Cottonwood200.org Blog

Registrations are now over 260 – only a few spaces remain!

The deadline for ordering t-shirts is Sunday, May 13. You can view the t-shirt at the Extras page of the Cottonwood 200 website and order one online at the Registration page.

We still have a couple spots open for Sweep Drivers and a few spots for SAG volunteers. Remember – volunteers receive a free registration and need only work one day. Contact the ride director at director@cottonwood200.org.

The previous update gave the wrong “Cottonwood 200″ group rate at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, at 1717 SW Topeka Blvd. The special rate is only $56, not $65. The hotel is the closest to the ride start. Just contact the hotel at (785) 431-7200 or (800) 579-7937 and ask for the “Cottonwood 200″ room block.

For those hardcore riders, we have added a century option to Day 1, so you will have choices of 75, 88 or 100 miles.

If you have not had your bike “checked out” at your local bike shop, DO IT NOW. While mechanic service will be available on the ride, you don’t want to break down miles from town. Make a point to have your local shop check your tires, spokes and cables. And if you don’t have one, be sure to purchase a seat bag and put a spare tube and tire irons in it!

Each year, one of the most common requests on Monday afternoon at the end of the ride has been “Do you know of some place we can shower & change clothes before we drive home”? Unfortunately, the answer has always been “No”, since it was Memorial Day and everything has been closed. For 2012, we have the potential to say “Yes”! I have spoken with the director of the Topeka YMCA, and he is willing to open the Downtown location to allow for showers. However, because of the costs involved with staffing and utilities, the Cottonwood 200 will need to donate a few hundred dollars to the YMCA. I am willing to do this if there is sufficient interest on the part of participants. I also believe those using the showers should help cover a small portion of the costs. Therefore, we will ask each person who showers to donate $5 to the YMCA, and will need at least 20 persons to indicate they will shower. SO, IF YOU WANT TO SHOWER AFTER THE RIDE, you will need to contact me by email (director@cottonwood200.org) and give me your name. You will not need to pay the $5 until registration on Saturday morning, May 26.

For those ride participants coming from out of town, a good choice for overnight accomodations on Friday night the 25th is the Capitol Plaza Hotel, at 1717 SW Topeka Blvd. The Hotel is only 1.6 miles from the ride start, and is offering special rates to ride participants. To receive the rate, just contact the hotel at (785) 431-7200 or (800) 579-7937 and ask for the “Cottonwood 200 room” block.

Remember that those persons who prefer to ride only one or two days, and any non-riding friends or family members, can register for FREE by volunteering. These volunteers will receive overnight accomodations, Sunday breakfast and dinner, and all the Sag food they can eat for free. All they need to do is volunteer for at least one Sag Stop during the ride. Or if they prefer, they can drive one of the Sag Vehicles (provided by the ride), which check on riders and deliver food and water. Anyone interested in learning more can contact the ride at director@cottonwood200.org.

We continue on a record pace for registrations, and now have over 200 participants. Plenty of space remains before our 300 rider limit, but with more registrations each day, I recommend you act sooner rather than later.

There are links the Route page for the planned 2012 routes. You can also find them at to www.mapmyride.com and searching for “2012 Cottonwood 200″. There are four routes posted – the regular and “extended” route for Day 1, and routes for Day 2 and Day 3. Check ‘em out – each map has distances, elevation changes, and food & water locations.

Last weekend, my wife Nancy and I took the tandem out for our first decent ride of the season. It was a 44+ mile ride from Topeka to Burlingame and back, and covered some of the planned day 3 route for this year’s Cottonwood 200. Our route was mainly due south down to Burlingame (and of course due north on the return trip).

That day, we experienced a typical windy Kansas day, with a 15-25 mile wind, right out of the south. Did that affect our ride? Oh yeah. The ride down took 1 hr 55 min, with an average speed of 10.5 mph. The return trip took 1 hr 5 min, with an average speed of 20.3 mph – and we didn’t work nearly as hard on the way back.

I relate this story to give you an idea of what to expect on the Cottonwood. Since it is a loop ride, you can expect that on at least one day, you will have a headwind. On at least one day, you can expect a nice tailwind. Expect to work on the headwind day, as it will be a constant drag on you, whether you are going up or down hill. Best way to train for a day like that? Go out biking when it’s windy, and head straight into it. Do it as often as you can.

The flipside? On a tailwind day, it feels like you’re flying, and the hills will seem effortless. And on either day, you’ll have the beauty of the Flint Hills to enjoy.

We continue on a record pace with registrations. The number of participants is now over 150, well ahead of previous years’ totals on this date. Still plenty of room, but tell your friends to sign up sooner rather than later!

Some participants have asked about camping in Topeka on the night before the ride. While camping is not allowed at Washburn University, there is camping available at the Lake Shawnee Campground, a few miles east. The website for the campground, including information and reservations, can be accessed here

A map of the route from the campground to Washburn University can be accessed Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »