Cottonwood 200
May 24-26 , 2008
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 24-26, 2008.
It is a loop tour that starts and ends at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
2008 registration is $79.00, 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-shirts and single day registration are available. Please see the Registration section for more information.
Join us in 2008 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 24, 2008 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 26th. 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 250 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 registartion exceeds 260. 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 from the historic Hays House, in continuous operation since founded by Seth Hays in the 1800s and known throughout the Midwest for its home cooked meals. 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 25, 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 eat 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.
