Peter Stetina and Kiel Reijnen are about to ditch their skinny tires for something a little more gnarlier on June 1 as they jump into the Dirty Kanza gravel race aboard custom-painted Checkpoint SL gravel bikes.

The popularity of gravel grinding has exploded in recent years. The Dirty Kanza began with 34 participants in 2006 to over 2,000 riders flooding the small town of Emporia, Kansas last year. It’s an epic event of 200 miles, mostly on rugged gravel roads, and it draws people from around the world to race around the Flint Hills in brutal headwinds and unpredictable weather. The time cut is 20 hours, and last year’s winner in the men’s category – former WorldTour pro Ted King – completed the course in 10 hours and 44 minutes. It’s that hard.

Stetina recently participated in the Belgian Waffle Ride, and he said afterward it was as hard as any classic he had done: “I don’t think I’ve suffered that bad in a decade of being a pro,” he added.

While Stetina competed in the BWR on his Madone, both pros will tackle the DK200 on custom painted Checkpoints, making the race a little more special for both. “The coolest thing is equipment choice as the options are endless,” pointed out Stetina, one of only a few who opted for a road bike in the BWR. “Everyone has something different; there will be points during the day where everyone has an advantage or disadvantage over others. It brings a new element to racing.”