By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
September 24, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Northeast is preparing to get dirty along Cliff Drive.

A fundraiser for the trails in Kansas City, Mo., and Cliff Drive, the Urban Dirty is a weekend cycling event held along the trails of Cliff Drive and its surrounding areas.

Brett Shoffner, executive director for Cliff Drive Corridor Management Committee, said cyclists throughout the Midwest region will venture to the Northeast for this event.

“We’ll probably have racers coming from the five-state region,” Shoffner said.

The three-day event kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 with a track race, followed by a group ride later in the evening. From 9 a.m. – noon the next day, anyone who wishes to help can participate in the Kessler Park community workday. Saturday’s activities also include group bike rides, evening races and a community barbecue.

“We have a lot of stand-alone events while at the same time trying to incorporate the community,” Shoffner said. “The big events for the community are the barbecue and the family ride along Cliff Drive on Sunday morning. It’s a worry free ride where parents won’t have to worry about cars as their kids ride along Cliff Drive.”

The event is a culmination of a couple things happening at the same time. Shoffner said his cycling team lost space in Kansas City, Kan., that it usually uses and in the fall, there’s usually a fundraiser for trails in Kansas City and Cliff Drive. He said he spoke with officials in the Parks and Recreation Department about combining the two. Now, Northeast is home, at least this year, to the Urban Dirty.

Those interested can show up to any event during the three-day weekend. All non-race events are free.