Cottonwood200.org Blog

For those of you looking for a early season ride in Western KS that supports a good cause, check out the Rope ‘Em Ride in Hays.

Registration for the 2012 Cottonwood 200 Bicycle Ride is now open. The ride will take place May 26-28, 2012. You can register online at http://www.cottonwood200.org/registration.html, with options of online registration or a pdf mail in form. See you in May!

We are just 11 days away from the ride – now is the time to train tough – get out there and do a few more miles, ride a few more hills, train a little longer. Try to get a long ride in this weekend; you will want to ease up and rest by the Thursday before the ride. A great way to test yourself is to ride the Capitol Classic on Sunday, May 22nd in Topeka. You can find more information at www.kvbc.org

If you have registered for the ride but have not taken your bike in to your local mechanic to be checked over, DO IT NOW. While emergency mechanical service will be available on the ride, they may not have the exact part you need. It is much easier to get that weak cable or spoke replaced before the ride, than have it break and potentially ruin your Cottonwood 200 experience. Besides, clean, smooth running bikes are much more fun to ride. Support your local bike shop and get that tune up!

Ride registrations are now at 215; registraion remains open, but online registration will be closed by mid next week.

The 2011 order for t-shirts has been submitted. If you did not get your order in the mix, there will be a very limited supply of t-shirts available at registration – and they will be first come first serve. You can still order jerseys through the registration page; your jersey will be shipped to you after the ride.

The deadline for ordering t-shirts is MAY 12, 2011. You can order online through the registration page. Check out the t-shirt design on the “EXTRAS” page. Don’t miss out on this cool design – it will only be produced this year!

Registration covers overnight accomodations both nights at Council Grove High School (this is indoor camping; see the INFORMATION page for more info on the school). However, for those wishing to seek out other accomodations, we have been informed that a new Guest House will open in Council Grove on May 25th, just in time for the ride. Anyone interested in rooms can take a look at www.bradfordguesthouse.com or call 785-466-1060 and ask for Fay.

As with just about any site that has been up for a while, the Cottonwood 200 has seen attempts of “spoofing” or “spam” emails made to seem to be coming from the Cottonwood 200. There are all kinds of made-up email addresses that end in “@cottonwood200.org”. Just remember that the only legit email address is “director”, and that any email coming from me will have “Cottonwood 200″ and “Update” in the title. We do not put out a newsletter and certainly don’t try to sell all the silly things you see in spam emails. As with all emails, if it seems weird, it’s probably spam.

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