TOUR De Washtenaw VIDEO

Thanks to Dan Korienek for posting up a very nice video of the TdW, the Tour of Washtenaw, on FaceBook. Please don't confuse this TdW, with our own TdW, which is the one and only Tour De West Side.

This is what our TdW - Tour de West Side looked like. See the video below for the "other" TdW

Actually, this thing looked like a lot of Crazy Bastard fun. But so did Cone, and I didn't do that one either. Anyway, thanks for the find, Dan ....

SINCE IT'S FALL AGAIN, IT'S TIME FOR CYCLOCROSS, RIGHT?

Is this the parking lot at stage two of the Tour of California, or the usual trysting spot for cowboys on the Crazy Bastard loop in the winter? Oh, who the hell cares.

I was looking around for post material and I just thought that the snowstorm story and the ATOC was getting old, and who wants to hear about how crappy its been in Michigan, either?And Cavendish at the Giro uggggh, wasn't my cup of tea either. So just by luck, I stumbled on a new 'cross video, from our 'cross brethren in Colorado, and posted on one of the best Cyclocross sites, Mud & Cowbells.

Some of the action segments were so good, I was getting chills. Then I realized that I was still sick. There's some nice "explanatory" stuff about 'cross here, which you all know, but still it's boiled down into nice phrasing so you can explain it to Grandma. If she every asks.

Enjoy! It's a nice fall day, after all ... a perfect day to dream on about cyclocross.

Since the creators thought this video was too good for me just to post it up on my lousy blog, if you'd like to see it just click WATCH IT NOW!

TOUR OF CALIFORNIA LOOKS MORE LIKE A CRAZY BASTARD'S RIDE

After ordering a 64 Hot Wings (take-out BW3) and chilling two cases of Budlight (on sale a @ Ogies), you can imagine how heartbroken as was when I sat down, turned on the my Emerson Pecan Finish Console Television and discovered the ATOC was canceled because the pro's decided to not to ride. Frankly, the conditions looked no worse than what we rode in all winter long, but since the "professionals" are too skinny to ride in cold weather, and their tires are too skinny to stay upright on ice and snow, I guess you can't blame them.

Here's my ATOC quiz for the day. If you answer correctly you'll see a real strike. If not, you'll see something else.

Good luck. Anybody want some 'cold' Hot Wings at the Ada TT tomorrow?

This is not a Crazy Bastard Ride photo, it is actually a shot of the road that was to be raced, but wasn't in the ATOC:

True

False

I'M SORRY OR WTF HAPPENED TO YESTERDAY'S POST?

Sorry to say that yesterday's spectacular post is lost and gone. Possibly for good, thanks to some Bloggerific accident. I liked Bike Snob's explanation: "some nerd at G-ogle spilled Fair Trade coffee in a server ..." Exactly! Well I don't know whether to reconstruct yesterday's EPIC post about being sick, riding my new Redline, and the fabulous wealth I'm receiving, or not receiving from AdWords, or just move on with my life and say F-it. Leave a comment, if you want me to recreate that piece of junk, or not. Until then I'm going to let Brenda Lee tell you how sorry I am about the whole thing. No nobody says I'm Sorry, as well, or as many times, as she does.

TESTING OUT THE NEW WHIP, BEING SICK, AND THE CREEPINESS OF GOOGLE

As many of you know I have been very sick lately, and have not been able to attend the last week's major cycling events which include the Ada TT, and Grattan. While this probably hurt my chances at an overall World Championship this year, I am hopeful that I can kick this bug, and be back irritating my fellow cyclists soon.

Before falling ill, I was able to take the new SS cross bike out for a spin a at the game area. Yeah it was cross bike vs mountain bike single track. Guess who won?

It was the first time I had turned these cranks, in anger. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun on a bike. For some reason the SS cross bike was the weapon of choice for that type of easy, flowing single track. Will I ever take the mountain bike again? Well, I gotta get well first.

On my test run I took the Betty along. She successfully drank everyone's water on the trail in just seven miles of riding and running. Several people died of thirst after giving up their water to this "hog of a dog." The dehydration she caused, in my own case. might have been one of the contributing factors to my illness.

Not long after the ride I was sneezing like some of my favorite Japanese Anime characters. I could watch them sneeze forever, couldn't you?

While walking around in a Robitussin stupor, I received a letter from Google. At last, I thought, these less than worthless fuckers were sending me a check for all the fine work I had done over the past several years. Inside, I hoped, would be a check for the 74¢ they owed me.

At first it was hard for me to read the contents of the letter. I was wearing what amounted to Biking Robitussen Google-Goggles, as seen above. But it was pretty apparent that there was no check enclosedy.

Instead of a check they gave me $100 in AdWords credits, which essentially meant they were giving me nothing at all. You'll see I have improved the "Credit Card" to protect identity theft and to reflect what I think is the basic message here. Do you really think that if I used this I could double the number of visitors to this blog, and double my 74¢. Somehow I don't think so on either count.

One more blast of Robitussen and this is how the world was looking to me. With all the creepy news about Google this week, and how they were spying on everybody, and as looped as I was, I had my own spy googles on and was looking for them (Google) sneaking around the Crazy Bastards headquarters.

It was kind looked of like this in my addled mind ...

TOUR DE WEST SIDE BIKE & BAR CRAWL, DIRTY MUDDERS, AND SPERM BIKES FOR GRATTAN

While many of you may think that the upcoming National Criterium Championship coming to Grand Rapids this year is a big deal, well then you missed the Tour de West Side this past weekend. Yes, it is a real event. Above is the actual logo, just so you know it's real, and not just some bad dream I had.

This is what the TDW is all about. Biking from one West Side watering hole to the next, on some really sweet rides.

And Sweet Rides there were. It was one bike-a-licous event that saw hundreds of Grand Rapidians grinding from one West Side pub, to the next, on the latest in 50 pound steel bike technology. Yeah, not a lot of sprints.

Some of these shitty bikes were decorated very nicely. Some were even decorated with their rider's blood. You guessed it - there were enough low speed crashes to fill a Three Stooges full-length feature film.

Fashion was a key word. Here we sneak a look at some of that great West Side fashion bike style.

Don't we all need some bike-goggles like this? Grattan here I come - LOOK OUT!

For those too drunk to ride, and too tired of falling over in the gutter, Mark Hendershot and the Green Machine Pedicab crew came to the rescue.

If you've been downtown in the evening you've probably seen the Green Machine Pedicabs on the scene, providing easy, fast and fun transportation between downtown hotspots. I suggest you grab one next time you're downtown. Very inexpensive, and a great way to get around.

Here are some Green Machines just waiting to haul some of the drunk West Sider's around the block. It was free, too!

Here's Mark with a really nice haul. They haven't been seen since, but oh well. Check out the official T-Shirts the girls were wearing. Again, where else but the West Side do you get this kind of style? While this was a good haul for Mark, I was really amazed to see this Pedicab pulling up to PUTT-PUTTS ...

I guess they came because they heard that the pitchers of beer were cheap. But I hear they didn't give the driver a tip.

Far from the beer farts and drunken riding of the TDWS, I was at the CBX laboratory working on my next whip for the upcoming cyclocross season. Hey, it's just around the corner, isn't it? Here it is, my new cyclocross SS.

The frame and fork are by Redline. It's a dedicated single-speed cyclocross bike called, I guess, the Dirty Mudder, or something like that. It just came out, but the prototype already has a win in the SSXWC. You get a tat and a Golden Speedo, I've heard, for winning.

Nice retro graphics, and it's fun to ride... that is if you're stronger than I am.

Pure single speed goodness, with replaceable horizontal dropouts. Hmmm, I wonder why?

I've given it that shameful, and hipster-crazed anodized-color coordinated look. Wow, it's like red ... here and there.

Here's the beauty shot of the bike. Crap, the dog is hogging it again.

Well now on to my new bike for Grattan ...

I found this bike two weeks before it was posted on BSNYC. I thought it would be the perfect weapon for weaving through deadly Grattan B sprint finishes. It's the sperm bike! Hey, I'm shooting to the front! Who Came in First? That was a nice finishing Spurt! Just think of the possibilities ...

Here's a side view. Who wouldn't want to throw their leg over a giant sperm?

Just think of how many energy drinks and Clif bars you could stuff in here!

The best part ... if somebody wants to suck your wheel to the line, they've got to suck on this first.

CYCLOCROSS VIDEO OF FRENCH PEOPLE TAKING OUT THE CAMERAMAN

Thanks to Cyclocross Magazine, once again, for alerting us to some pretty fun cyclocross video. While we were able to make fun of the crazy Australian soundtrack to cross racing last time, we can now make fun of the French who are evidently crash crazy.

A couple of short, fun flicks. Enjoy.