Leaving Las Vegas
As most of you already know, last week Superb Bicycle sent a small contingent out to Interbike. If you are not familiar with Interbike, it is the largest North American convention for the bicycle industry, and almost every manufacturer of bicycling products is there to show off their new stuff.
Thousands of representatives from bike shops, advocacy groups, and the cycling media from all over North America descend upon the show. There’s lots to do in association with Interbike. You can ride bikes at the Dirt demos, go to bike geek parties, watch the cyclocross races, and race the alleycats.
And then there is Las Vegas. For for the last 12 years Interbike has been held in Las Vegas, but next year the show will move back to Anaheim, where it was held in 1997. I don’t really know that much about Anaheim, other than it’s in the southern-ish part of the concrete jungle that is LA, and that it’s pretty close to the nicest velodrome in the country. Oh, and it’s got Disneyland. But really? Anaheim? Really?
The reaction to the news supposedly has been mixed, but most of the people I asked about it were visibly confused and ultimately dismayed. “But?……..,” they would mutter to themselves, shaking their heads until eventually looking down at their hands as if the answers they were seeking lay somewhere in the lines of their bike grease-encrusted palms.
You see, Vegas has the Strip, which I guess is kind of like a Disneyland, of sorts. The convention center is on the Strip, and most people stay at hotels on the Strip. It’s really easy to never leave the Strip because all your needs can be met on the Strip. You see fascinating things on the Strip. And you meet interesting people on the Strip. I wonder if Anaheim has a Strip?
As showgoers began their journey home the reality of it all started to set in, and many found themselves wondering about the future. “Would Interbike do as well in Anaheim as it has during it’s run in Vegas?” or “Could the struggling Las Vegas economy take another hit from a tradeshow defecting for greener pastures?” And the ever-popular, “When will I ever find a good excuse to go come back to Vegas?”
Interbike was the perfect excuse. Vegas, my Interbike heart will always break for you.
Still two days until opening day at Fenway, and already traffic is getting crazy around here!
