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TEG MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2016 V V V PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895 Good Evening VVV Well done, Emporia. WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM V V V BLOW OUT A new champion and a title defense highlight windy DK 200 has competed in the Tour de France multiple times, King led the pack for most of the day and The Dirty Kanza 200 lives in finished with a time of 11 hours, infamy in the cycling commu- 50 minutes and 12 seconds.  “So this is what it’s like to win nity due to the grueling nature of gravel and mud in the 200-mile a race,” King joked after crossing the finish line in trail, but it wasn’t the mud and dirt “It was a really casual first his first ever Dirty which caused the 100 miles. Then it turns out Kanza 200. “I’m honored. That was most headaches it was a casual 100 miles not easy — to give for more than it the understate2,000 cyclists on with a tailwind and then ment of the year.” Saturday. it was literally a 100-mile Finishing be “It was a really hind King was casual first 100 headwind home.” Michael Sencenmiles,” Dirty Kanbaugh of Cornza 200 winner Ted TED KING, Dirty Kanza 200 winner ville, Arizona, King said after with a time of 12 the race. “Then it hours, 32 minutes turns out it was a casual 100 miles with a tailwind and 16 seconds, while Mike Easand then it was literally a 100-mile ter from Ventura, California, took headwind home.” A retired professional cyclist Please see DK, Page 3 from Mill Valley, California, who By John Robinson [email protected] Ted King is sprayed with champagne as he crosses the finish line to win the 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 Saturday in Emporia. King won his first DK with a time of 11 hours, 50 minutes and 13 seconds. Photo above, Amanda Nauman is congratulated by fans just after crossing the finish line to win the women’s Dirty Kanza 200 with a time of 13 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds. Nauman, a resident of Laguna Hills, California, has won back-to-back DK200 women’s titles. ZACH HACKER/GAZETTE JAN BUCKMAN/SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE A group of riders heads through the Flint Hills outside of Madison Saturday morning on their way to the first checkpoint in the Dirty Kanza. ZACH HACKER/GAZETTE Young fans cheer on some Dirty Kanza 100 finishers Saturday at the Dirty Kanza in downtown Emporia. EMPORIA SHINES WITH DK HOSPITALITY By John Robinson [email protected] VOL. 124, NO. 289 JAN BUCKMAN/SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE Ted King and Amanda Nauman may have stolen the show as event champions, but the real star of Saturday’s Dirty Kanza was the city of Emporia. From before 6 a.m. Saturday morning until the wee hours of Sunday morning, the downtown area was buzzing with excitement. Apart from the more than 2,000 riders who participated in this year’s festivities, throngs of spectators, friends and families turned Commercial Street into the place to be. As riders from the 100-mile, Half-Pint race and, eventually, the 200-mile main event reached the chute lining the entrance to the finish line, fans from Emporia and all over cheered and rang cowbells — as has become custom at the DK — to welcome them back from their grueling ride. It wasn’t just in the downtown area where Emporians were making their presence felt, however.  Overall, 20 Emporians completed the Dirty Kanza 200, while more than 60 completed the 100-mile race. Michael Reynolds was the top-finisher from Emporia in the DK200, coming in at 13 hours, 44 minutes and 39 seconds — good for 29th place overall. Nicole Schmidt was the Emporia’s fastest female rider at 16 hours, 43 minutes and 46 seconds. Please see Emporia, Page 8