverage of the 2019 Dirty Kanza.

Interview: Ted King, Defending Dirty Kanza 200 Champion

Cyclocross Magazine: How has the Groad to Kanza been going for you so far this year?

Ted King: Thank you for posing it that way. It has gone very well, in an atypical fashion. I was comparing some numbers from last year to this year doing some back-of-the-napkin arithmetic, and I think I’ve done almost 30% less training by time and almost 40% less training by distance.

Being in Vermont, I’ve largely been doing other things. I spent some time skiing, hiking and snowshoeing, I’ve spent time in the gym, which I really didn’t do when I lived in California. Then the distance, on a fat bike or riding around in super cold temperatures, you just ride less far.

That all said, I have a much more concise schedule this year. I’m not racing week in and week out. Every event I go to, I call it a test. Each test, Belgian Waffle Ride and others, has gone really well. I’m really happy with how it’s gone.

CXM: Just for the record, you embrace the “groad” term? You’re pro-groad?

TK: I think it’s kind of funny and tongue-in-cheek and sounds ridiculous. I think it’s a fun way to put it.

CXM: I’m partial to the Groad to Kanza because you did the Fat Bike Birkie here in Wisconsin, but is that a program you worked with a coach on or did you put it together by yourself?

TK: I am very much winging it solo. I very much retired from traditional racing in 2015. I’m enjoying doing these other things and really enjoy dropping in on gravel events whether they’re hyper-competitive or not. A big aspect of that is I wanted to remove the regimented behavior that comes with coaching.

On top of that, I coach a half dozen people; I have a small coaching business. It’s fun to share the knowledge I’ve gained. As a result, I can understand macro trends of what I need to be doing and when I should rest and when I can ride hard and put in particular intervals.

That’s a long way of saying no, I definitely do not have a coach.

CXM: I don’t blame you after being a pro for so long. It’s probably nice not following a training plan and all that other stuff.

TK: Exactly.

CXM: How has the move to Vermont gone? You’re taking on a bigger role with UnTapped now?

TK: The impetus for the move east was becoming more involved with the company. Playing a bigger role in the company I co-founded in 2013 and being closer to family. My family is over in New Hampshire.

Vermont has been incredible. The community here, the people, the pace of life, the way of life are all really refreshing. Being able to embrace winter was a huge thing. When I was living in California, we literally rode more than necessary.

Whereas now, it’s nice to just have a more laid-back frame of mind. It means I’m at the UnTapped office at every free moment. I’m literally here right now. I get to spend a lot more time with my co-founders and make decisions together we used to make over the phone, text and email. All trends are in a really good direction.

CXM: That includes putting on your own event this year? Is it the first year for that?

TK: Bingo. We’re super excited about that. The event is called Rooted Vermont. The event will be right here at the UnTapped headquarters, which is at the Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond. It’s this concept I’ve been talking about for a while; Laura and I want to show off this amazing community that has been so welcoming to us as regular people to the greater cycling community that we’ve built and that has been an honor to be part of.

It’s awesome to see we’ve sold out. We really want to showcase this area to people from across the country. We have registrants from across the country. It’s cool to see the backend of registration because you see where everybody lives. Very diverse geographical registration list.

CXM: Are you going to be doing the race?

TK: That’s a tough balance. We have two distances, and both are really challenging routes in terms of elevation per distance. I’m probably going to end up doing the shorter distance, which will allow me to be part of the event and everything that’s going on, but still be back in time and be able to help out. Laura will be taking charge of the logistics and not able to ride that day.

CXM: We would hate to have you win the long one and get criticized for rigging the race.

TK: We want to put a great deal of importance on the fun aspect because at the end of the day, that’s the greatest attribute gravel has going for it. We’re issuing a Mullet Protocol. It will be business up front with people riding hard, but we want the party to be at the back. We want people to be having a good time before, during and after the ride. We plan on keeping it not too hyper-competitive and hopefully make it a sweet weekend from start to finish.

Ted King gets to put what he’s learned from other gravel races into practice at Rooted Vermont. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: I have to say thanks in a way for not winning every event this year because I’ve gotten to meet some different people, but you’ve been in the mix and it seems like you’ve been having a good time. Are you happy with the results you’ve gotten so far and have you been enjoying the bigger events?

TK: Absolutely. From a fitness and results standpoint, I’m really happy with how things are going. If I was getting my teeth kicked in, I would definitely think something needs to be adjusted from a competitive standpoint.

To your point, I don’t want to win every race. Not to say that I don’t try super duper hard. I’m just overall very pleased with the results I’ve had and the amount of fun that has been packed into a very diverse and dynamic schedule. I’ve raced in Southern California,  Oklahoma, Missouri, events all over New England. I’ve got a more limited schedule, but a more well-traveled, super fun schedule.

CXM: Looking forward to the Dirty Kanza, I guess they say heavy is the head that wears the crown. Although, I guess it’s a belt buckle. Heavy is the waist that wears the buckle. How are you feeling going into your second title defense?

TK: I feel confident, and I know it’s going to be, hands down, the most competitive race. I’m not ecstatic about team tactics playing more and more of a role in gravel races, which is unequivocally happening. Basically, I don’t want to see us purely racing road races off-road. I don’t necessarily think that’s the spirit of gravel.

We’re going to have a hyper-competitive field. There are people who are lining up with teams, which is going to make it more difficult to figure out the right moves. There are going to be far more tactics than any time in the past. At the end of the day, I think we just need to see what happens come Saturday.

CXM: Did you feel the team dynamic was present last year at DK or is that something you’re seeing recently?

TK: I think we saw it at Land Run. There are rumors of it happening at races like the Barry-Roubaix up in Michigan. There was a bit of it happening at BWR. If you’re a solo rider, you just can’t compete with teams that have options to throw attacks up the front. The onus is then on you as an individual to follow them. Then the biggest teams are going to survive the onslaught and the biggest teams are going to win.

This didn’t happen at all last year. The parallel of gravel racing booming as domestic racing has fallen by the wayside means a lot of domestic road race teams are sending teams to gravel races to fill their schedules. I see the appeal, I see how it’s fun, I see how the training benefit is there, but I really hope people can keep to the spirit of gravel and race hard and not succumb to purely team tactics.

CXM: Well I guess we saw you and Josh Berry in your Velocio kits get accused of being a team last year.

TK: Haha, yeah. We’ll probably be wearing the same thing again this year. We’re purely ambassadors for the brand. That is a funny contrast. Josh wanted to win as much as I wanted to win. We were absolutely racing against each other as much as we were racing together. I wanted to beat him as much as he wanted to beat me.

CXM: It seems like part of the challenge is the DK has become one of the most prestigious races in the country, and with the domestic road scene fading, it’s hard to blame big teams for targeting gravel events like that.

TK: What is fun about gravel is duking it out and then at the finish hanging out with your buddies. Everyone is there to have a good time. If it gets hyper-competitive, then we are taking the best and worst aspects of road racing and putting them off-road. I don’t want to just do road racing on gravel and calling it road racing.

I think promoters have done a good job putting it in their rules. Don’t be lame. It’s such a good billing for a race. That’s what we’re really trying to institute at Rooted Vermont. We want to stress that everyone is there for a good time.

CXM: I can’t really remember—you’re kind of a DK gravel institution now—but did you get any criticism when you first did the Dirty Kanza?

TK: To be honest, no. I completely get that perspective, and I tried to tread lightly and not piss people off. Seeing how competitive it is, even in my first year, there were professionals racing, and it’s only gotten that much more competitive. It’s cool because gravel draws from all types. Pro mountain biking, pro road, pro cyclocross, triathletes.

I could have seen where that would have come from, but it was really that welcoming, fun, convivial community that struck me from the beginning. And I want to make sure that continues as gravel is in this state of fluid change.

CXM: From your perspective, what do you think Jim Cummins and Lelan Dains have done well to keep the grassroots feel of the Dirty Kanza?

TK: There is something very special and unique about Emporia in general. They’ve built such a magnet effect that people come out who do not ride a bike because they want to be a part of the festivities before, during and after. The true Emporia community has been instrumental in the event. They’ve done a great job of celebrating the person who finishes first and the person who finishes last.

What Laura and I are saying is we want to do is take all the best of the gravel events we’ve done and bring it to Vermont. It’s that celebration of the entire community, instead of just calling it a pure race. Those are the aspects that have made DK an institution.

CXM: I was really impressed by how much Emporia embraced having all those cyclists who descend on the town. It seemed like pretty much everyone was involved with the race.

TK: It’s kind of like the Birkie in Wisconsin. The whole community embraces it. The sport is changing. Lead, follow or get out of the way. It’s really interesting to see how it will all unfold.

CXM: I looked at the forecast for Emporia and there’s rain in the forecast literally every day for the next week. You’ve had some trouble with flats, but you’ve also stayed flat-free. What role do you think your experience will play?

TK: That’s a hard one to answer because we’re doing a whole new course. It’s not like I can use the course exactly to my benefit. But using my knowledge of the general terrain and using durable tires and particular pressures to run should be a benefit. It’s anybody’s guess just how bad the conditions will be given how wet it has been and what’s in the forecast.

Looking at the year before I won it, Yuri Hauswald won in just horrific conditions. It’s a race of will and discipline and who wants to go suffer that long. It’s been nice working with my tire sponsor Rene Herse, and we have a really great selection of tire options. We’ll see up to the last minute what will be ideal.

Again, that’s the fun of gravel. It’s a crazy challenge, and the course itself levels the field. You don’t have team support, and you don’t have a car behind you. You can’t raise your hand because you need a water bottle. It will be a fun day.

CXM: It was interesting talking to Peter Stetina after Belgian Waffle. He was like, “I have to bring a saddle bag? I need to bring my food?”

TK: He was grilling me with so many questions before the event. I mean, I get where he was. He was asking, “What pressure should I run in my tires?” I was like, “Pete, you and I are different humans of way different physiques. You’re running a different width tire on a different bike. There’s nothing I can answer. I don’t know.” I told him, “Pump it up and take some air out.” That’s a fun aspect of these events.

CXM: Last question. Cannondale is starting to get more and more into the gravel game, but are you still riding the SuperX?

TK: Yessir. Race proven, race winning. I ride that bike all the time. It’s the perfect bike for Vermont. I ride on the road, I ride off-road, singletrack. From the beginning, Cannondale has done a great job having really wide compliance on nearly all its frames. My 2015 road bike, I can fit 32mm tires on. There are bike manufacturers now that you can’t put 30mm tires on their road bikes.

I’m psyched for that bike. Super light, high performing, comfortable as all get-out. Speedy fast. The bike’s awesome.

CXM: Are you still running a 1x in the front?

TK: I have in the past. I’ve been working with SRAM for a decade-plus, and this year I’m running the eTap AXS groupset.

King said he plans on being back on the SuperX, this time with the new SRAM eTap AXS groupset. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: I guess I’m kind of partial toward running a 2x for gravel, having the big ring for hammering and the small ring for climbing, so I’m kind of curious to hear about your experience with 1x and 2x.

TK: I’m actually a fan of both. My really quick 1x defense is the gear ratio I ran last year was a 44t front and a 42t in the rear. So you can out-spin anyone on the climbs and then you run out of gearing at around 40 miles per hour. That was a wonderful gear range. Furthermore, if you feel like you’re overgeared or undergeared and the steps are going to be too much, the course is constantly changing during gravel races.

That said, I’ve also been using eTap for four years now. The transition to eTap AXS has been super simple and fun. I feel like I’m playing a video game when I use it. The ratios are incredibly helpful. It’s funny how all the technology going on in gravel is transitioning to the entire sport.

There’s no such thing as standard ratios. Sure there’s 53/39t, that will stay in the WorldTour, but so many other ratios are out there. I run like a 48/35t now. It’s fun being able to mix it up as much as you can now.

Long story short, I love the new SRAM eTap AXS.

CXM: Thank you so much for your time. It was fun chatting with you after you won last year, so you’re allowed to win this one from my perspective.

TK: Thank you, thank you. It will be fun no matter what.

The post Heavy is the Waist that Wears the Buckle: Ted King’s Groad Leads Back to 2019 DK200 appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

The general principle of the Dirty Kanza 200 has not changed since the race was first held in 2006—ride 200 miles of Flint Hills gravel and party in Emporia after the incredible accomplishment.

Some things, however, have changed.

The races are faster, with Alison Tetrick setting the Women’s course speed record in 2017 and Ted King doing the same for the Men in 2018. The fields have also gotten bigger, with the anticipation of the lottery now preceding the anticipation of the race. Another thing that is new for this year is a new 202-mile course that heads north from Emporia.

Other than that, just endless beautiful gravel roads and the famed Kanza gods stand between the field and Kanza glory.

Oh, that field has also gotten stronger, and this year has perhaps the best yet, with WorldTour pros, former winners and professionals from all disciplines heading to Emporia’s Commercial Street on Saturday morning.

To help get ready for this year’s race, today’s preview looks at some of the riders to watch on the roads north of Emporia this weekend, not unlike what we did Land Run 100 back in March.

As with that Land Run preview, this is a best shot at some riders to watch, and all athletes are more than welcome to use omissions as pre-race bulletin board material. This preview is based on the publically available start lists.

The start line in Emporia awaits. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

First, Some History

The 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 is the 14th edition of the Kansas gravel race that was first held in 2006 and results are available dating to 2007. This year, two of the riders are hoping to put their names on the short list of all-time top title winners*.

Rebecca Rusch won 3-straight DK200 titles from 2012 to 2014, and Dan Hughes won 3-straight titles from 2011** to 2013.

*Rusch also won the inaugural DKXL last year to give her four total titles

**Technically, the 2011 race was won by the tandem duo of Barbie Miller and Lance Andre, but Hughes won the Open Men race

Entering this year, both Amanda Nauman and Ted King have two titles to their names. Nauman won in 2015 and 2016, and defending Men’s champ King also won in 2016. The two of them have a shot for number three and perhaps a chance to generate some discussion about the above asterisks.

Dirty Kanza 200 Open Winners - 2007 to 2018

Open Women

This Saturday, a new Queen of Kanza will be crowned as defending champion Kaitie Keough is not racing as she prepares for a full cyclocross season in Europe this fall and winter following the U.S. World Cups.

Six of the top 10 finishers from the 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 return to race this year. A conversation about this year’s race should likely start with the two former champions in the field.

Amanda Nauman (SDG – Muscle Monster) and Alison Tetrick (Specialized) have developed a friendly rivalry on the roads of Kanza after Tetrick nipped Nauman by 5 seconds in 2017 and then Nauman passed Tetrick in the waning miles of the 2018 race to finish 2nd.

Nauman is returning to form after illness derailed her 2018 cyclocross season and has scored top 10s at both the Land Run 100 and Belgian Waffle Ride.

Former road pro Tetrick is one of the riders who has established a solid second career as a gravel specialist. She won the 2017 DK200 and is the 2-time defending Gravel Worlds champion. There is no question she is looking to add another belt buckle to her collection.

Alison Tetrick and Amanda Nauman were able to share a laugh after last year’s DK200. 2018 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The single busiest gravel racer in the U.S. this year has been Kae Takeshita (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change). The Japanese native and Chicago-area resident has raced everywhere from Texas to Michigan to Missouri to southern Illinois, winning or reaching the podium at nearly every race. She also counts a 2nd-place finish at the Land Run 100 among her 2019 gravel palmares.

Takeshita, who originally moved to the U.S. to be a pilot, bested the Kanza gods in 2018 after a run of bad luck, finishing 4th and on the 5-woman podium.

Kae Takeshita has seen the gravel world this year. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Cyclocross Magazine

The other returnees from the 2018 top 10 are looking to climb further up the rankings. Professional mountain biker Kaysee Armstrong (Liv Cycling) returns to improve on her fifth-place finish. Armstrong has been keeping busy racing the UCI XCO circuit and the Epic Rides Off-Road series. Armstrong also finished second at Marathon MTB Nats, so she knows a thing or two about success during long days in the saddle.

When she has not been busy working as a race director for the first-ever Steamboat Gravel coming this August, Amy Charity (DNA Pro Team) has been busy racing gravel herself. Charity is coming off a knee injury suffered while skiing, an injury that allowed Hanna Muegge to experience the alternative racing scene at BWR.

Charity had a monster result at Land Run, finishing third, and if healthy, she will certainly be looking to break onto the DK200 podium.

Amy Charity, on couch right, is expected to be a podium contender if healthy. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

Rounding out the top 10 returnees is Anna Grace Christiansen (Ottolock Adventure Squad). The Oregon resident and former pro crit racer had a strong ride in SoCal, finishing fifth at the Belgian Waffle Ride.

Joining the 2018 top 10 returnees will be a number of women with strong podium aspirations for 2019.

One rider all the other riders will no doubt be watching is California’s Olivia Dillon. Dillon was the West Coast crusher in 2018, winning both the Sagan Dirt Fondo and Lost and Found Gravel Grinder in California. Dillon is passing on Lost and Found this year to head east for the granddaddy of them all.

Olivia Dillon is a West-Coaster to watch. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us

“General Badass” (it was in the team PR, what can I say?) Amity Rockwell (Easton Overland Gravel Team) is riding strong during the past year, finishing 4th at the 2019 Land Run 100 and 2nd at the 2018 Gravel Worlds. Rockwell returns to the Dirty Kanza with a little unfinished business after an 18th-place finish in 2018.

Amity Rockwell returns to Kanza eyeing a podium finish. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Racing her first-ever Dirty Kanza 200 is DNA Cycling’s Lauren De Crescenzo. Crescenzo brings an incredible story to Emporia, as she has kicked off a second career in cycling via gravel after a traumatic crash on the road in 2016. She won the 2018 Crusher in the Tushar and placed in the top 6 at both this year’s Land Run 100 and Belgian Waffle Ride.

Gravel has been good to Lauren De Crescenzo thus far 2018 Crusher in the Tushar. © Cathy Fegan-Kim

Joining LDC as a first-timer is Oregon’s Sarah Max (Argonaut). Max helped put her name on the alt racing map earlier this month with a second-place finish behind Sarah Sturm at Belgian Waffle. Max moonlights as a writer, so you know there will be a good story of her ride, and she may end up cutting some business deals during the ride as well?

Notable mentions: Karen Pritchard (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change), Judah Sencenbaugh (706 Project / United Healthcare).

Joining the impressive list of riders will be former WNBA player Jackie Stiles.

Open Men

The 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 may be the year of the WorldTour teams, but the groad to the belt buckle goes through the defending King of Kanza, Ted King (Cannondale – SRAM – Roka – Velocio – UnTapped). King captured his 2nd title in 3 tries in 2018 and returns for his 4th Kanza this year.

King has been taking a different approach in preparing for this year’s race, adding some skiing, fat biking and bikepacking to his training after moving back to Vermont. He took the win at Missouri’s The Epic and finished second at Land Run and third at BWR this year.

Ted King is the defending King of Kanza. © Cyclocross Magazine

Peter Stetina (Trek – Segafredo) returned to his off-road roots when he won the Belgian Waffle Ride earlier this month. Stetina kicked his season off at the Tour Down Under, raced Liege-Bastogne-Liege and raced the Tour of California the week after BWR. The DK200 is a chance for the WorldTour rider to capture a true gravel event and get another chance to show off his keg-carrying skills.

Peter Stetina took the win at the 2019 BWR. photo: BWR Photo Pool

Joining Stetina will be his teammate Kiel Reijnen (Trek – Segafredo). The four-year member of Trek – Segafredo raced several of the 2019 spring classics and was also part of the Tour of California team. He has been preparing for the Dirty Kanza in part by ripping around the dirt roads and trails near his Washington home.

While the Trek – Segafredo riders kept their Dirty Kanza plans mum until this week, the EF Education First squad has been more open about its alternative calendar approach. The Dirty Kanza represents the team’s first “alt” event on a calendar that includes the Leadville 100 and Three Peaks Cyclocross.

Last week, the team announced its squad of Alex Howes, Taylor Phinney and Lachlan Morton. The team should have their setups dialed with famed mechanic Tom Hopper helping them out, but with their bright pink kits, the EF boys are likely to get a lot of attention come Saturday.

Four riders who finished in the top 10 of the 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 return for 2019. Josh Berry (Giant Off-Road Team) was a breakout star of last year’s race, joining King in a two-man break before finishing second. Berry went on to finish third at the 2018 Gravel Worlds and has been racing a mix of gravel and mountain bikes thus far this season.

It is worth noting that although King and Berry will likely be wearing the same Velocio kit, they are friends, not teammates.

Josh Berry used his cyclocross skills to ride the creek last year. 2018 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Last year, Geoff Kabush (Yeti – Maxxis – Shimano) made a splash with his anti-aero-bar essay published in the week leading up to the Dirty Kanza 200. It was only fitting that Kabush ended up in a group with aero bar proponent Mat Stephens (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change). Kabush got the best of the battle, finishing third to Stephens’ fifth.

Kabush is no stranger to drop bars, as in 2018 he went on to win the November Iceman Cometh mountain bike race in Michigan on a drop bar bike. He has also been rolling at the Epic Rides Off-Road series this year, winning the Fat Tire Crit and finishing second in the Backcountry race at the Grand Junction Off-Road.

Stephens is one of the pioneers of trading the road for gravel and has a lot of success to show for it. He won the 2017 DK200, the 2018 Land Run 100 and captured his 3rd-straight Barry-Roubaix in Michigan earlier this year.

Stephens and Kabush had an aero bar staredown last year. Salsa Chase the Chaise Lounge. © Scott Haraldson / Salsa Cycles

The other returning Dirty Kanza 200 winner is 2015 champion Yuri Hauswald (GU Energy Labs). Hauswald finished second at last year’s 350-mile DKXL and got his win in the famed “Mud Year,” a result that may come in handy pending the shape of the rain-soaked gravel roads in the Flint Hills.

Joining Stetina and Stephens as a winner of one of 2019’s marquee gravel races is Payson McElveen (Orange Seal Off-Road Team). McElveen won the Land Run 100 in a sprint before heading to Moab to set the Fastest Known Time on the 100-mile White Rim Trail. McElveen and his ‘stache head to Kanza looking for redemption after a mechanical-marred DNF in 2018. We will find out if the Kanza gods love a good redemption story.

We last saw Payson McElveen at the Dirty Kanza, where he had a tough go of it. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Fellow LR100 podium finisher Drew “Dizzle” Dillman (SDG – Muscle Monster) will be taking on his first Dirty Kanza 200, because of course a teammate of Nauman is going to do the DK200. Dillman finished third at Land Run and has been racing the Epic Rides Off-Road series to stay busy before the coming cyclocross season, where he is expected to be one of the top riders in the U.S. after a fourth-place finish at Louisville Nationals.

Drew Dillman has traded cyclocross for gravel this spring. 2018 Trek CX Cup, Waterloo © Cyclocross Magazine / D. Mable

Another familiar name on the start list that cyclocross fans have not really heard for the last two years is that of Yannick Eckmann. Eckmann won the 2013 U23 Cyclocross National Championship and finished as high as 6th at Elite U.S. Cyclocross Nationals at Hartford in 2017 before leaving the sport along with Amanda Miller when their team stepped away from sponsoring national-level cyclocross. We love a good story, so we may be silently cheering for Eckmannia on Saturday.

Yannick Eckmann is a former U23 cyclocross national champion who is racing DK this year. 2013 U23 Cyclocross National Championships. © Meg McMahon

Riders 11 through 15 from 2018 return this year looking to break into the top 10.

Timothy Rugg (BAI – Sicasal – Petro du Luanda) won a stage of the 2018 Tour of Rwanda. Michael Sencenbaugh (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) finished 2nd at DK in both 2015 and 2016. Neil Shirley (ENVE) is a former BWR and Gravel Worlds winner, although he did tell me after the 2018 DK200 that he was “doing the 100 instead of the 200 next year,” but here he is. Cory Wallace (Kona Adventure Team) is a Canadian endurance mountain biker who races all over the world. And Jesse Stauffer (QCW p/b Cadence Cycling) has completed the 4,000-mile Trans-Am Bike Race, so the 202-mile Dirty Kanza 200 should be a snap.

Brian McCulloch (KHS / Elevate Pro Cycling Team) brings an impressive win from last year with his title at the 2018 Belgian Waffle Ride.

Other notable riders include: John Borstelmann (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change), Rob Bell (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change), Eric Marcotte (Factor), Colin Strickland (Meteor x Giordana) and Tristan Uhl (Giant Factory Off-Road Team)

Joining the long list of pro and former pro cyclists will be a pro of another kind. Former NFL cornerback Jason Sehorn is set to take on the DK200 on Saturday.

For more from Emporia, check out all of our coverage of the 2019 Dirty Kanza.

The post 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 Race Preview: 38 Buckle Hopefuls to Watch appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Topeak’s mission appears perfectly tailored to helping gravel cyclists get to the finish line or campsite. We took a look at some of the brand’s latest tools, pumps, inflators, bags and more.

Lights and Mounts

Topeak’s new CubiCubi series of modular lights look ready to get you through nighttime and extra-long adventures. The lights come in 500, 850 and 1200 lumens, with different cartridge battery options. There are five different brightness settings.

The lights retail for $99.95, $119.95 and $139.95 and can be paired with a mount that holds your GoPro camera and your head unit.

[caption id="attachment_135313" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s CubiCubi series helps you mount a Topeak light (up to 1200 lumens), a spare battery, a GoPro, and your head unit in a tidy package. Lights start at $99, while a 6000 mAh battery pack retails for $49.95. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Should you need to burn the midnight oil, the company offers a spare 6000 mAh power pack to charge your light or devices for $49.95. That should come in handy if you need your head unit to navigate, or to boast to your riding buddies about your PRs from your extended adventure.

Tools and Cages

Topeak’s impressive Ninja line includes a number of water bottle cages that can also hold tools, pumps and essential gear. The only item missing accessory is a ninja star.

[caption id="attachment_135315" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s expansive Ninja series focuses on survival with hydration and essential tools. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The Ninja series also includes tools that sit nicely under your hydration. The new Ninja 16 combines 16 functions into a folding body.

[caption id="attachment_135314" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s expansive Ninja series focuses on survival with hydration and essential tools. The Ninja 16 combines 16 functions into a folding body. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Topeak, like Feedback Sports and Presta Cycle, offers a mini ratchet with all the bits for your bike. The $79.95 Ratchet Rocket NTX+ has 19 functions and includes an adjustable TorqBit and chain tool.

[caption id="attachment_135320" align="aligncenter" width="1210"] Topeak, like Feedback Sports and Presta Cycle, offers a mini ratchet with all the bits for your bike. The $79.95 Ratchet Rocket NTX+ has 19 functions and includes an adjustable TorqBit and chain tool. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

It all comes in a nice handy case to keep all the bits in place. The case is likely too big for your average saddle bag, but Topeak already thought about that…

Bags for Essentials, Bikepacking

Carrying your gear is important for both one-day gravel races and multi-day bikepacking trips. Topeak’s bags are aptly named the FrontLoader, BackLoader, MidLoader and TopLoader to help you remember where they go.

The new $36.95 TopLoader bag is one likely useful for one-day events. The top tube bag has a built-in rain cover, stores your fuel, battery or devices, and has an exit port for wires to charge your devices while riding.

[caption id="attachment_135311" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s new $36.95 Toploader bag has a built-in rain cover, stores your fuel, battery or devices, and has an exit port for wires to charge your devices while riding. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The $84.95 FrontLoader has 8 liters of storage with room for bulky items such as a sleeping bag.

[caption id="attachment_135323" align="aligncenter" width="1270"] Topeak’s FrontLoader holds 8 liters and is perfect for bulky items like sleeping bags. $84.95 MSRP. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The BackLoader comes in three different sizes—6, 10 and 15 liters—and features a waterproof inner bag and an updated saddle mount.

[caption id="attachment_135322" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s BackLoader features a waterproof inner bag. It has a new saddle mount that reduces swing and makes for easy on/off. There are 15, 10 and 6-liter versions. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

There’s even a frame bag called the MidLoader that comes in different sizes and stays aero.

[caption id="attachment_135321" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak is all-in on the bikepacking movement. Its BackLoader and MidLoader bags help you avoid backpacks or trailers and get to camp. The MidLoader carries 6 liters (of gear, or beverage) and retails for $69.95. There are 6 and 4.5 liter versions available. The BackLoader hauls up to 15 liters and retails for $89.95 © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Inflators

Topeak has three new “G” mini pumps with gauges. There’s a Roadie DA G (Dual Action), MTB DA G and an MTB TT (Twin Turbo) G. The DA G pumps start at $34.95.

[caption id="attachment_135319" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Can’t feel the pressure? Topeak’s has three new “G” mini pumps with gauges. There’s a Roadie DA G (Dual Action), MTB DA G, and an MTB TT (Twin Turbo) G. The DA G pumps start at $34.95. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The company also has a forthcoming Airbooster_G2 CO2 inflator with built-in pressure gauge.

[caption id="attachment_135318" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Don’t get ready for blast off. Get a handle of the pressure with Topeak’s upcoming Airbooster_G2 Co2 inflator with built-in pressure gauge. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The Airbooster_G2 is Presta and Schrader valve compatible, has a separate end for cartridge storage, and a valve to adjust the flow during inflation.

The Co2 inflator with a gauge retails for $44.95, but don’t rush out hoping to get one in time for Dirty Kanza or Lost and Found. It starts to make its way to retailers on June 10.

Workstand

Still need to get your bike ready for your next gravel or cyclocross race?

Topeak’s new $269.95 PrepStand X features portable, stable bike adjustment for the garage or race day. The new workstand accepts quick release, 12mm, 15mm and 20mm thru-axles.

[caption id="attachment_135316" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Topeak’s new $269.95 PrepStand X features portable, stable bike adjustment for the garage or race day. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

For more on all of Topeak’s products, see the photo gallery below. To check out more new products we’ve seen this season, visit our archives from the Sea Otter Classic.

More info: topeak.com

Photo Gallery: Topeak Tools, Bags, Inflators and More

Topeak’s CubiCubi series helps you mount a Topeak light (up to 1200 lumens), a spare battery, a GoPro and your head unit in a tidy package. Lights start at $99, while a 6000 mAh battery pack retails for $49.95. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post Topeak Offers Lights, Bags, Tools, Inflators and More for Gravel and Bikepacking appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

For those who view the 202-mile Dirty Kanza 200 race as not enough Flint Hills gravel, the event now offers the 350-mile DKXL. First launched last year, the ultra-endurance event gives riders an even tougher challenge during the DK weekend that draws inspiration from TransIowa and Almanzo Alexander and other ultra gravel races.

While last year’s inaugural race was by invite only, the 2019 DKXL allowed all interested gravel grinders the opportunity to apply for entry into the race. Ultimately, 15 women and 64 men made the cut for 2019.

The DKXL sets off from Commercial Street in Emporia at 3 p.m. on Friday, and riders have a total of 36 hours to complete the event. Unlike the DK200 that allows riders to access a support crew at two checkpoints, the DKXL is completely self-supported. Support crews are only there to pick you up if you abandon the race.

The 2019 DKXL course includes parts of the 2019 course north of Emporia, the 2018 course south of Emporia and some different stuff not on either.

The inaugural DKXL races were won by Rebecca Rusch and Matt Acker. Rusch is not signed up to race in Kansas this year, but Acker and his WarBeard return for the insanely long race. A few other riders of note include Kristen Legan, Nick Legan, Jake Wells, Corey Godfrey and 3-time DK200 winner Dan Hughes.

Start lists for the 2019 DKXL are below.

Featured image: Ian Matteson/ ENVE Composites

Women's Start List: 2019 DKXL

Men's Start List: 2019 DKXL

The post Start Lists: 2019 DKXL 350-Mile Ultra-Endurance Gravel Race appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

With a few free minutes between the Grand Junction MTB Heat Check and the Dirty Kanza 200, CXHairs’ Bill Shieken and Cyclocross Magazine’s Zach Schuster sat down to record a podcast double feature covering cyclocross and gravel.

Cyclocross Radio

The latest edition of Cyclocross Radio looks ahead to the coming cyclocross season and tries to make sense of the 2019 domestic UCI calendar. In recent years, save the 2017 season with the US Cup-CX, the C1s have served as the de facto domestic cyclocross series. With the number of C1s down to 3 after the cancellation of RenoCross, Schieken and Schuster talked through the calendar and threw out ideas about constructing a narrative for coming season.

You can listen to the episode via the embed below.

Groadio Episode 1

Gravel + Road + Radio = Groadio

If you have been around these parts during the last few cyclocross offseasons, you have seen us covering a lot of gravel races. Your humble editor Zach Schuster returned to the CXHairs podcast to talk about gravel and this weekend’s big race for the first-ever episode of Groadio.

For more from Schieken and CXHairs, you can visit cxhairs.com

Featured image: Bill Schieken / CXHairs

The post Podcast Double Feature: CXHairs and CXM Team Up to Talk Cyclocross and Gravel appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

[caption id="attachment_135389" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheelset features a 21mm deep, 25mm wide (internal) rim that alloys for easy tire installation. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The E$799 A90 AX wheelset ups the ante from the existing EA70 AX wheelset. The wheelset adds 1mm extra internal width, with a 25mm-wide rim. It’s 21mm deep, and 29mm externally wide.

[caption id="attachment_135393" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheels feature a 25mm wide rim with a deep center channel that allows for easy tire installation. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

It’s also about 140 grams lighter than the EA70 AX, at 1625g list weight. Our actual measurements reveal our pair weighs 1630g with tape and valves.

[caption id="attachment_135390" align="aligncenter" width="1165"] Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheelset weigh 1630g with tape and valves and retails for $799. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

How does Easton achieve the weight savings? It swaps the EA70 AX’s brass nipples for DT alloy nipples, adds Sapim double butted straight pull spokes and rotates on the company’s top-shelf CenterLock Vault hubs.

[caption id="attachment_135394" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheels feature the CenterLock Vault hubs. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Tubeless setup is a snap, literally. We easily mounted a 43mm Panaracer GravelKing SK and a 42mm Soma Fabrications Cazadero tire without tire levers, and a compressor pump snapped both into place. With Panaracer’s new Smart Seal sealant, the Cazadero has been airtight since the initial blast, while the GravelKing took one top-off before remaining airtight.

[caption id="attachment_135386" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The 25mm internal width helps gravel tires inflate to list size or greater. The 43mm GravelKing measured at 43.3mm at 35 psi. Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheels. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The 25mm width helps add air volume and support the sidewalls of 40+mm gravel tires. At 35 psi, the 42mm Cazadero measured 43.8mm, while the 43mm GravelKing measured 43.3mm.

[caption id="attachment_135387" align="aligncenter" width="1104"] Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheels feature Sapim straight-pull spokes, alloy nipples, and a 25mm wide rim. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Like Easton’s other wheelsets, the EA90 AX wheels are compatible with major axle configurations, including QR, 15mm or 12mm front, and 142x10mm rear through tool-free axle cap swaps (included).

First rides have proven burp-free. We’ll see if they hold up to the rigors of the Lost Sierra. Stay tuned for a full test.

Official product launch info below:

The EA90 AX wheel joins our popular AX Series lineup, giving you the all road advantage on a lightweight EA90 aluminum rim. With a 25mm internal measurement and 3mm of offset, you’re ready to mount your favorite gravel and road plus tires to get the most out of the path less traveled.

EA90 AX wheels are laced with our new Vault hub – designed to exceed your needs from tarmac to singletrack. Larger bearings on a wider bearing stance and improved seals help to push reliability to a new level. A reversed drive ring configuration gives 60 points of engagement at just 6-degrees for instant acceleration.

Included in the box are tool-free swappable end-caps for all major axle standards and 5 extra straight-pull Sapim spokes (shipped with rear wheels) that match the uniform spoke length throughout both wheels. With center lock discs and easy tubeless ready setup, the EA90 AX wheelset is adventure ready.

Easton EA90 AX Wheelset Specs:

Weight: 1625g list, 1630g actual with tape and valves
Depth: 21mm
Width: 25mm internal, 29mm external
Spokes: Sapim straight-pull double butted, 24/3x, DT alloy nipples. Wheelset includes 5 spare spokes
Spoke pattern: 24 / 3x
Hubs: CenterLock, 12x100mm front, 12x142mm rear default, caps for QR, 15mm
Freehub: 60 point, 6° engagement. Shimano/SRAM 11-speed cassette, XDR and Campagnolo avail.

Easton EA90 AX Wheelset Photo Gallery:

The Vault hubset comes to Easton’s AX alloy wheelset line. Easton’s new EA90AX tubeless disc brake wheels. © Cyclocross Magazine

The post First Look: Easton’s New EA90 AX Tubeless Disc Brake Wheels appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

In late 2018 and for much of 2019, Mother Nature gifted the California Sierra with a wet, snowy winter. As a result, this Saturday, participants in the sixth edition of the Lost and Found gravel race will enjoy a wetter, dust-free race on a new course partially lined by snow banks.

Some top cyclocross racers will be making their return, while others have opted out of going back to Kansas, exchanging the 200-miles of DK200 for the rugged 100 miles at altitude of the Lost and Found.

A Wet, New Course

Course designers changed the start/finish area from the traditional location on the shorelines of Lake Davis to the town of Portola, where last year’s post-race party was held. The course climbs out from the town of Portola, and then ventures into dirt on several sections of the original course, but in a reverse direction.

2019 Lost and Found Course Map

Since the 2019 course design, Mother Nature’s late snowstorms through May have forced a few course changes. The team re-routed the ride from some snow-clogged roads to plowed roads, did some additional plowing on the course and ended up shortening the “Longest” and “Longer” routes by a few miles. Ironically, the 36-mile riders might encounter the most snow, according to Race Manager Kurt Stockton, as they stay on more north-facing roads south of Lake Davis.

Racers may miss the start and post-race plunge at shores of Lake Davis, but won’t have to go anywhere for the post-race party. © Cyclocross Magazine

Stockton said 65-mile and 102-mile racers will have two potential snow crossings, but recent rain has reduced their size.

Snow banks and snow cones may await Lost and Found 2019 gravel race participants.

The new course might be more conducive to pack racing and a sprint finish, according to Stockton. Since much of the climbing is front-loaded, if a pack emerges from the early climbs, they could stay together to the finish, and skilled chasers might rejoin on the long, paved descent back into Portola. Could we see a sprint finish?

Cyclocross Stars Return, Debut

A quick glance through the not-quite-final pro start lists reveals top cyclocross stars will be making their return to the gravel race in the Lost Sierra. Katerina Nash and Tobin Ortenblad, both past winners, will look to add another victory. Ortenblad is coming off a second broken collarbone, while Nash has been racing flat bars and fat tires with success.

Stair hopper and 2019 Worlds team member Cody Kaiser lives just a few hours away, and offered up his own course preview earlier in the week with warnings about brake pads and recommendations to use a fender, while Matt Lieto, a triathlete pro who led the race in 2016 before going off course, returns after a ride through Kansas last year.

Lieto isn’t the only one to line up at Lost and Found after trying Dirty Kansas in 2018. His Easton Overland teammates Craig Richey (seventh at the DK200 in 2018) and Michael van den Ham will be seeking gravel glory. Jamey Driscoll, 10th at the DK200 in 2018, also heads back to the Sierra.

Past winner Carl Decker, always a contender, will take the start again. After another rough winter in 2017, Decker picked a mountain bike as the fastest way to navigate through the eroded dirt mountain roads. Might we see him take the same approach this year? Last we saw, he was racing his gravel bike in a mountain bike race, so you never know.

Scroll through the list and you’ll see plenty of famous contenders. Jonathan Baker has raced cyclocross in Europe, Matt Fox had the third-fastest time as an amateur, and Grant Ellwood is fresh off a 2018 Cyclocross National Championship. We’re sure we’re missing a bunch of contenders. See the full start list below.

On the women’s side, the field is smaller but no less decorated. While Nash needs no introduction, 2019 Cyclocross Worlds team member Sammi Runnels brings the Squids back to the Sierra. Caitlin Bernstein returns for another run at the podium, while Sarah Sturm could soon add another title on top of her Singlespeed Championship and BWR win. Last year’s winner, Olivia Dillon has bucked the trend and headed to Kansas this year. See the full pro women’s start list below.

While one-gear cyclocross champ Sturm won’t be racing singlespeed, there are 16 singleminded racers doing so. With over 8,000 feet of climbing, they’re in for some grinding and spinning. See the full start list below.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the biggest weekend in gravel racing from Lost and Found and Dirty Kanza. And Friday is your last chance to win the Spinergy GX gravel wheels!

2019 Lost and Found 100-Mile Pro Women

2019 Lost and Found 100-Mile Pro Men

2019 Lost and Found 100-Mile Singlespeed

The post 2019 Lost and Found 100-Mile Preview: Top Cyclocrossers Return, Debut appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Although there is no live broadcast of the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 (no link, because story), there are a few ways to keep tabs on what’s going on at the Kansas gravel race.

Checkpoint Timing Updates

Chip timing will be available at each of the two checkpoints in Alma (Mile 64) and Council Grove (Mile 152). The lead riders should be getting to Checkpoint 1 at 10 a.m. EDT at the earliest and to Checkpoint 2 around 2:30 p.m. ET if conditions are ideal.

Checkpoint times should be available here or visit athlinks.com

Start/Finish Line Live Video

Our friends from Gravel Guru are planning to provide live video from the start line in the morning and then from the finish in the afternoon and evening.

Start video is scheduled to go live at 6:50 a.m. EDT and the finish line broadcast is scheduled from 5 p.m. to midnight EDT.

Video is available at gravelguru.com/live

(Gravel Guru is based in Emporia and should have things working. We will be out in the Flint Hills all day, so please chime in if there are solutions to any issues.)

Follow on Twitter

The Flint Hills are remote, but who knows, maybe there will be some good content on Twitter available from the field or perhaps folks at home.

#DK200

#DirtyKanza

The post 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 Guide: Checkpoint Timing, Start/Finish Line Cams appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

The Open fields for the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 were the best in the race’s history, and the riders did not disappoint in putting on a good show.

On a warm Kansas morning and afternoon with perfect blue skies above the Flint Hills, two former teammates were crowned the new Queen and King of Kanza.

In the Open Women’s race, Amity Rockwell (Easton Overland Gravel Team) rode a consistent race to become the newest Queen of Kanza.

Amity Rockwell won the 2019 Open Women Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Rockwell was outside the top 10 early on but slowly moved forward as the miles added up. After moving into 4th, Rockwell passed Olivia Dillon (Velocio) with about 35 miles to go after the Californian flatted, and then she passed 2017 DK200 winner Alison Tetrick (Specialized) near 20 to go to take the lead for good.

Tetrick finished second, Sarah Max (Argonaut) third, Kae Takeshita (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) fourth and Dillon fifth.

In an Open Men’s race with five WorldTour pros, it was a Texan known for racing gravel and fixed-gear crits who carried the day. Colin Strickland (Meteor x Giordana) attacked with nearly 100 miles to go and rode that attack to a solo win.

Colin Strickland won the 2019 Open Men Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Peter Stetina (Trek – Segafredo) and the EF Education First duo of Alex Howes and Lachlan Morton tried to chase him down after Checkpoint 2 but to no avail.

Stetina took second, Howes third, Morton fourth and Payson McElveen (Orange Seal Off-Road Team) fifth.

Quick results are below. Full results for all categories are available online.

Stay tuned for reports from both races.

Win an $8k Dream Gravel Bike thanks to Redshift Sports.

Open Women Top 20: 2019 Dirty Kanza 200

Open Men Top 20: 2019 Dirty Kanza 200

The post Gravel Results: 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 – Open Women, Open Men appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

The 2019 Lost and Found brought gravel racing back to the Lost Sierra. With relatively smooth gravel roads, minimal dust and great traction, racers turned in fast times and largely avoided flat tires.

Over 1,500 racers made the trip to Portola, California for the sixth edition of the Lost and Found gravel race.

In the Pro Men and Pro Women’s races, familiar faces were crowned King and Queen of the 2019 Lost and Found.

Tobin Ortenblad defended his 2018 win, while Katerina Nash returned to the top step of the podium after flatting last year and finishing second.

The 2019 win marks Ortenblad’s third Lost and Found win in six tries, while Nash took her second win in three tries.

See the top brief results from the Pro Men and Women’s classes below. Stay tuned for full results, reports, photo galleries and bike profiles.

Win an $8k Dream Gravel Bike thanks to Redshift Sports.

2019 Lost and Found Gravel Race Results: Pro Women Top 10

2019 Lost and Found Gravel Race Results: Pro Men Top 20

The post Gravel Results: 2019 Lost and Found Pro Men, Pro Women appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

The Women’s field at the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200 was defined by an impressive list of experienced gravel pros with literally thousands of dirt and gravel miles under their collective wheels. With all the pre-race talk of WorldTour pros and aero bars, the Women’s race would be defined by riders well-versed in suffering and the gravel spirit.

Amanda Nauman (SDG – Muscle Monster), Alison Tetrick (Specialized), Kae Takeshita (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change), Amity Rockwell (Easton Overland Gravel Team) and Amy Charity (DNA Cycling Pro Team) entered as experienced Dirty Kanza 200 riders, and with that experience, they knew all too well what the wrath of the Kanza gods can bring.

Olivia Dillon (Velocio) headed west from California as a seasoned gravel racer with impressive 2018 wins at Lost and Found and the Sagan Dirt Fondo. Instead of defending her Lost and Found title, she opted to head east for 100 additional miles of gravel in Kansas. Joining her was Oregon’s Sarah Max (Argonaut), who put her name on the alternative racing map with a second at last month’s Belgian Waffle Ride.

Although there were fomer winners in the Women’s field, every Dirty Kanza is different, and with the new course on new roads and the buckets of rain that have fallen on the Great Plains this spring, there was plenty of uncertainty about what to expect early Saturday morning in Emporia.

After 202 miles of Flint Hills gravel, that uncertainty was answered and a new Queen of Kanza emerged.

Jim Cummins gives final instructions at the start. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The Early Split

In our preview of this year’s route, race founder Jim Cummins described a new northward-bound course that was relatively flat for the first 30 or so miles. However, he suggested that the minimally maintained E. Kaw Preserve Road from Mile 26 to 30 would likely cause splits in the lead group when the road got narrower and gnarlier.

Cummins knows a thing or two about gravel and the Flint Hills, and not surprisingly, he was correct.

Even with no defending champion, many of the female race favorites received call-ups and had prime spots to join the massive group of somewhere near 100 riders rolling through the first 20 miles of the 202-mile course.

The massive early group lasted until about Mile 25. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The stretch of road along E. Kaw Preserve Road—and then a shallow creek crossing at Mile 38—quickly broke that big group into smaller factions of riders.

With sharp rocks and several ruts, the E. Kaw Preserve road caused flats and crashes that helped create some of those gaps. Among the victims of the section was Lauren De Crescenzo (DNA Cycling Pro Team), who suffered a broken collarbone after crashing when someone went down in front of her.

When riders cleared the creek crossing later on and passed through the small town of Eskridge at Mile 40, the winners of the selection were Charity, Max, Dillon and Nauman. Tetrick followed in a group behind them, and then Kaysee Armstrong (Liv Cycling), Takeshita and Rockwell followed.

Amy Charity and Olivia Dillon were among the survivors of the first split. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Charity, Max and Dillon all hit Checkpoint 1 in Alma at Mile 65 in the same group. Tetrick followed nearly 3 minutes back. Other female riders passed through the town one-by-one, already with some work to do.

Sarah Max exits Checkpoint 1 with 2 other leaders. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Wrath of the Kanza Gods

When the team behind the Dirty Kanza released the route for this year’s race, they strongly suggested it would be the hardest yet. Which is saying a lot, because the Dirty Kanza has gained renown in part for being an incredible gravel challenge.

Why did it have the potential to be the hardest yet?

First, between Eskridge and Alma and then back south to Alta Vista, the course entered an endless series of hills and valleys that help define the Flint Hills. Second, the course left Lyon County, where Emporia is located, and went into Waubaunsee County, which reportedly uses coarser gravel on its roads.

The Kanza Gods—or you know, the landscape and roads—would rear their ugly heads in the Women’s race from here on out.

After leaving Checkpoint 1, Max was the first to suffer one of what would be many flats among the top female riders. She dropped back and Charity moved into sole possession of first place, with Dillon, Tetrick and then Rockwell chasing in group by group.

“I had a strong start. I was pretty surprised where I was, but things were just going too well,” Max said. “I slashed the side wall in my tire, put a tube in, it didn’t hold, rode it for a while, stopped, got a tube from someone. Someone helped me put the tube in. Then honestly, I just wanted to finish.”

After Mile 85, Charity then succumbed to the sharp Flint Hills rocks. The first of what would be a reported eight (!) flats for Charity dropped her back and Dillon took over the lead.

Alison Tetrick chases Charity and Dillon near Mile 85. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Although she entered as a Dirty Kanza newb, Dillon made an impressive splash on the gravel scene last year, and her road background suggested a skill set perfect for the grind of the Kanza course. That she could win the Lost and Found Gravel Grinder against Katerina Nash also suggested that she knows her way around a bike cockpit.

With the lead after Charity’s misfortune, Dillon quickly solidified her advantage. At the Litle Ford creek crossing at Mile 110, her lead was up to a few minutes, with Tetrick, Charity and then Rockwell chasing, all within about 2 minutes of one another.

Olivia Dillon splashes through Little Ford with the lead. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Once clear of the town of Alta Vista at Mile 120, the course got a little flatter, with any stretches going up more inclines than hills. Dillon carried a 7-minute advantage over Tetrick and Rockwell entering the final 80 miles of the famed Kansas gravel race. All of the women, however, still faced a long grind to the finish.

One effect of the hills in the north part of the course was to absolutely shatter the field into pieces. With the exception of the lead selection and groups here and there, many riders were left to ride on their own with minute-plus gaps between them as they passed one-by-one over the open expanse of roads.

To catch Dillon, Tetrick and Rockwell would probably be on their own.

Olivia Dillon pushes with no one in sight behind her. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Finished Business

Both hailing from NorCal, Rockwell and Tetrick know each other well and have raced together before—they went 1-2 at Gravel Worlds last year—and for the 40 miles after Little Ford, they jockeyed for position with one another. When the two reached Checkpoint 2 in Council Grove at Mile 152, Tetrick closed Dillon’s lead down to 3 minutes while opening up a 7-minute advantage on Rockwell.

If you race Dirty Kanza enough, the question of getting a flat at a bad time is not a question of if but when. You just hope it is not too bad and you can find a new group to help move you forward.

For Dillon, when was unfortunately on Saturday when she was in the lead and seemingly on her way to a DK200 win.

About 40 miles from the finish, Dillon flatted, badly. Tetrick and then Rockwell passed Dillon as she sat on the side of the road fixing it, and Max and Takeshita passed her as well to push her back to fifth. The Kanza gods would not spare the strongest woman on the warm Saturday afternoon.

Tetrick now held an advantage on Rockwell, who had now calmly made her way all the way to second after sitting outside the top 10 early on.

Rockwell too knows the wrath of the Kanza gods. Last year, she suffered a series of flats and mechanicals and ended up in a disappointing 18th place. Presaging her inspired ride on Saturday, Rockwell finished that trying race, giving her motivation for a second try in 2019.

“I have some unfinished business,” Rockwell told us on Friday. “Every time I have a bad race, I try to chalk it up as fuel for the fire. I suffered a lot last year. I think it was like 13 and a half hours to plot next year’s revenge.”

As she picked off rider after rider, Rockwell was chasing unfinished business. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Passing Dillon gave Rockwell a renewed energy, and with 30 miles to go, she passed Tetrick to move into first.

“I know she has way way more power than me on the flats. She always does. She regularly beats me at these things,” Rockwell said about Tetrick. “I knew if it starts going uphill, I can kind of put in a few digs and maybe get something out of it. When I saw her with 30 to go and we were on the long stretch of road that kept pitching up and up, I said, ‘If I don’t go now, I’m going to lose a sprint finish to Alison.’ So I just went.”

Once past Tetrick, Rockwell’s advantage turned into a 12-minute lead at Americus with just 10 miles to go. Of course, she still assumed Tetrick was right on her wheel.

“I tried not to look behind me. My cross country coach in high school never let me look back, and I think about that all the time,” Rockwell said. “I tried to just put my head down, and then every so often I was asking myself, ‘Can I go harder right now? Can I move my legs a little faster?’ I felt like the answer was always ‘Yes.'”

Once passed by Rockwell, Tetrick faced a tough trek back to Emporia that any DK200 vet can likely relate to. Just, finish.

“I think this year I kind of did the DK like a triathlon,” Tetrick said. “I survived the start, and then I just decided to have a fun ride. I got to enjoy birds and horses and cows, and then it was just a slog the last 25 miles. I started playing a game, is a mailbox or a person? Is it a street sign or a person? It felt like every 200 meters.”

On a day that was really defined by flat tires, Rockwell’s slate, save one slow-motion crash on a climb, had been near perfect. “I rode really really hard, but I was also really lucky,” she admitted.

Once over the final small climb in Emporia, Rockwell had time to soak in the moment while riding past the gravel fans lining Commerical Street in Emporia.

It was an appropriate hero’s welcome for the newest Queen of Kanza.

Amity Rockwell is the newest Queen of Kanza. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

“Dang, I kind of knew when I hit that last hill out of campus that maybe I had it, but it is going to take forever to sink in. I did not think this was my race to win. I’m really really grateful. I’m so grateful to everyone who got me here and looked after me. My checkpoints were flawless today. I really want to thank team manager Matt Hornland for helping me get here.”

Amity Rockwell is congratulated by Easton Overland team manager Matt Hornland. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Tetrick rounded out her afternoon to complete the top 3 trifecta—1st in 2017, 3rd in 2018 and 2nd in 2019.

“It was a hard day,” Tetrick said. “It was mainly challenging mentally with the heat and conditions. It was really fast, but it was much rougher than last year. There were more mechanicals and things like that, but it was a beautiful course. I loved the change.”

Tetrick, here being interviewed by Gravel Guru’s Matt Fowler, has become a DK institution. 2019 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Max added another impressive finish to her 2018 alternative racing palmares, bouncing back from the early tire issues to take 3rd.

“When I started to pass some girls, I thought, oh, maybe I can reach the podium. I just tried to keep a steady pace and keep the faith and not lose heart,” Max said about her strong finish.

Takeshita took 4th and Dillon bounced back to complete the podium in 5th.

Top 20 results are below. Stay tuned for a Men’s race report.

Open Women Top 20: 2019 Dirty Kanza 200

The post Finished Business: Rockwell Rides Near Flawless Comeback to Win Women’s DK200 appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

If one thing is true about the Dirty Kanza 200 as it has grown in popularity and prestige, it is that the fields have gotten deeper and stronger and the races have gotten faster—save those years where muddy roads prevented it.

What started as some Kansas friends getting together to ride some Flint Hills gravel has grown into one of the most prestigious bike races in the U.S. The latest sign of the growth in prestige of the Dirty Kanza 200 is the presence of two WorldTour teams in Emporia this weekend.

At the beginning of the year, EF Education First announced it would be sending three riders to the race and two Trek – Segafredo athletes announced they would be racing at the beginning of last week. The race has seen current and retired pros race and win in the past, but active WorldTour pros racing represents a new level for gravel in the U.S.

The five WorldTour riders at the start line in Emporia are no doubt among the most talented in the world, but as any Dirty Kanza vet will tell you, it takes more than talent to win in the Flint Hills. Flats and mechanicals are are an omnipresent part of every race, and 202 miles of gravel in the Kansas heat takes an otherworldly ability to suffer to be successful.

If the athletes from EF Education First and Trek  – Segafredo were the marked men, there was also the question of how professionals from other disciplines would fare against them. Would the former pro Ted King defend his title or could someone else elevate their riding and suffering to the next level? And could another amateur rider such as Ian Tubbs step up and take on the best?

That is, as they say, why they race the races. As riders assembled on Commerical Street in Emporia before dawn on Saturday morning, 202 miles of gravel stood between them and finding out what the story of the 14th Dirty Kanza 200 would be.

Riders line up for the 2019 DK200. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Going Solo

It has been a wet spring on the Great Plains, and heading into Saturday’s race, there was a sense the new course heading north out of Emporia could be similar to one of the famed “mud years.”. However, as the sold-out field rolled out of Emporia and the sun started to peek over the horizon, a warm, sunny, relatively dry day started to emerge.

One thing about gravel athletes have cited as an appealing factor is it draws riders from across disciplines to a more neutral playing field. The disparate backgrounds of the riders do, however, make trying to do a rider preview a bit of a fool’s errand.

A rider whom social media pointed out as an omission from our preview was former WorldTour pro Christian Meier. Perhaps responding to the slight, Meier broke free from the field pretty much from the gun and went solo out of Emporia. Twenty miles into the race, his advantage on the large mass of riders was already up near 5 minutes.

Meier faced a lot of open space in front of him early in the race. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Behind him, a large group of riders rolled along through the relatively flat opening 20 miles of the race.

The front group rolls early. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

In our preview of the new DK200 course, race co-founder Jim Cummins said he expected the first 25 miles to be fast before a particularly narrow and gnarly section along E Kaw Reserve Road from about Mile 26 to Mile 30 slowed things down. Cummins knows a thing or two about the Flint Hills gravel, and of course, he proved to be correct.

Riders who passed through in the middle of the pack reported seeing pros and podium contenders fixing flats along the side of the road while they themselves tried to dodge sharp rocks and hit the right ruts along the minimally maintained road. The ensuing carnage quickly split the massive group into smaller sections of riders.

It was after the next obstacle, a creek crossing at Mile 38, that the shape of the front of the race started to become clearer. Meier was still well off the front solo, while a group of about 25 survived to from what was then the first chase. Riders felled by flats included Mat Stephens (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change), Kiel Reijnen (Trek – Segafredo) and Taylor Phinney (EF Education First), among others.

The early big group shrunk from Miles 25 to 40. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Checkpoint 1 was in the town of Alma at Mile 64 this year. When riders left the location of their first chance to get assistance from their waiting crews, Meier held a 3-minute advantage on a chase of 18 riders that included many of the race favorites. The Canadian former WorldTour rider still had another 135 miles to go to hold on for what would be an unprecedented win.

Christian Meier went through Checkpoint 1 solo off the front. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Meier’s move would only last so long, and likely thanks to a flat, he dropped back after leaving Alma.

Once the chase became the lead selection, the situation at the front of the race became a bit more fluid. The lead blob traveled onward while riders popped off the back due to flats and other issues. Some were able to recover, while others were left to fend for themselves as the second half of the race neared.

About 20 miles outside Alma, the lead selection was down to about 13 riders, while notables such as Reijnen and Colin Strickland (Meteor x Giordana) gave chase.

The lead group again shrunk after Alma. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Going Solo, Redux

Prior to the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200, organizers billed the new course as perhaps the toughest yet. Many vets of multiple Dirty Kanzas are likely to agree for a couple of reasons.

First, north of the town of Eskridge to Alma and then south to Alta Vista, the course passed up and down through a series of hills and valleys that help give the Flint Hills their name. Second, the gravel in Waubaunsee County, where the northern part of the race took place, uses a coarser grade of gravel than Emporia’s Lyon County.

“It’s a grind. It’s a gravel grinder. It’s not attacks, it’s diesel, diesel,” Peter Stetina (Trek – Segafredo) said after the race.

As the race neared the midpoint of its 202 miles, the field was shattered, with groups becoming smaller and gaps between them getting larger. Maintaining contact with the lead group was at a particular premium and closing gaps was more challenging than your usual gravel race.

Near Mile 100, the lead group was down to 10 riders—Strickland, Stetina, Alex Howes (EF Education First), Cory Wallace (Kona Endurance Team), Ted King (Cannondale – SRAM – Roka – Velocio – UnTapped), Lachlan Morton (EF Education First), Josh Berry (Giant Off-Road Team), Eric Marcotte (Factor), Payson McElveen (Orange Seal Off-Road Team) and Noah Granigan (Floyd’s Pro Cycling).

Then, Strickland put in a dig. No one followed. The race had already seen one ill-fated ride off the front, and 100 miles from the finish of a 200-race is a long way to go.

“When no one went with me, I kind of decided I was going,” Strickland said. “Everyone kind of sat up for a while and let the gap extend really quickly. I was like, ‘Well, let’s give it a go.’ I knew the wind patterns would be advantageous to being alone.”

“He attacked a long long way out and we just kind of looked at each other thinking he was going way too early,” Stetina said.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Strickland has made a name for himself racing domestic and fixed-gear crits, never afraid to attack and put on a good show. Last year at Gravel Worlds, Strickland closed a 10-plus minute gap after a flat near Mile 15 and went on the win the 150-mile race in the closing miles.

Gravel Worlds is one thing, but the WorldTour year of the Dirty Kanza 200? The move seemed early.

“It was absolutely not the plan,” Strickland said. “Most of my life I kind of roll spontaneously. You kind of have to risk losing to win sometimes. That was definitely risky.”

Strickland went solo. No one followed. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Twenty miles into Strickland’s solo move, he held a 2:40 advantage on a chase that was now down to just 7 riders. At the town of Alta Vista, the hills turned into rollers, so he still faced a long slog solo off the front, even with the tailwind blowing across the Kansas plains.

And if the 1 minute per 10 kilometers rule applies for gravel, the group that included Stetina, Howes, Morton, King, Berry, McElveen and Granigan still had plenty of time to catch the man solo off the front.

“When he went, he went with purpose,” Howes said. “I didn’t really know who he was, so it was kind of like, ‘We’ll see how this goes.’ Then before we knew it, he was gone.”

Strickland attacked with purpose. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

After leaving Alta Vista, it was soon clear the whole group would not be bringing Strickland back. No 1 minute per 10km rule here.

Stetina, Howes and Morton broke free from the others in the selection and set off to catch Strickland. Then, Howes got a flat and his teammate waited for him, knowing that neither had a shot without the other at that point.

“It wasn’t a bad flat. I was able to plug it and get some CO2 in there,” Howes said. “The only thing that slowed me down was that I had my saddle bag jammed full of survival equipment. Maybe next year, actually I don’t know if I want to do this again next year, when I do this again in 5 years, I’ll keep the CO2 handy.”

Morton and Howes faced a gap after Howes flatted. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

It was down to Stetina with the chance to bring Strickland back. Strickland was already all-in, and Stetina did the same.

Peter Stetina gave chase of Strickland for the last quarter of the race. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

As the miles ticked down, it was clear that Stetina’s initial burst in the aero bars was not catching Strickland’s inspired aero-bar move. At Americus with 10 miles to go, Strickland’s lead was up to 6 minutes. Barring a disaster—there were plenty of flats in the Women’s race—Strickland was going to be crowned the new King of Kanza.

In a moment that is unique to a gravel event like the Dirty Kanza, Strickland stopped to hoist his Allied Able skyward at the finish line as other riders from the DK 25, 50 and 100-mile races got to enjoy their finishes as well.

There was room for everyone at the finish. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The new King of Kanza had completed his incredible 100-mile solo ride away from the race’s biggest hitters in under 10 hours with a record speed of 20.2 miles per hour.

“That is pretty much what I do, ride out into a headwind, level myself and then flip it around and dump everything I have left on the way home,” Strickland said. “That’s kind of how I train. This was just a training ride, just twice as long.”

After missing the event last year, Strickland would be excused for having some extra motivation. However, for him, it was just another good day racing bikes. “I was just happy to be here. I love racing. I really don’t like training, but I love racing, so I give every race my all. I’ll empty the tank every time for a race. It usually doesn’t work, but sometimes it works.”

Jim Cummins gives Strickland his finisher’s award. Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Stetina followed close behind in second.

“These are fun. They’re really fresh,” Stetina said about races like DK and Belgian Waffle Ride. “It’s a refreshing change to the WorldTour racing. It gives me some motivation to go back to the WorldTour with a nice result and some good stories.”

Stetina had time for some fun. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Howes and Morton finished together to go 3-4. McElveen made up for his disappointing 2018 DK200 with a 5th-place finish.

“Honestly, it was probably one of the hardest days of my life and one of the coolest, most unique events I’ve ever seen,” Howes said. “I can’t imagine there’s anything else like it out there. I’m happy to be here.”

Top 20 results are below.

Kiel Reijnen, Josh Berry and Ted King finished 6-7-8. 2019 Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Open Men Top 20: 2019 Dirty Kanza 200

The post Going Solo: Strickland Attacks from 100 Miles Out to Win Men’s Dirty Kanza 200 – Report appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.