Zhaawani-noodin: There is a South Wind – a Response to the Name “Dirty Kanza”

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Zhaawani-noodin: There is a South Wind – a Response to the Name “Dirty Kanza”

I can tell you one thing; whenever someone tells me what I should do, I almost always do the opposite. I have been that way for as long as I can remember. In some psychology class years back, I learned about the theory of psychological reactance. It all boils down to an idea that people believe that they possess freedoms and the ability to participate in those free-behaviors. When those behaviors are threatened, something within us is sparked and we react. I find myself pretty apprehensive when it comes to telling anyone what they should be doing. For that matter, I mostly, don’t care what anyone else is doing. A person’s true character comes out regardless. You are what you do.

#NameTheChange Change the Name of Dirty Kanza Petition

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#NameTheChange Change the Name of Dirty Kanza Petition

Some of our friends are petitioning Lifetime Sports to change the name of Dirty Kanza. This comes after DK founder Jim Cummins was let go from the race organization for making racist claims in support of the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks by police. The petition is as follows:

“#NameTheChange is a campaign to end the use of the slur “dirty Kanza” as the event name of DIRTY KANZA (DK) in Emporia, KS.

We, a united collective of Indigenous advocates, cyclists, people of Faith, educators, Elders, youth, local Kansas residents and builders of a Just world, ask that the name of the gravel event be changed to honor the dignity of the land and Indigenous people. The campaign calls upon the owners of the “DK”, organizers, and sponsors to do the right thing and bring an end to the use of the racial epithet.”

Read the full demands and sign the petition at Change.org.

We have a piece on the site this week that will dive deeper into this controversial subject, so stay tuned.

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Win a 2020 Entry to Dirty Kanza with ENVE

 

Have you always wanted to finish the DK but you missed your chance to get an entry to the race?

This morning, ENVE launched their Dirty Kanza Giveaway.  You can enter to win a highly sought-after race entry to the Dirty Kanza gravel race on May 30, 2020.  In addition, the grand prize winner will receive a package from ENVE including a G23 Gravel Wheelset and their amazing Gravel Handlebars.

To enter, all you’ve got to do is follow the link below and fill out the form between February 4th and February 18th, 2020 and subscribe to the ENVE newsletter. It’s as simple as that. Ten lucky winners will be notified by February 21st. Winners can pick the course of their choice, including the DK200, DK100, DK50 and DK25.

Head to ENVE to enter the contest.

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How Dirty Kanza Grew and What It Means

People love to hype themselves up to take on the DK, or Dirty Kanza. At this point, it has achieved a cult-like success due in part to its rapid growth in the gravel racing world but what does its growth mean? Bike Shop Girl dives right in on her latest podcast.

Team Brooks: a Grassroots Gravel Performance Art Installation Does Kanzaz

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Team Brooks: a Grassroots Gravel Performance Art Installation Does Kanzaz

Words by Coach Ronaldo Romance Jr. and photos by Team Brooks

(Gallery Photos are 95% disposable film cams that I handed out to the team.  Felt like it captured the inner “race” pretty authentically; and the medium was pretty fun in a “trip to the water park” “safe grad night” sorta way)

Booming Billowing Blooping Blurping Gravel.  

Even with DK getting as much coverage as the TDF, I trust the pace of the news these days has left your mind blank of such cognizance once again.  That’s good, as my memory of competing in the event 2 years ago has also been selectively erased, perhaps that’s why I reluctantly agreed to participate in this particular edition.

Tucson to Kanza: a Long Ride to a Long Ride – Ultra Romance

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Tucson to Kanza: a Long Ride to a Long Ride – Ultra Romance

Tucson to Kanza: a Long Ride to a Long Ride
Word and photos by Ultra Romance

Dirty Kanza: How does one prepare their mind, legs and undercarriage for a 200 mile “race?” How do you relaxation cycle ésport™ without relaxation? How does one saunter through the day, resting in the sun whenever the mood strikes, dine on expensive chocolate after a fine fine yogurt cupping at the local co-op, all whilst riding 200 miles in one go?? Can that even be kinda fun?

I suppose it depends on your Myers Briggs score divided by how many years you’ve spent in dental school. Dentists were all over the road scene, and as road has taken a major swan dive into a pile of 20c used rubbers (sounds dirty cuz it is), grav grinding (sounds dirty but only mildly) has become the future world arena for the well-to-do-sadistic. Dentists are sadists by nature, nothing against them, they just are. They drill and pull teeth outa screaming peoples faces all day. They love training for 200-mile races.

The Radavist’s Top Articles of 2020

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The Radavist’s Top Articles of 2020

Coming off a week of downtime after one of the most tumultuous years of our lives has brought clarity to this annual retrospective. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect as Covid-19 gripped the global community and changed life as we know it. We looked to our new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the surrounding areas for inspiration, pinged our good friends for their penmanship, and listened to communities that have been underrepresented in cycling. What resulted were a lot of articles that tackled some big issues and the realization that we still have a lot of work to do.

I’ve spent the past few weeks mulling over our content and have compiled a list of some of the most meaningful and fun pieces from the past twelve months.  Read on below for a selection of memorable moments from 2020, in chronological order…