I don’t think they’d offer any benefit at Kanza over the SKs. At 43 it might not make much difference though. I wouldn’t run any narrower version of the semi slick.
From my experience last year, I would not want to run a semi-slick like that for DK. While it is not overly technical by any stretch, there is enough loose, sketchy stuff that having some knobs will help your traction / protection.
I am starting to wonder if a better option for Dk might be an inverted tread pattern such as the Specialized Sawtooth.
Has only ran challange gravel tires. I used some and had good success. Would they work at DK?
After taking a spin through the midwest, I’m gonna go ahead and call it: there’s never going to be another Dirty Kanza.
Obviously, the name is going to change but I mean more than that. There isn’t going to be another race in that ‘lineage’, by whatever name, that finishes by riding through the ESU campus and coming down a finishing chute on Commercial Street in Emporia. That race is most likely dunzo for the foreseeable future.
Congrats to all you riders who finished 2019 DK. Anything can happen but right now it looks like that will be the last DK ever.
And why is that?
Yes, please tell us why. Instead of letting our minds run wild. The OP text seems awkward and leaves me wondering 
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My guess would be that he’s referring to some public statements made by the founder that ended with him being fired.
I seriously doubt the comments of one guy will kill an event as big and successful as Dirty Kanza.
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In other news…
DUST TO DUST: THE GRAVEL BOOM MIRRORS '90S MOUNTAIN BIKING
More than ever before, top pro road riders toed the line at the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200. Photo: Life Time Fitness
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And the purge continues!
I have to agree with the OP. DK in it’s original configuration is done. The web of connections that allowed DK such deep access to the town of Emporia and it’s surrounding community is probably due in large part to the founder. The company that now runs DK and who has fired the founder will definitely try to keep the event going but there will be compromises.
If the founder is racist then it probably is a small price to pay. However, in the current environment I don’t have great confidence in the due process leading up to such a decision.
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Well it was announced in the covid19 cancelled races thread that DK has officially been canceled this year. Such a bummer that many races and events are still getting the ax late this year but totally understandable.
As for the DK itself and its future, yea hard to tell with so many issues surrounding the pandemic and world issues. Hopefully we’ll see some new iteration of this race and others next year!
Jim Cummins seemed to be okay with his termination. I would assume largely because he gets a cut of future earning of the DK as a part of deal he signed when he sold.
“A recent social media post of mine had one singular purpose… to show support for our men and women in blue. Unfortunately, I chose my words poorly. As a result, my words caused division and pain. For that I am deeply sorry. In light of this, I have agreed with the fine people at Life Time that the only proper course of action is for me to end my association with the company and with their events. I wish Life Time, and the entire cycling community well. And hope that, some day, I can help to heal the wounds that I have caused.”
https://roadbikeaction.com/dirty-kanza-founder-jim-cummins-responds/amp/
Given how important the race/ride is supposed to be for the area’s economy, I can’t see the local residents & authorities being anything but open-armed towards the owners (even without the co-founder of DK) in facilitating it going ahead in the future.
In the short/medium term adaptations will have to be made to protect participants & crowds from risk of COVID-19 but I don’t see that it would shut the whole thing down forever.
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@willball12 you are correct, it would be a big hit to the local economy. Certainly Emporia, but not just Emporia. All the satellite communities that host the race would take a hit as well.
It’s naught to do with race/politics as some here suppose. It’s all about capitalism. Life Time want a reasonable return on their investment. They might like to double rider count. Infrastructure at communities that currently host DK won’t support that level of participation.
That’s part of the motivation for a name change, too, probably. You can make a tenable argument that ‘Dirty Kanza’ is a palatable name for a race that’s on the Kanza Prairie. I don’t think you can make that same argument for a race that takes place at some other locale.
Sorry, but to be clear, this is your grand reveal for the thread you titled RIP Dirty Kanza? You think that Lifetime wants to double the rider count and the Midwest, after your recent spin through, doesn’t support that level of participation?
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Why is this some sort of op-ed piece? Couldn’t it go with the earlier DK discussion thread?
With the cancellation this year, and the (supposed) upcoming name change, 2019 was the last DK anyway.
Not sure what a “spin through the Midwest” means in any of this.
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To me, and why I asked above for clarification, it sounds like an “our guy isn’t in charge anymore so let’s burn this thing down”. That race is more than a person, a name, a rider count, or a finish line location.
I hadn’t seen this quote before and I do appreciate his contrition. Hopefully it creates roots deeper than just a post.
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Sucks for people trying to get in next year. Will be impossible
@cwiggum I understand that you, along with pretty much everybody else on both side of this issue, won’t be able to see it as anything but some political matter. It’s not. It’s business. Life Time Fitness want to generate more revenue from a gravel race than DK at its current venue can support.
Jim should know that his on line personae is part of the employment responsibility he has to Life Time Fitness. He shouldn’t be posting anything that doesn’t have something to do with bikes, gravel, or racing (unless Life Time tell him to). Period. I haven’t read the post he made but, whatever the content, it doesn’t sound like it was bike related. So like it or not that is grounds for dismissal with cause at the pleasure of Life Time Fitness. That’s what happened.
Don’t try to make something out of the two things that doesn’t exist. That’s in your own fevered mind.
I’m just saying there is never going to be another DK. And there is never going to be another race that is DK but named something else. Whatever Life Time decides to do it’s going to be a different race with a different name. Might be a lot better. Might be a lot worse. It’s gonna be good for some ppl & it’s gonna be bad for others.
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