Now that the dust has settled on another 200 mile race through the Flint Hills of Kansas, the riders are getting some much deserved recovery time. That includes the Dirty Kanza 200 overall winner Mat Stephens, who not only won in his debut DK200, but did so with a freshly broken rib. Gravel racing seems to be one of those categories where equipment choices still vary greatly (to great debate as well), so it’s always interesting to see what each racer is running. Stephens is a member of the Panaracer Gravel Team, so naturally he was running Panaracer tires – opting for 700 x 40c GravelKing SKs. Set up tubeless on 28mm wide Stan’s NoTubes Avion wheels, apparently tires pressures were set at 26.5 psi for the front and 29.5 psi for the rear. Mounted up to a 3T Exploro with aero bars and a Shimano hydraulic group, Stephens crossed the line in 10 hours, 49 minutes, and 8 seconds.
For the women, it was Alison Tetrick who set a record in the process…
Among the 2,000+ racers in various categories and distances, Alison Tetrick took home the women’s victory and set a new course record of 11 hours, 41 minutes, and 40 seconds. Alison opted for a suspension equipped Cannondale Slate. Also her first time at the DK200, Alison seemed to have no issues settling into the full 200 miles. Congratulations to the champs, but also everyone who finished such a grueling race!
