Dirty Kanza 200 Chronicles V2: Time To Kick It Up A Notch

The road to the Dirty Kanza 200 is getting shorter.....

I mentioned earlier this week that I had gotten in a couple of good rides on the 3GR course since Trans Iowa v11. Those rides have shown me that since the Texas trip in March where I was so sick I was at basically zero for fitness, that I have rebounded quite nicely. At least I feel I am back to a base level for fitness that I expect for typical riding. To me, that is a minor miracle, considering Trans Iowa was stuck in the middle of all of that.

So far, so good, but that won't be "good enough" to get the job done in Kansas at the end of this month. It will take another level up to get me across that finish line in downtown Emporia. I don't take this lightly either. This will be another "minor miracle" in the making. I believe it can be done, and I have some support to help me in this matter. Speaking of that.....

Gone are the days of just showing up in Emporia and checking out for a days ride with no one else there to bail you out and being out there alone for hours on end. The DK 200 has grown into a monster and there are good things and not so good things about all of that. In my case, I am choosing to focus on the positives and how those positives will make this trip to the Flint Hills a successful one.

One thing is that I have more pre-ride information and support from friends than ever. Ari from the Slender Fungus Cycling Association has formed an alliance with me and we are already chatting back and forth concerning strategies and we are staying positive throughout. I have a ride with Tony set up to get me there and back, so I won't have to travel alone. I have a place to stay with my good friend MG, so I have his positive energy to draw from right before the event as well. The DK 200 folks have laid out where resupplies can be gotten, in terms of mileages, so I can be prepared to succeed.

Ari is riding his orange BMC. Maybe I should too.....

During the ride, Ari and I plan on sticking together, and perhaps we will add a few more to a group that will hopefully pull each other through to the end. This would be vastly different than any other DK 200 attempt I have ever done, since I have never had anyone that I could count on to ride with me at all. I've always ended up just being "on my own" out there at my previous DK attempts. (Keep in mind my last attempt was in 2010 when the event was far smaller as well.)

Added to the mix is the Dirty Dog Race Pack, which have offered to look out for me at the two checkpoints. That's very cool of them to do. So, all the extras have fallen into place for me, and much of this is all new stuff for me to rely on and look forward to. Logistically, I have everything I need in place to succeed.

Now it is up to me to get that "next level up" in fitness in a short amount of time. I feel that I need to get in at least one big, long ride to sort out a few things and get time in the saddle to help me get used to sitting on a bike for hours at a crack. I hope to get some rides in the heat to get acclimated, but that will all depend upon the weather. I know wind, and I am okay with that, but riding into some wind will be a welcome thing, as you generally have a long slog into the wind at the Dirty Kanza 200 at some point during the day.

All that and I am throwing another bike idea into the mix. More on that next time.......