Cottonwood200.org Blog

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

Remember – the Cottonwood provides indoor camping at the Council Grove Middle School Gym. You may also camp outdoors on the school grounds if you wish. Have you checked all your gear? Do you have a sleeping bag, an air mattress or pad, and pillow ready? Does your air mattress hold air? If camping outdoors, do you have all the poles and a rain fly for your tent? Check your gear NOW, to make sure everything is ready. IF YOU PLAN TO STAY IN A HOTEL – have you made and confirmed reservations? Accomodations other than the school are your responsibility.

Check the “Packing List” page on the website for suggestions on items to bring.

If you have not yet ordered a t-shirt, the last day to do so will be May 14. T-shirts are not included in the registration fee. You can view this year’s shirt on the “Extras” page of the website, and order one through the “Registration” page.

Alan Apel, ride photographer, has stated that May 20, 2010 will be the last date to order photos from the 2009 ride. There is a link on the Cottonwood 200 home page to Alan’s site. If you are interested in a 2009 photo – order now! Photos from the 2010 edition will be available in June shortly after the ride, and we will have a link to those photos.

If you have been training, you don’t want to forget about your bike. When was the last time you had the chain checked for stretch – is it time to replace it? How about the shifter and brake cables? The spokes? Take time now to have your bike checked out at your local bike shop. A broken down bike can ruin your ride; we will have mechanic help on the Cottonwood 200, but there is no guaranty that they will have the exact part that you need, and it could take hours to get you and your bike to the mechanic. The best way to fix a mechanical problem on the ride is to prevent it from happening.

We are now one month from the start of the ride – have you been riding? Make the most of the coming weeks – ride as often as you can, preferrably several times during the week. Also try to get in some longer rides on the weekend (30-40-50+ miles), preferrably both Saturday and Sunday. If you don’t have time for a long ride, then make the most of your training by riding a circuit up and down hills, or into the wind. If you don’t have hills or wind, then ride intervals – sprint/recover/sprint/recover. The main thing is to ride as much as you can – more time on the bike means more fun on the Cottonwood!

We are entering the final stretch – over 200 entries, and less than 50 to go. If you are considering joining the 2010 Cottonwood, now would be a good time to do so. The weather has been rainy after a good burning season in the Flint Hills, so the scenery should be great.