The Cottonwood 200 is a three-day, 200-mile bike tour of the Flint Hills region of Kansas. We travel from Topeka to Council Grove, where we stay both overnights. From Council Grove we visit Cottonwood Falls, then return. Finally, we return to Topeka. Saturday, 26 May was Day One, mainly on highways 4, 99, and 177. The 20 mph south winds, gusting to 30 mph, turned this into a sufferfest. When we weren't climbing hills into the wind, we were trying to stay upright against the crosswind. The SAG sweepers kept busy! Sunday, 27 May was Day Two. Notionally, we were riding from Council Grove to Cottonwood Falls and back via highway 177. The vicious south wind of the day before turned murderous, with 25 mph steady wind and 35 mph gusts. The course outbound was uphill straight into this wind. The smart people stayed in their sleeping bags. I took a full hour to go just 5 miles. Looking up the tall second set of hills, I abandoned all hope and returned to Council Grove (at personal best "woo-hoo" speed!). Many bikers turned back after the SAG. The hardcore who made it to Cottonwood Falls have my respect. Memorial Day, Monday, 28 May was Day Three. The return to Topeka from Council Grove took us west on US 56 before turning north into town. At last, we got a pretty day to ride in. The wind moderated to around 10 mph, starting from the southwest and gradually turning to the northwest. It was a trifle hot, but compared to the days before the miles flew by and then we were done. Looking forward to next year! (Note: my Forerunner battery died on day one 6.1 miles short of the finish. Add that to the total.)