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Cottonwood 200
May 26-28, 2012

The Ride

The Cottonwood 200 is a three-day bicycle tour on paved roads through the Flint Hills of northeast Kansas.

The ride covers 200 miles (75 miles day one; 50 miles day two; 75 miles day three) over the Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28, 2012.

It is a loop tour that starts and ends at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.

2012 registration is $100.00, which includes the following:

1) SAG (rest) stops with bountiful food and water approximately every 10-15 miles;
2) Sunday breakfast and dinner;
3) Overnight accommodations at Council Grove High School.

T-shirt, Cycling socks and single day registration are available. Please see the Registration section for more information.

Join us in 2012 and see why so many past participants have called the Cottonwood 200 “The Best Ride Ever”.

Start Time and Place

The ride will start at 7:45 am Saturday, May 26, 2012 from Washburn University parking lot #7, one block north of SW 21st and MacVicar in Topeka. Participants should arrive no later than 7:00 am for registration and loading of gear. Riders will return to Washburn University on Monday, May 28th. Arrival times depend on the rider, but are generally between 11:30 am and 3:00 pm.

Rider Limits

This ride will be limited to 300 riders. Overnight accommodations will be available at Council Grove High School. A number of participants take advantage of other options, including local campgrounds, hotels, and bed & breakfast lodging. The website will be updated to note that the ride is CLOSED if the registration exceeds 300. If the website does not have such a posting, then the ride remains OPEN.

Meals

As part of the entry fee, riders will be provided Sunday breakfast and dinner, both from the historic Hays House. Other meals will be the responsibility of the rider; each day’s route will have restaurants available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On Sunday, May 30, the Emma Chase café in Cottonwood Falls will put on a special lunch buffet in honor of the riders. The lunch buffet will be “all-you-can-eat” for a very reasonable price.

Non-riders / SAG Volunteers

Non-riding members of your party are welcome and can join the riders for Sunday breakfast and/or dinner by purchasing extra meal tickets. Non-riders can register for FREE by volunteering to staff at least one SAG (rest area) during the ride. Each SAG will have a shade shelter, chair and table for the volunteer, and food and water for the riders. The time commitment is generally between two and four hours. Volunteers are also needed to drive “sweep vehicles” to check on riders and provide transportation in the case of mechanical failures. Sweep drivers will receive gas expense reimbursement.

 

 Riders


History & Sites

In 1976, a hearty group of cyclists from the Kaw Valley Bicycle Club searched for a way to celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday. Looking at their maps, they realized a round trip from Topeka to Cottonwood Falls, Kansas would be 200 miles, and cover some of the best cycling terrain in the state.

Thus began the Cottonwood 200, now in its 36th year. Join us for a three-day tour as we celebrate 7000 miles, 36 years of cycling, and go back in time as you travel the same paths used by Native Americans, settlers, and cattle drives.

The route will cross through lands that are the historic home of the Kaw (or Kansa) Indians, after whom the state of Kansas is named. Parts of the route follow the original Santa Fe Trail, used by settlers in their journey to the American southwest. Riders will spend two nights in Council Grove, which served as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail and is home of numerous historic sites, including the Kaw Indian Mission museum. On Sunday, May 27, riders will visit beautiful Cottonwood Falls, where residents have restored several downtown buildings into artist galleries, unique western shops, and delightful restaurants. At Cottonwood Falls, participants can tour the Chase County Courthouse, one of the oldest working courthouses west of the Mississippi and home to a breathtaking spiral staircase. Other nearby sites include the Roniger and Chase County Museums, and the nationally renowned Z-Bar Ranch/Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve.