Spring and summer have come and mostly gone. The kids are back in school. Parents are zig-zagging across town, but the pull of the bike remains. And yes, we may long for days with more daylight for early morning rides and after-dinner rides, but we know, in the end, they will return. And though we haven’t stopped riding, we have slowed a bit, giving us time to look back and think about some of the incredible two-wheeled adventures we have had this year – one notable one being the Dirty Kanza.

When you send five riders to a race, a race with prestige, a race known for its seemingly endless miles of gravel, a race that tests everyone’s limits, you never know what’s going to happen. A couple of former champions looked to reclaim their titles. A couple of pros looked to scratch their names in the news and stand on the podium. And one, a relative newcomer to the sport, looked simply to finish and make her hometown of Emporia proud.

Watch the video below to see how it all shook out.