[caption id="attachment_113383" align="alignright" width="230"]
Our coverage of the 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 is brought to you in part by Panaracer. Check out its line of gravel tires for your next adventure.[/caption]Although Cannondale does not specifically sponsor a gravel racing team, the green machine had an impressive roster of athletes at the Dirty Kanza last weekend. Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld cyclocrosser Kaitie Keough and former road pro and now-embassador Ted King headlined a team that also included Ayesha McGowan and Amber Pierce.
The mix of current and former pros enjoyed the laid back gravel vibe on Friday, mixing in a game of cornhole while hanging out at the Cannondale tent.
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Keough and her teammates were relaxed on Friday before the race. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The team may have had some fun on Friday, but on Saturday during the Dirty Kanza 200 race, the green machine was all business. Keough took home the win in her first ever gravel race, and King returned to the top as King of Dirty Kanza after a flat-marred 2017 race.
With the win, King joined his fellow Velocio athlete Olivia Dillon in winning a gravel race over the weekend. Josh Berry also raced in a white Velocio kit, leading some observers to assume King and runner-up Berry were teammates working together. (They are not, but they are friends!)
When we chatted with Keough earlier this year, she said she planned on using the Cannondale SuperX cyclocross bike that guided her to a sixth-place finish at the 2018 Cyclocross World Championships. She came through on her promise, riding the SuperX to the Queen of Dirty Kanza title.
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Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
King also opted for a more aero SuperX cyclocross frame to guide him to his second DK200 title.
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Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Today, we profile the two winners’ Cannondale SuperX bikes, looking at what is the same and what is different.
Kaitie Keough’s DK200-Winning Cannondale SuperX
The last time we profiled Keough’s Cannondale SuperX, the year was 2011 and the up-and-coming star had just won the 2011 U23 Cyclocross National Championship. Her bike then had cantilever brakes, quick releases and in-line brake levers.
A lot has changed for both Keough and Cannondale’s flagship cyclocross bike since then. Cannondale has fully modernized the SuperX with flat mount disc brakes and thru-axles. The frame geometry also got a re-design in 2017, when Cannondale went to the mountain-bike-inspired Out Front steering. Keough’s Super X had a slack head tube angle of 71 degrees and a fork rake of 5.5cm.
Since Keough’s SuperX gets heavy use in the mud and ruts, hers was a proper cyclogravel (Is that a thing?) setup at the Dirty Kanza. Her frame had a bit of flair with multi-colored paint on the chainstays, seatstays and front fork.
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Keough’s chainstays added the multi-color paint accents. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
During the cyclocross season, Keough and her Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld teammates are usually seen on Zipp carbon tubulars. The gravel of the Flint Hills is notorious for its ruthless nature, and perhaps with stories of flats and broken dreams and wheels floating through her ears, Keough opted for alloy Zipp 30 Course tubeless clinchers. The wheels have a 21mm internal width to provide extra volume for wider gravel tires.
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Keough went with Zipp 30 Course alloy tubeless wheels and Maxxis Rambler gravel tires. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
In addition to the slack geometry, another reason the SuperX makes for a popular gravel crossover is the changes Cannondale made to provide more tire clearance. Cannondale moved the seat tube forward and used an Asymmetric Integration (AI) drivetrain that moves the drive side out by 6mm.
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A look at Keough’s chainstays shows the clearance for her 38mm tires. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Keough took advantage of the tire clearance with 38mm wide Maxxis Rambler tires with the SilkShield casings designed to provide extra flat protection. She was able to closely monitor her tire pressure using the new Quarq Tyrewiz pressure sensors released earlier this year at Sea Otter.
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Keough swapped her cyclocross tubulars for 38mm Maxxis Rambler tubeless gravel tires. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Keough tracked her power with a Quarq DZero power ready crankset with a 42t SRAM Force 1 X-Sync front chain ring attached. In the rear, she had plenty of gear choices with a 10-42t SRAM 11-speed cassette and a Force 1 rear derailleur. Her shift/brake levers were Force 1 HRD and her SRAM Force calipers bit onto 140mm Centerline rotors.
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Keough ran a Quarq DZero power meter to measure her efforts. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Keough’s contact points were a Zipp SL 70 Ergo handlebar, Fabric Scoop saddle and Crankbrothers Candy 11 pedals.
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Keough stuck with her Fabric Scoop saddle from cyclocross season. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
For more on Keough’s SuperX, see the specs and photo gallery below.
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On Friday night, Luke Keough did some dog and bike babysitting. Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
Ted King’s Aero SuperX
When we chatted with Ted King on Friday before the Dirty Kanza, he had this to say about the great aero bar debate, “I’m entertained by the whole aero bar situation. I won’t lie, I’d be pleased to see aero bars so fiercely frowned upon that they’re not allowed.”
Despite his protestations, King rolled up to the start line in Emporia on Saturday with aero bars attached to his Cannondale SuperX bike. Maybe it was the aero bars or maybe it was the 265 watts King averaged during his 10 hours 44 minutes on the course, but King outlasted a challenge from Josh Berry to win his second King of Dirty Kanza title in three years.
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Wonder if King’s bike was light? He still had enough energy to hoist it after 206 miles of Kanza gravel. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The second half of the race featured roughly 85 miles of headwind as riders made their way north from Eureka to Emporia. It seemed like just the conditions aero bars were built to shine in.
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Despite his mixed feelings about aero bars for gravel, King used the Zipp Zuka Clip bars to help him handle the strong headwind. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
After the race, King talked about his new frenemy. “I had aero bars on the bike, which was certainly helpful,” he said. “I was cutting through the wind pretty well. I was kind of taking longer pulls because of how efficient the bike is.” He concluded, “They worked great, but I’d be perfectly happy to see them banned.”
King opted for the Zipp Vuka Clip alloy aero bars. King added 110mm Vuka Alumina extensions, which are the longest Zipp offers. The Vuka Clip bars offer a cushioned pad for extra comfort for long gravel grinds such as the Dirty Kanza.
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King attached 110mm Zipp Vuka extensions to his aero bars. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
King’s frame did not have the colorful design of Keough’s, but it did have a color scheme the reverse of the 2017 model. King’s seatstays were black, while the downtube, seat tube and carbon fork were all light green.
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King’s fork did not have the same custom paint as Keough’s. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
While Keough went with alloy wheels, King decided to run the 45mm-deep carbon 303 Firecrest Tubeless Disc-brake wheelset. The 303 wheelset is a good gravel fit thanks to its 21mm internal width. King ran 700c x 40mm Maxxis Rambler tires, and like Keough’s, King’s tires also had the SilkShield casing for extra flat protection out in the Flint Hills. After having his Kanza dreams deflated by flats in 2017, King was no doubt relieved his Ramblers and their extra protection held their air during his 206 miles of gravel rambling on Saturday.
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King went with the carbon Zipp 303 Firecrest tubeless clinchers with 40mm Maxxis Rambler tires mounted. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
The rest of King’s setup was mostly similar to Keough’s. He also ran a Quarq DZero power ready crankset with a 44t chain ring up front and a Force 1 rear derailleur with a 10-42t cassette in the rear. He used Force HRD calipers and 140mm Centerline X rotors. His shift/brake levers were also Force 1.
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Even with some Flint Hills dirt, King still had room for the 40mm tires he ran. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
In addition to his comfy aero bar contact point, King ran Speedplay’s SYZR mountain bike pedals, which are not something we see every day.
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King powered his winning effort with Speedplay SYZR mountain bike pedals. Ted King’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]
For more on King’s winning bike, see the specs and photo gallery below.
For more from Kansas, see all our 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 coverage.
Kaitie Keough’s SuperX Cyclogravel Bike
Frame: Cannondale SuperX , PF30, 12x142mm thru axle, tapered head tube, internal cable routing, flat mount disc
Fork: Cannondale SuperX , 12x100mm thru axle, tapered full carbon steerer, flat mount disc
Shifter: SRAM Force 1
Brake Calipers: SRAM Force HRD flat mount
Rear Derailleur: SRAM Force 1
Crankset: Quarq DZero
Chainrings: SRAM X-SYNC, 42t
Cassette: SRAM 10-42t
Chain: SRAM
Stem: Zipp Service Course SL
Handlebar: Zipp SL 70 Ergo
Saddle: Fabric Scoop
Pedals: Crankbrothers Candy 11
Wheels: Zipp 30 Course tubeless clinchers, alloy
Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700c x 38mm, tubeless, SilkShield casing
More info: cannondale.com
Ted King’s Aero SuperX Gravel Bike
Frame: Cannondale SuperX, PF30, 12x142mm thru axle, tapered head tube, internal cable routing, flat mount disc
Fork: Cannondale SuperX, 12x100mm thru axle, tapered full carbon steerer, flat mount disc
Shifter: SRAM Force 1
Brake Calipers: SRAM Force HRD flat mount
Rear Derailleur: SRAM Force 1
Crankset: Quarq
Chainrings: SRAM X-SYNC, 44t
Cassette: SRAM 10-42t
Chain: SRAM
Stem: Zipp SL Speed
Handlebar: Zipp; Zipp Zuka Clip aero bars
Saddle: Fizik
Pedals: Speedplay SYZR
Wheels: Zipp 303 Firecrest Tubeless Disc-brake, carbon
Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700c x 40mm, tubeless, SilkShield casing
More info: cannondale.com
Photo Gallery: Dirty-Kanza-Winning SuperX2
Kaitie Keough’s 2018 Dirty Kanza 200 Cannondale SuperX. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
