The Dirty Kanza 200 (DK200) is a formidable beast and one which could not be completed without support. I was lucky enough to ride the Dirty Kanza with Rob who had his wonderful wife running support which meant I had the luxury of knowing at least 2 people at each checkpoint!
Have a look at the kit, gear and nutrition I used to get through the ride.
Kit and Gear
- Giant TCX SLR with SRAM 1x with 11-32 cassette
- Panaracer GravelKing SK Tyres. These were recommended and fitted by High Gear Cyclery
- MAAP Pro Jersey and Bibs. This kit is bulletproof comfortable and breathable
- Specialized Grail Long Finger Gloves
- 1L + 750mL Camelbak thermal bottles
- 1.5L Decathalon bladder backpack
- Arundel plastic Heavy Duty cages
- Arundel saddle bag filled with a tube, 2 gas canisters, tyre levers and a multitool with chain breaker
- Bontreagar Gel bartape. Camo for extra swag
- Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt
- Standard Giant saddle. I would change to the PRO Stealth saddle
- Rapha chamois cream before the start and ASOS cream at checkpoint 2
The ELEMNT Bolt lasted around 15 hours with breadcrumb navigation, heart rate and cadence sensors running. It died just as I was riding back into Emporia and I really wish it lasted until the end. I did not have a battery pack with me, in the future I would have a battery pack in my checkpoint bags so that I could put a bit of charge in at each checkpoint.
Food
- 3x Clif bars per segment (12 in total)
- 1x SIS gel per checkpoint
- 1x GU blocks packet per checkpoint
- 3x cups of pickle juice
- 2x packets of plain chips
- 1x peanut butter and jelly sanger (that’s a sandwich)
- 2x cans of Coke
- 2x small bottles of Gatorade
The energy burn for me was somewhere near the 10,000 calorie mark. The food I was able to consume over the day was around 5,000 calories. The heat and physical exertion meant getting the required calories was difficult on the same day.
Support Crew
If you are looking to do the Dirty Kanza 200 I can highly recommend the crew for hire, their energy, helpfulness and happy attitude definitely had an uplifting and inspiring affect at each checkpoint. There would have been no way I could have completed the ride without their support.
What I missed
- Buff or dust mask
- Well timed stops
For 2 or 3 days following the event I found I had some pain in my chest when I was breathing deeply. I attribute that to the amount of dust and dirt particles floating around me for 15 hours. It was not a major concern but something I would improve on for next time.
I would plan my stops better. At Checkpoint #1 I tried to race through without giving myself enough time to relax, take on some solid food and re-energise for the second leg. I paid for this almost immediately as I noticed many riders who passed me during that second leg from from Madison to Eureka.
Verdict
Highly recommend. There are different distances to cater to different riders. DK promotions run a 100 mile and 50 mile option as well as a 350 mile option. For all riders I would say this is a bucket list items.
