There will be no Dirty Kanza this year.
Race organizers made the decision Tuesday to cancel the rescheduled event, citing concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus. Operations Manager LeLan Dains tells KVOE News the prospect of canceling the event had been discussed since organizers decided to postpone the event in April.
Based on the original schedule, which had the event in early June, the Dirty Kanza was planning for over 3,500 participants from around the world coming to Emporia for the races and the All Things Gravel Expo. Last week, Dains said around 2,700 riders were still planning to be involved for the rescheduled event in September. Riders now have the option of postponing until 2021 or 2022. Riders can also cancel their registration or donate their entry fee.
Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods says the DK’s cumulative economic impact — including the main races, the All Things Gravel Expo and related activities like Lunar Kanza and different training sessions — is around $5 million. Only the combined impact of Emporia State’s athletics teams is bigger.
Local business owners took time to speak with KVOE and weigh in on the potential impacts to their bottom lines. Bourbon Cowboy owner Susan Brinkman expects an impact from COVID-19 on canceled events like Dirty Kanza into next year. She says events like DK are big revenue producers for the city and businesses like hers. They are also big marketing avenues for Emporia. Brinkman says the cancellation of Dirty Kanza means more than a hit to the bottom line.
High Gear Cyclery owner Matt Brown says while the DK does bring in a significant amount of business to the shop each year, he does not believe the cancellation will “make or break” the business.
Radius Brewing Company owner Chad Swift says they were looking forward to the DK to help offset recent financial losses after local businesses were forced to close their doors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Swift expects that the event’s cancellation could have negative implications for the business in the short term, however, he is optimistic they’ll bounce back in the long term.
Emporia city commissioners are set to discuss a sponsorship agreement with the DK during their study meeting Wednesday, and with budget discussions well underway, commissioners may expand their discussion to the citywide economic impact during that meeting.
Saying “there is no way to sugarcoat” the impact, Dains says “this will be a big hit for everyone” — but he says this is the best decision for the event and its participants. He also says there will be some adjustments for upcoming events, with options including fewer packet pickup points or an altered pickup format, more hand sanitizer stations, more mask use and a virtual riders meeting.
10 am Tuesday: Fears of illness spread force organizers to cancel Dirty Kanza
The Dirty Kanza is now officially off the community calendar.
The DK becomes the latest large-scale event to be canceled due to coronavirus. Race organizers made the announcement Tuesday morning, and KVOE News Director Chuck Samples discussed the decision with DK Operations Manager LeLan Dains shortly after the announcement.
Statement from Dirty Kanza and Life Time
Gravel Family,
It’s no secret that our team has been working through a lot these last few weeks. We’ve been diligently listening and learning in order to find Our Way Forward. While the recent events have certainly been a huge focus for us, we have also been working through our fast-approaching September 12th event postponement date, and the implications hosting a large-scale event in Emporia during the COVID-19 pandemic could have on our home and the homes our participants will return to when they leave here.
The DK has impacted the Emporia community in a positive way for the last 15 years. Without the support of our athletes and our community, this town would feel very different. It’s a place that has adopted the gravel cycling way-of-life, establishing itself as “Gravel City”. With open arms, Emporia welcomes thousands of athletes and their families. This is what makes DK such a unique experience. And it is also what makes a decision regarding the September 12th date so difficult. We’ve spent time working to make the best, safest and most educated decision possible for the well-being of our community as well as yours. Ultimately it is not safe to host the 2020 edition of the DK for our athletes, volunteers, staff, and community members.
Below are your options in lieu of this decision. Please complete your choice by August 7, 2020.
OPTION 1: Complimentary deferral into the 2021 event (June 5, 2021)
OPTION 2: Complimentary deferral into the 2022 event (June 4, 2022)
OPTION 3: Donate your entry fee to your choice of the Life Time Foundation (to benefit the Emporia Unified School District 253 school lunch program). As a thank you for your donation, you will receive a guaranteed, non-complimentary entry into your choice of the 2021 or 2022 event
OPTION 4: Full refund of entry fee (excluding the service fees)
*Note: if you purchased Crew-For-Hire with your registration, we will send you an update on that separately.
Should you have questions regarding the cancellation, or your options, check out our FAQs.
Our promise and commitment to athletes and Emporia alike – we will come back in 2021 with the same enthusiasm, excitement, and passion for our community event on our gravel roads. Truly we can’t wait to share with you all that we have in store, from a new look and name, to an even better experience for athletes, volunteers, and community members alike. We would love nothing more than for you to join us.
During this time of uncertainty we encourage you to use your bike for your well-being – albeit for achieving personal goals, staying fit, or embarking on new adventures.
Onward and dreaming of 2021,
LeLan, Kristi, Treva and Michelle
The DK team
