The 2019 Dirty Kanza is now officially underway with the first of many launches which will take place in the next 24 hours.
Friday morning began with registration for riders in the 25, 50, 100 and 200-mile distances which will get underway with the launch of the 200-mile race at 6 am Saturday. The first, second and third floors of the Lyon County History Center were buzzing as riders checked in throughout the morning and afternoon.
Around 3,000 individuals are expected to take place in this year’s Dirty Kanza with riders from all 50 states and 28 different countries. Some of these individuals have already had a taste of the annual gravel bike challenge and are back for more, such as Barbara Tardiff of San Francisco, CA.
Tardiff took part in her first DK last year and simply describes it as awesome.
Of course along with the familiar faces are those who are brand new to the event such as Cameron Shirey (Sh-Rye) of North Carolina.
Friday’s registration follows Thursday’s registration for DKXL riders who launched Friday at 3 pm.
The DKXL is a 350-mile race for the experienced riders looking for a challenge. Many riders from across the US and even from out of the country travelled to Emporia to take the DKXL challenge.
The participants of the race underwent rigorous training in preparation for the DKXL. Race participant Matt Kretchmar describes how he trained.
This years DKXL had 79 participants.
If you would like to track the DKXL riders progress visit https://dirtykanza.com/distances/dk-xl/#
Installation has concluded for downtown Emporia’s new outdoor speaker system on Commercial from Sixth to 10th. Main Street Director Casey Woods says the system will now be operational for the Dirty Kanza activities tomorrow (SAT). If there is severe weather, the system will provide information about weather warnings and shelter space.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for information about the 14th annual Dirty Kanza.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon and Lance Moore/KVOE News
{gallery}2019 DK Friday{/gallery}
