With the cyclocross season now over, I thought I might spend some time in the spring and summer months rooting around the Internet for some good instructional videos.

First up is bike cleaning. There are actually quite a few videos out there purporting to be about this subject, but most most have their usefulness limited by being poorly produced (turn some lights on please), of dubious educational value (do we really need a three-minute video of someone spraying off their commuter bike with a garden hose?), or too intent on pimping one particular product or brand (I’m talking about you CyberFoxy).

I finally did find this one, which details a pretty thorough cleaning and lubing regimen. It does prominently feature WeldTite cleaners and lubes, but the same techniques could be used with other products.

And if you want to be inspired to do a really thorough, loving cleaning job, check out this clip from the beginning of A Sunday in Hell, a documentary about the 1976 Paris-Roubaix spring classic.

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This is a nice little compilation from an older world championship race (1997?), focusing on run-ups and barriers. It’s a nice opportunity to observe a variety of PRO mount, dismount, and shouldering techniques.

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While trolling the video sites for interesting cyclocross clips, I’ll occasionally come across something pretty good that I may have missed in previous searches. The An Hour in Hell documentary is a good example of this.

The “Cyclocross Crash Bloopers” video, however, is almost impossible to miss if you are search the word “Cyclocross” on YouTube, since it is typically the first or second item in the results. And its popularity is undeniable. In addition to maintaining a four-and-a-half-star rating, it has been viewed nearly 70,000 times. The next-most-viewed cyclocross video is the excellent trailer for Pure Sweet Hell, with less than 37,000 views.

Even if you extend the definition of “cyclocross” to include Lance Armstrong’s unintentional ride across across a field after dodging the crashing Joseba Beloki in the 2003 Tour, today’s video still wins the popularity contest, because “Lance Armstrong’s Incredible Shortcut 2003″ has only managed 32,000 views.

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 OK kids. It’s finally here. The full Sporza TV telecast of the Elite Men’s race at the 2008 Cyclocross World Championships in Treviso, Italy on January 27, 2008. Knock yourselves out.

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