Eric and his brother, Charles, rode in the 10th Annual Dirty Kanza Half-Pint last weekend in Emporia. Let me tell you, there's a reason why they call it the Dirty Kanza.
In a normal year, those riders would have bicycled 100 miles over dusty, gravely back roads in the Flint Hills. But this year, we've had rain, rain and more rain. The course was an absolute muddy mess, and almost-down-right unrideable at times. Eric said they carried their bikes for miles and miles during several parts.
We were able to meet up with them at the half-way point in Cottonwood Falls and replenish their supplies, help them scrap off the top layer of mud, and encourage them to hop back on their bikes and finish the race.
I'm proud to say, that these two crossed the finish line in 9:33:41. Pretty remarkable, since only 357 of the 600 riders even finished at all. Charles came in 99th place and Eric was 100th.
It's too soon to say if they'll sign up again next year. The mud is still pretty fresh on their minds.
