Not Going

The "all-road" wall pf bikes at the shop.

I remembered that this was the day that I would traditionally go to Interbike for most of the following week. This will be the second year in a row that I have not attended. You know what? It is even more liberating than it was last year. I am really not regretting not going at all, except for that I will miss a few people I really care about.

Interbike was, for me, a huge drain on my energy. Not just the trip, but weeks before it even happened as well. Things had to be planned, money spent, schedules arranged, and all to go to a place I'd rather not see again. Sure, there were bikes, and the aforementioned people, but those things never made up for the mental and spiritual drain that planning and going to Interbike were for me.

Waiting to meet Brian for our ride Saturday. Ran into a "festival"!

See, I don't hardly even think about it now, and I am not dreading the going, stressing about money, or thinking about missing my wife and kids. I am more focused on work, actually, and we've been doing some stuff at the shop to help us redirect our efforts into what we believe is a better way to sell bikes to our clientele. These things wouldn't even be on my radar if I were going to "the show". Then there are the activities I've been doing outside of work that need doing, or that I would be missing otherwise.

One of those things is getting the house ready for Winter, which is getting done, and will be over the next days. Days I wouldn't be here otherwise. I also was able to take a nice, leisurely ride with a former co-worker Saturday which would not have happened at all had I been getting prepared for Interbike. We got out on some gravel for a nice ride and had a fantastic chat along the way which continued right into more chatting over a couple of IPA's on late into the afternoon. It was a great time with a friend that I don't get to see very often, so I was happy to have had the chance to spend that afternoon with him.

Now, I will miss some things about Interbike besides the people, but most of that is just icing on a not very tasty cake. Will I not ever go again? I wouldn't be so hasty as to think that. As long as I am into cycling, and am somehow able to make a trip to the show make sense in an important way, I would strongly consider going. That isn't the case now though.

And I am just fine with that right now.