RIDE & CARP DINNER TONIGHT @ 6 PM 11.18.10

Looks delicious, doesn't it? Just remember carp are bottom feeders. Yeah they suck shit off the bottom of the river.

Ride tonight. We roll at 6 - ish. Afterward it's gonna be Fried Asian Carp at the Honey Creek. After making all those jokes, it has been become a reality. I'll post up some photos of last Tuesday's ride later today. See you all tonight.

WOMEN OF THE WEST IN THE EAST

Just recently released are more Andrea Tucker photos of of the West Side women at Stoney Creek on Sunday. Look at them go!

Great shot of 'Kenzie coming around the last turn and onto the pavement and then onto the top step of the podium.

How did Kim Thomas get onto the podium? Like this, riding the sand like a champ. (Love the swimming sign in the background)

Laura busting through the berm for another great ride in the women's elite class. She looks cold but she knows there's a beer waiting across the finish line.

Check back around this afternoon for a ride report. Last night's ride was a good one - lots of Bastards, good pace, plenty'o fun.

STONEY CREEK LEFT OVER PHOTOS MUD VIDEO AND RIDE TONIGHT

I'm tired of the dry and dusty. Why can't we have some of this? Talk about doing some running. You've got to watch this thing the whole way through - it's absolutely ridiculous. And if you didn't know why Sven Nys is the greatest cyclocross racer in the world, well you'll know why after you see this video from last week in Hamme-Zooogee-Booger-Boo (is that the name of a town or did somebody just throw up and call it good?)

As I said, while there wasn't any mud to speak of at Stoney Creek, there was some very nice sand down along the beach. After a soggy descent down to the water you had to pop over a berm, ride 50 yards and then punch through some deeper stuff.

For those of you (probably nobody reading this) that make excuses about not racing 'cross I'd like to have you take a look at Nancy Lange racing her second cyclocross race of the season. I must say, she looks pretty good punching it through the sandy stuff, and over the berm, doesn't she?

And running it like a pro! Great effort Nancy!

Now for gratuitous shots of me riding over the berm. If this were video you'd be able to see how much faster Nancy was going over the same spot. Yeah, I'd be embarrassed, but it's true.

This part below I was usually cursing and so on trying to make it that last ten feet. Nice day on the beach though. Good thing I put the sunblock on. Don't you love Michigan in November? Thanks to Andrea Tucker for the great photos. Check out her photos at Tucker Bikes (I think) she had some absolute great shots of MacKenzie at ICEMAN getting the Champagne shower from Gary Fisher.

Planning on riding tonight at 6. If you think you're going to be late, give someone that you know is riding a call. See you Bastards tonight. I'm charging my lights, and the camera.

The Manhattan Project....er Park CX Race

Back in GR we were at Manhattan Park. We had cross racing but the only thing missing was barriers. That's right NO BARRIERS for the B's and C's. No dismounting at all for the race. They threw some barriers out for the A race so they got to have some fun. The rest of us went barrier-less for the day.

No pics...sorry, I left the phone/camera in the car.

Short and sweet bastards. The course was pretty good. Not too bumpy, some turns, a little off camber, and a nasty rutted sledding hill to climb.

Bloomer Park is on tap this weekend on the East side. Anyone going? Nothing on the west side til Thanksgiving weekend.

Later

STONY CREEK CX RACE: GRRRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

The women's elite podium at the Stoney Creek-Tailwind CX Race this weekend was a girlie-girlie fun-fest!

Stony Creek was fun. I love that course. This year they opened the turns up and made the race faster, though not as technical as in previous years (no-slipping- falling-in-the turns-technical) And while there wasn't any mud, there was plenty of sand (planted myself on the warm-up lap bwahahaha), and thanks to god there was no dust because it rained the night before- how ever there was a bitter-ass cold wind blowing off the lake. Yeah it was chilly. But it felt more like a cyclocross race finally. As you can see, a little chilly temp didn't stop the fun.

Or the beer drinking.

A certain green team (above) hoists some race recovery drinks- compliments of our friends at Team Sand Bag.

Race recovery ritual that's a priority of some sort. I guess.

Kim Thomas took another podium spot - well done Kim!

Here they are one more time. Only acting like racers this time. Be dignified ladies. Or not. I certainly don't care.

Nancy Lange is becoming quite the cyclocross racer. Here she is killing it off the start line. Great job Nancy! And nice job for me catching her flying by. Also check out the number. What you were expecting to flip upside down at the finish line, Nancy?

McKenzie ran away from the field for her first 'cross win (I think?) in the Tailwind Series. McKenzie said it was the new bike, but I think it was the motor.

Laura M, aka Cupcake, on course giving it some gas across the grass. You can't see how serious she is in this long-distance photo. Running the shot through my AFTER-RACE PHOTO ZOOMER in the photo lab I have in my closet, you can see what her approach to this race really was:

Yeah, that's Laura. Sweet, yet so angry. That's our Cupcake!

Here I am working my way through from the WAY-BACK trying to pick off some dudes. Some I picked, some I didn't. Had a great time riding the course - and loved the sand blasting down at the beach.

Check back later for some "better" photographs of this race. Also how about a comment on the Manhattan race here, yesterday?

LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME MUD THIS WEEKEND?

Cross Crusade Race #4 PIR from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

More great videos by the same dude. Hoping that maybe the dusty 'cross courses will go away this weekend, the rain and snow will come, and we will finally have some of this shit. Sure, you're hoping for it too, aren't you ...

CROSS PORN FOR THE WEEKEND & THURSDAY'S RIDE REPORT

WEEKEND CROSS RACING PORN AND RIDE REPORT 11.11.10

Sartorially splendid, yet scruffy Werdy prepares for last night's ride. (Note the cool-ass matching gloves!)

Great ride last night with Craig (Flying Bats) JZ Redline Bastard, Eric F, Mike K, Werdy, and Laura M, (look out I'm going to hit the @#$#$ same pothole and flat not one - count 'em but bothe @#$#$@# tires at once!). It was a beautiful night for a ride, and while the pace was pretty solid, we kept it together and didn't have to call the dogs out to search for anyone. Is this the last fair-weather ride? Who knows. Who cares.

Speaking of sartorial splendor (See the beautiful 9er wool jersey above) when well dressed cyclists come to mind, which team West Michigan team do you think of?

The little blue Flanderian monster on the cap should give you a clue ...

Yeah, you guessed it, HUP UNITED. Here is a well known HUPSTER looking shocked and disturbed at being photographed out of uniform. Bad HUPSTER, bad HUPSTER. Actually, his conscious got the better of him (and the fact that this jersey, while cool looking, has no back pockets) had him defaulting to his standard HUP kit. Wheeeeew! That was a close one, wasn't it?

Eric Forester showed us what he won besides money, at this year's ICEMAN. Nice technicolor shin you have there Eric.

Now for a treat. With the nice temps not too far gone, this should remind you of fall and thrashing your cross bike around the park. For everyone that's racing here, or at Stony Creek this weekend, it should be an inspiration. Yeah, it's 'cross porn, pure and simple.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend of racing!

Wednesday Morning, Boulder from jamie kripke on Vimeo.