Cottonwood200.org Blog

We have about six weeks before the ride, and plans are busy rolling along. We will have an exciting new route option on day 1 – a loop through Alma and along the Skyline/Mill Creek Scenic Byway. It will add about 13 miles to the regular route of 73.4 (for a total of 86-87 miles), so keep training if you want to ride it!

We have over 150 entries, but with the newly remodeled Council Grove H.S. gym, we still have plenty of room – so sign up now, don’t wait until it’s too late.

If you have not ordered a jersey, and would like one on the day of the ride, you must order (online) by Thursday evening, April 14. Any orders after
that time will have to be mailed to you after the ride. Don’t miss out – we
only design jerseys each five years, so this is your last chance until 2016!!

We still would like to have more SAG volunteers and sweep drivers. If you have a non-riding friend or family member, (or someone who only wants to ride 1 or 2 days) remember they can register for FREE by volunteering at a minimum of one SAG. In addition to Free Registration, Sweep drivers will also receive gas reimbursement.

We were checking out the route yesterday, and the Flint Hills were ablaze with the burning of last year’s grass – it is an amazing site. There are some fields that were burned a week or two ago and already are filled with green shoots. Its going to be a beautiful ride.

The Cottonwood 200 is now on Facebook, so please search for Cottonwood 200 Bicycle Ride and “like” us. The facebook page will have regular updates.

As always, contact me at director@cottonwood200.org if you have questions.

Mark Kossler
Ride Director

The early deadline for jersey orders has been extended to at least monday, APRIL 4, 2011. If you want a jersey, make sure to order yours now!!

If you plan to order a 35th Anniversary Jersey, the early order deadline is March 15, 2011. Later orders will be accepted, but will not be guaranteed delivery by the date of the ride, and may need to be mailed to the recepient. Please note that this is the ONLY year these jerseys will be produced; and the ride will not have another jersey until the 40th anniversary. Don’t miss out – order yours today!

Each year’s success on the Cottonwood 200 is dependent on the numerous ride volunteers. These wonderful volunteers may be non-riding spouses, family or friends of riders, or they may be riders who prefer to ride only one or two days. Volunteers receive FREE registration, including all meals and overnight accomodations.

Volunteers only need to staff one SAG (rest) stop during the three days of the ride. Also, the ride rents several pick-ups for use during the ride, and volunteers are needed to drive these vehicles.

We have already had a number of persons sign up as volunteers, but can always use more. You can signup as a volunteer by emailing director@cottonwood200.org and providing your contact information. Join in – we promise friendly people and lots of fun!

The 2011Cottonwood 200 will be the first to enjoy the new gym and commons area at Council Grove High School. The ride stayed at the old high school gym for Saturday and Sunday night accomodations from 1993 thorough 2008, when construction began on a new gym. For 2009 and 2010, the ride stayed at Council Grove Elementary/Middle School. The new high school gym is a great facility, with plenty of room, primo air-conditioning, and great shower facilities. The high school is located in the heart of downtown Council Grove, very close to restaurants, shops and historic sites. For riders who have participated on the Cottonwood in previous years, you will be amazed at the new facility.

New year, another new ride! Online registration is now open  for the 2011 Cottonwood 200.  We will be mailing out flyers later in January to bikeshops and past riders.  This year is the 35th anniversary of the ride, and it should be a great one.  We have brand new facilities at Council Grove High School for our overnight camping.  The new gym and comons area are larger and have allowed us to increase the number of riders from 250 to 350.  We will have a different route that includes old favorites along with some new scenery.  Randy Breeden has designed a great jersey and t-shirt for this year’s ride – be sure to get one, because they are only available this year and will not be repeated.  Stay tuned for more updates…

As a result of the great turnout for the 2010 ride, The Cottonwood 200 was proud to send a check in the amount of $1,250.00 to the KU Endowment for scholarships in honor of Bob Frederick. It is our understanding that these funds helped push the total given in Bob’s name over the level needed to become a “permanent” scholarship source. That means there is a sufficient principal base to allow the scholarships to be funded with only interest from the fund, and the principal will be untouched. Students far into the future will be helped with these scholarships.

Photographs from the 2010 Cottonwood 200 ride are now available. Links to the photo gallery as well as a pricing sheet and ordering instructions are available at the bottom of the home page.

Fellow Cyclists,

I love riding the Cottonwood 200 through the spectacular Flint Hills of Kansas! I also love to ride, run and walk on Kansas trails.

In the future it will be possible to ride your bike from Topeka to Council Grove on two trails being developed by the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy.

If you will make a tax-deductible contribution to the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy, Inc. and reference the “Cottonwood 200 Challenge”, then your donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $5000 by a charitable trust.

You may contribute by mail at: Kanza Rail Trails Conservancy, Inc., PO Box 3863, Topeka, KS 66604. Please reference: Cottonwood 200 Challenge.

Your membership is as important as your financial support.
All funds are used to develop trail by unpaid volunteers. You are also invited to join the effort personally.

The Landon Nature Trail runs 38 miles south from Topeka to near Pomona where it joins the Flint Hills Nature Trail that runs west to Council Grove and Herington. It also runs east of Pomona to Osawatomie, intersecting the Prairie Spirit Trail at Ottawa.

Imagine the enjoyment that people of all ages and abilities will have on KRTC’s 155 miles of trails in northeast Kansas for years to come.

Additional information about the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy, the Landon Nature Trail and the Flint Hills Nature Trail is available at:
www.kanzatrails.org
www.landontrail.org
www.flinthillstrail.org

Please contribute generously.
Two hundred fifty Cottonwood 200 riders each at $20?
One hundred Cottonwood 200 riders each at $50?
Fifty Cottonwood 200 riders at $100?

The charitable trust really wants to mail the $5000 check. Make them pay! Now would be an excellent time to do so.

Make a difference. Thank you.

Ed Lincoln

Cottonwood 200 riders and volunteers:

The big weekend will soon be here! I hope you have checked the Packing List on the website, and made sure your bike is in tip-top shape.

Start time is 7:45 am. Please arrive no later than 6:30 am for registration, and with the record turnout, arriving at 6:15 or a little earlier would not be a bad idea. We will try to be set up by 6:00 am.

The ride starts on Saturday at Washburn University southwest parking lot, at the corner of SW 20th and SW MacVicar. A Google map of the start site is available on the “RIDE” page of the website. For those joining the ride on Sunday, you can register between 8:15 and 8:30 am at the Council Grove Elementary/Middle School, which is located at 706 E. Main in Council Grove. Main street is also US Highway 56, and the school is seven blocks east of the K-177 Junction.

All participants (riders and volunteers) must register and get their nametags.

Sag Captain Bill Lucero and the other volunteers are planning some special sag stops, so this year will be a great one. The weather looks like it is going to cooperate.

Although the ride is closed, I have had a handful of (literally, 5) late cancelations. If you know someone who can fill the spots, have them contact me ASAP. I will not be able to take anymore than the five slots available.

See you soon!

Mark Kossler
Ride Director