I am not looking at the Dirty Kanza as a race, for me it is about a ride that I want to finish. If my name was Corey Godfrey, Troy Krause, Andre Lance, Joe Fox, Mike Merchand or Doug Long I would have a different approach to this race. I don't want to make my efforts sound weak because I know I am a strong rider but these guys have the ability to put out some amazing efforts.
Let's start with the new cassette and rear derailleur. I will be replacing my 11 x 25 cassette with a 11 x 34 cassette to have a broader range of gearing for those really steep hills but also for late in the day when your legs are so fried that riding on level ground can be a challenge. I will be switching my cross bike over to mountain bike gearing by pulling my 105 derailleur and replacing it with a XT long cage derailleur. Last year the last checkpoint was around the 145 mile mark and it was in a little town called Alma, KS. After a very long stay in Alma I headed out of town with Stoney Cranmmer and Chris Bopp, both of Team Redwheel. Stoney was on a single speed and I'm not sure how he was able to do it. The climb leaving Alma was very long, steep, and had loose rock and I was having trouble getting to the top with gears but Stoney just kept grinding it out to the top as well. We had been told that the next 20-25 miles to Eskridge was hilly but we had no idea that it was going to be as brutal as it was. About 15 miles into this non stop sequence of climb climb climb, descend and repeat over and over and over again I stopped at the top of one hill and laid my bike down and just stood there. This is where the doubt started to try and work it's way into my head, I remember thinking that if the last 50 miles was like this I don't think I could do it. I told myself "Just get to Eskridge", people had said it was much better riding after that town. Fortunately getting to Eskridge was such a relief that it helped lift some of that doubt from my mind. I guess I am hoping that having more gearing options will help as the day goes on and I can spin more if need be to get to the top of some hills. Of course I believe the route is different this year so maybe we won't be hitting those big hills late in the race....or maybe they found some bigger ones.
I don't think there is anyway around having legs that are running on empty by the end of this race, and last year my legs were pretty well shot when I crossed the finish line. I did however have to deal with some other pain for the majority of the day and that was in my lower back and my butt. My last two items in the picture are of a Thudbuster ST seatpost and a Fizik Airone saddle. Damon Hennon had recommended to me before last year to change the gearing on my bike, get a Thudbuster and to get a saddle like the Fizik Airione but finances kept those items out of priority. This year those items went a little higher on my list although I am not looking for them to make things easy, I do hope that they help. I have a Thudbuster ST on my single speed and it helps take the edge off of trail riding so I feel confident that this seatpost will be greatly appreciated on gravel rides. The Fizik Airone is widely known for it's comfort and that is why it is my saddle of choice this year.
I will probably make some more posts about the upcoming Dirty Kanza since I have been thinking a lot about it lately. I have been getting in some good base miles and I am eager to have some team effort interval training on Monday nights this spring and summer. Later posts might include my nutritional plans for the race, strategy for the start and checkpoints or any other topic I can come up with.
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