The Dirt: Kabush Open to Dirty Kanza; Zabriskie gravel camp; snow/gravel/maple
The Dirt is the weekly news round-up on what is happening in the worlds of gravel, mountain biking, and all things rough and dirty.
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Welcome to The Dirt, the weekly news round-up on what is happening in the worlds of gravel, mountain biking, and all things rough and dirty.
Kabush will ride Open at Dirty Kanza
Yes, I know this is the second time we’ve had Geoff Kabush sponsor news in The Dirt, but hey, he’s a cool guy. And this is pretty big news. Kabush, twice a top-10 finisher at the Olympics, is yet again expanding his race calendar to another niche of off-road cycling. He’ll race the Dirty Kanza 200 this June. And, he’ll do it aboard an Open bike. Since he recently signed with Yeti for moutain bike races, Kabush will ride the Yeti/Open collaboration U.P. in that classic turquoise color.
Zabriskie’s gravel camp
We all remember Dave Zabriskie as a pro cyclist who crushed watts on a time trial bike, “Captain America,” the seven-time national TT champion. These days, Zabriskie leaves the aero gear in the garage and rides gravel. As such, he’ll host the DZ Nuthouse gravel camp, April 16-19 in Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains, California. The four-day camp costs $2,250 per person, which includes meals, lodging, mid-ride support, a demo bike, and Floyd’s of Leadville products, courtesy of Zabriskie’s old buddy and former pro teammate Floyd Landis. The Nuthouse offers five more dates for camps through the rest of 2018, all based in Calabasas at Pedalers Fork and the Anza Hotel.
Blowin’ up my feed: VOMAR
New Englanders took to the gravel on Sunday at the Vermont Overland Maple Adventure Ride (VOMAR), but to me it looked a little more like a fat bike ride.
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Either way, there was plenty of delicious maple syrup to be had along the 25-mile route that circled Mount Ascutney, Vermont.
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This footy is pajamas: Cape Epic highlights
By now you might have heard that the Americans crushed it at South Africa’s Asaba Cape Epic this year. Kate Courtney won the pro women’s race, teamed up with Annika Langved, while Howard Grotts won the pro men’s race riding with teammate Jaroslav Kulhavy. Well, here’s a little “footy” (as the kids like to say) from this eight-day cross-country race that kicks off the season.
Backcountry Lifeline clinic in Moab
Backcountry Lifeline has a wilderness first aid clinic coming up May 10-13 in Moab, Utah. The 32-hour course is held in partnership with SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine and includes CPR training. Backcountry Lifeline was founded after Will Olson’s tragic death in 2015 while racing a Big Mountain Enduro/Enduro World Series event in Crested Butte, Colorado. The courses are taught by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers.
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