Best "Wurst" Bike Ride
2012 Ride A Great Time and Turnout!
About the Ride
The Best "Wurst" Ride sponsored by the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors' Bureau will begin and end at the Crawford Farm Museum located on the Crawford County Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds is located on the East side of Bucyrus on Whetstone St. between County Road 330 and St. Rt. 19. Whetstone Street is located one mile West on East Mansfield St. from the St. Rt. 30 cutoff on the East side of Bucyrus.
There will be the 12 mile Family Ride; 32 miles; 65 miles and 100 century mile rides from which to choose. The first 200 entrants riding the 32, 65, or 100 mile rides will receive a commemorative patch at the conclusion of the ride. The family ride receives commemorative decals. A registered helmet must be worn by all riders. Awards are also given for the First Person Registered; Largest Group Riding; Rider celebrating the most birthdays.
This year, we are featuring "Cycling thru Crawford County History" and the riders will be enjoying several historic sites along their way. At the first stop a local group will be serving pancakes for all the riders to enjoy. There will be other rest stops along the routes with healthy energy foods to enjoy. At the end of the ride a special treat will be offered to each rider.
If anyone is interested in running the "Brattie Run" this year our ride is designed for the Runners to join the ride at Aumiller Park. Contact the BTVB office for more information.
Custom designed short sleeved t-shirts with the new 2013 logo on the front are available if ordered and prepaid by August 3, 2013. Information to order t-shirts is also on the registration form.
Sites to see during your biking visit to Bucyrus:
AntiqueFarmMachineryMuseum- Crawford County Fairgrounds-
Talk about 'WOW' - the museum is a really nice facility with some great gems from historical farms. Here you can see a combine and a real horse-drawn sleigh! There's a wool tying table, a horse-drawn slip scraper, the Woods' left handed corn picker and the "must ask about" item, the bone grinder. All had a purpose in the farming industry. For the ladies, there's the Wonder Washer washing machine used at the turn of the century, definitely a piece of machinery that took a few muscles to work. The museum is now regularly open on Sunday afternoons for visitors and during the bike ride, it will be open following the ride for visitors.
Bucyrus Model R.R. Association - Crawford County Fairgrounds- This group's detailed model trains and railroads will be on display during the ride.
Lowe-VolkNatureCenter– Leesville-The ever-expanding programming at this facility is another 'Wow' for riders. The center is one of our county's sparkling gems, located in an area rich in historic events, as well as the natural beauty. Here you'll find a variety of flora and fauna around and about the origin of the Sandusky River. Josh Dyer, park naturalist, will be present on ride day to conduct tours and answer questions about Lowe-Volk. You may want to plan a return trip to take in more of this natural area and its programs.
ShunkMuseum- Crestline-This museum features Crestline’s history including its railroad history. Crestline began as a railroad center in 1851 and was a major crossroad of the nation's Big Four railroads until the 1970's.
T&OC Historic Railroad Station – Bucyrus-This station boasts of Gothic and Queen Anne architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was originally built in 1892 and last operated as a train station in the mid-1920s.
Train Buffs of CrawfordCounty– Bucyrus-Another place to stop, especially if you are a train fan or simply enjoy seeing railroad scenes. This stop is a mini railroad station and track built by local train buffs.
Bucyrus Speakeasy - Our 1/2 hour or one hour productions feature the lively history of Bucyrus’ own downtown Speakeasy when it was a notable hangout for gangsters traveling by train between Chicago and New York City.
"The first ride was held in 1974, in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Washington, Ohio," said historian George O'Briant. "The ride consisted of a 100-mile course to commemorate their anniversary year."
According to O'Briant, the ride went over well enough, that the group of riders, named The Dutchtown Wheelmen, decided to do it again. In 1978, interested members of this group merged with riders from Bucyrus and organized the Crawford County Cyclists Club. That year, the first ride (which became the first official Best 'Wurst' Bike Ride) during the Bratwurst Festival was held. A news article touted that the “Crawford County Cyclists” had risen, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of the old Dutchtown Wheelmen." The CCC hosted the ride for several years using a metric century (62-mile) course, plus a smaller 25-mile ride during the Bratwurst Festival.
"We had a lot of good bicycling for several years," said O'Briant, who volunteered to help the staff at the gazebo stop in New Washington during the 2007 ride. "I really look forward to seeing some of the folks that were in that group and becoming involved again."
In 2003, the group and its ride merged with the newly formed Bucyrus Tourism & Visitors' Bureau. The CCC is currently an inactive riding club, but several members are still riding independently and some are actively involved in lending a much-appreciated helping hand on ride day.
Barb Dolch, Best 'Wurst' Bike Ride co-coordinator in 2008
