Gravel riders disappointed that Dirty Kanza has been postponed to September can take solace in the participation of Dirty Kanzelled.
In lieu of the Kansas gravel grinding event’s 30 May race day not happening, gravel riders are encouraged to follow direction from former road pro turned gravel bike adventurer, Laurens ten Dam.
Dirty Kanzelled will start at 6am on 30 May and can vary between 100 or 200 miles, rolling across as much gravel as possible. Ten Dam has already mapped some tasty routes in Belgium and the Netherlands.
You could choose to use one of Ten Dam's Dirty Kanzelled routes, of which there are many in the Benelux countries, or create your own on the komoot route planning app.
Riders should journey solo or in pairs, depending on COVID-19 regulations in your area. Those behind the Dirty Kanzelled initiative are clear that it is not to be ridden like a conventional race, however, there will be typically quirky gravel event prizes.
Dirty Kanzelled prizes
Bonker of the Day will be awarded to the biggest hunger knock. The winner of which will earn themselves some cycling nutrition swag from Nuun and Clif Bar.
CO2 Patron of the Day will be awarded to the riders who suffer the most puncturing unhappiness, with five pairs of Specialized Pathfinder gravel tyres up for grabs.
If you manage to achieve the highest heart rate during Dirty Kanzelled, you’ll win The Hummingbird prize; a Wahoo Tickr heart rate monitor.
The Not So Early Bird prize goes to the tardiest of starters, tallying some great bags of coffee.
As with any gravel riding event, style is expected. With tagged social media evidence, those most fashionable Dirty Kanzelled riders can be awarded MooiBoy of the Day, which translates to ‘Pretty-Boy’. Five pairs of Sockeleon merino socks and a riding jersey are to reward this achievement.
The Crash Test Dummy is a prize nobody wants to win, but if you do have a spectacular lie down, there'll be a three-pack of Kwakzalver sports cosmetics on its way to you.
The most spectacular post-ride celebration picture will win the Party Animal award, along with beers and a BBQ.
Finally, The King of Komoot award is for the creative among us, and will be awarded to the best route created within komoot.
Benelux routes
The Dirty Kanzelled crew has already put together a selection of routes around Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg, which are available for browsing below.
