2011 New Year's "Ride-O-Lutions" List

I could list all the usual suspects for a New Year's Day post. Resolutions, yada, yada, yada........

No way! I'm listing my "Ride-O-Lutions for 2011"!

So, here are my thoughts going into 2011 for riding goals. These are in absolutely no particular order.

---More Night Time Gravel Rides: These rides with "d.p." were a highlight for me of 2010's riding season. I want more of that.  We had purposed that this would be a weekly thing. Maybe it should be. Anybody game?

---Dirty Kanza 200: While the official registration has not been opened yet, I have already been asked to return to this sufferfest by the promoters of the event. So, this has become a centerpiece of the early season for me in 2011.

---Ride In The Twin Cities: I got up there three times in 2010. I want to get up there at least that many times, and preferably more, in 2011. I have good friends up there, and the riding is spectacular..

---Ride In Wisconsin: Yeah, it is a general, vague goal, but I do have some specific thoughts here. I know two fellas that have been pestering me for years, (literally), to come and sample the riding in their state. Also, there are a few big ride opportunities there I could take advantage of if the chips all fall in the right places. We'll see, but Wisco is on my radar for 2011.

---Gravel World Championships: Lincoln, Nebraska- awesome cycling fiends, and killer gravel roads. More than enough reasons to get back to Nebraska to ride the PCL's Gravel Worlds. But there should also be another ride or three in Nebraska on their fine single track. If I can, I want to do that too.

---Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: I have a plan to move this ride again. It's going to be more centrally located in Iowa. Probably in Jasper County, or Tama County. I have routes already done. Campgrounds are already on my radar. Basically, wherever the ride is held, I just want to finish it this year!

---Faribault Rides: My good friend Ben Witt lives in Northfield, and works his shop in Faribault. I want to get up there and ride with him a few times in 2011. The Rawland Fall Tour of 2010 was so spectacular, for instance, that I just feel like I need to tap into more of that good stuff there in 2011.

---And More?: Will there be any time for more? ha! I don't know. I'm sure other opportunities will crop up, and maybe some of these rides I am thinking of today just won't happen in 2011, but others unplanned for will. One thing I do know- This year is a big deal to me for personal reasons. I want to celebrate it with gusto. Hopefully I get to share that with as many of you that I know that I can. And I hope to meet even more new folks while riding bikes in 2011 as well.

Happy New Year!

2011 New Year's "Ride-O-Lutions" List

I could list all the usual suspects for a New Year's Day post. Resolutions, yada, yada, yada........

No way! I'm listing my "Ride-O-Lutions for 2011"!

So, here are my thoughts going into 2011 for riding goals. These are in absolutely no particular order.

---More Night Time Gravel Rides: These rides with "d.p." were a highlight for me of 2010's riding season. I want more of that.  We had purposed that this would be a weekly thing. Maybe it should be. Anybody game?

---Dirty Kanza 200: While the official registration has not been opened yet, I have already been asked to return to this sufferfest by the promoters of the event. So, this has become a centerpiece of the early season for me in 2011.

---Ride In The Twin Cities: I got up there three times in 2010. I want to get up there at least that many times, and preferably more, in 2011. I have good friends up there, and the riding is spectacular..

---Ride In Wisconsin: Yeah, it is a general, vague goal, but I do have some specific thoughts here. I know two fellas that have been pestering me for years, (literally), to come and sample the riding in their state. Also, there are a few big ride opportunities there I could take advantage of if the chips all fall in the right places. We'll see, but Wisco is on my radar for 2011.

---Gravel World Championships: Lincoln, Nebraska- awesome cycling fiends, and killer gravel roads. More than enough reasons to get back to Nebraska to ride the PCL's Gravel Worlds. But there should also be another ride or three in Nebraska on their fine single track. If I can, I want to do that too.

---Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: I have a plan to move this ride again. It's going to be more centrally located in Iowa. Probably in Jasper County, or Tama County. I have routes already done. Campgrounds are already on my radar. Basically, wherever the ride is held, I just want to finish it this year!

---Faribault Rides: My good friend Ben Witt lives in Northfield, and works his shop in Faribault. I want to get up there and ride with him a few times in 2011. The Rawland Fall Tour of 2010 was so spectacular, for instance, that I just feel like I need to tap into more of that good stuff there in 2011.

---And More?: Will there be any time for more? ha! I don't know. I'm sure other opportunities will crop up, and maybe some of these rides I am thinking of today just won't happen in 2011, but others unplanned for will. One thing I do know- This year is a big deal to me for personal reasons. I want to celebrate it with gusto. Hopefully I get to share that with as many of you that I know that I can. And I hope to meet even more new folks while riding bikes in 2011 as well.

Happy New Year!

Interbike 2011: We're Goin' To Vegas, Baby!!

<===Looks like this will be my view again in 2011....

Back in September I wrote this missive about Interbike's planned move to Anaheim, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. Woo hoo! We're goin' to Disneyland! (Or so I thought) Of course, I thought that from an industry perspective, it was an odd, if not a downright suspicious move that would produce poor results. I ended up saying the following:

"In the end, at least for now, we'll show up in Anaheim next year and find out what, if anything, really changes."

Nope! Ain't a gonna happen now!


In a stunning, but not completely surprising, move, Interbike sent out a press release stating that "they had heard the voice of the industry" and had reversed their decision to go to Anaheim in 2011.


What does this mean?


Well, it is certainly a reaction to "the industry" and I'm betting certain facets of "the industry" helped this decision along. What those "certain facets" are probably will never be publicly revealed, but there are a few things we do know for sure that certainly played a smaller part in moving the show back to Vegas.


For one thing it was it was very unpopular with many distributors, manufacturers, and most importantly, the independent bike shop folks. Yes- the very same people who wanted out of Vegas didn't like the move to Anaheim. Why? It doesn't make sense at first, but when dealers have to leave their stores in the selling season, and go all the way across the U.S.A. to a more expensive venue, well, it didn't play well in Peoria, let's just say that!

I'll get back to the independent shop folks in a moment, but it was also obvious that manufacturers and distributors were a part of the negativity as well. Knowing that the independent shop owners were probably not going to show up, they had no real reason to support Anaheim either. Besides the fact that an entirely new infrastructure for the Anaheim show would have to be developed and learned, which would have been a burden to them.

So, we're going back to Vegas. The place that everybody seemingly was grumbling about, wanted no part of, and wanted to leave behind. So, what is the deal here?

The "Why Vegas again?" question is really just not the right question. Remember when this whole story broke? There were actually two cities under consideration for Interbike. Anaheim, which eventually got chosen, then spurned, and Salt Lake City, Utah. There were a lot of folks digging on the Salt Lake City option, but it never really was in the running, from what I can tell. And besides, both Anaheim and the SLC were the wrong answers to the question of where Interbike should go. There is a better answer, and everyone knows what it is, but it seems to be the "pink elephant" in the room that everyone is trying to ignore, but is so painfully obvious it hurts.

Denver, Colorado.

But you will never here that "answer" now. Not for several years anyway, is my guess. Nope! We're headed back to slimy ol' Las Vegas, and that's probably where we'll stay for several more years to come. Even though the independent bike shops would probably come out in droves for this Denver venue. It is centrally located, has a major airport which is a hub for several airlines, and has hotels and motels along with a nice venue for the show. Still, that all doesn't seem to matter.

Too bad. I hear the Front Range has some stellar cycling in September. Oh well.......

Interbike 2011: We're Goin' To Vegas, Baby!!

<===Looks like this will be my view again in 2011....

Back in September I wrote this missive about Interbike's planned move to Anaheim, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. Woo hoo! We're goin' to Disneyland! (Or so I thought) Of course, I thought that from an industry perspective, it was an odd, if not a downright suspicious move that would produce poor results. I ended up saying the following:

"In the end, at least for now, we'll show up in Anaheim next year and find out what, if anything, really changes."

Nope! Ain't a gonna happen now!


In a stunning, but not completely surprising, move, Interbike sent out a press release stating that "they had heard the voice of the industry" and had reversed their decision to go to Anaheim in 2011.


What does this mean?


Well, it is certainly a reaction to "the industry" and I'm betting certain facets of "the industry" helped this decision along. What those "certain facets" are probably will never be publicly revealed, but there are a few things we do know for sure that certainly played a smaller part in moving the show back to Vegas.


For one thing it was it was very unpopular with many distributors, manufacturers, and most importantly, the independent bike shop folks. Yes- the very same people who wanted out of Vegas didn't like the move to Anaheim. Why? It doesn't make sense at first, but when dealers have to leave their stores in the selling season, and go all the way across the U.S.A. to a more expensive venue, well, it didn't play well in Peoria, let's just say that!

I'll get back to the independent shop folks in a moment, but it was also obvious that manufacturers and distributors were a part of the negativity as well. Knowing that the independent shop owners were probably not going to show up, they had no real reason to support Anaheim either. Besides the fact that an entirely new infrastructure for the Anaheim show would have to be developed and learned, which would have been a burden to them.

So, we're going back to Vegas. The place that everybody seemingly was grumbling about, wanted no part of, and wanted to leave behind. So, what is the deal here?

The "Why Vegas again?" question is really just not the right question. Remember when this whole story broke? There were actually two cities under consideration for Interbike. Anaheim, which eventually got chosen, then spurned, and Salt Lake City, Utah. There were a lot of folks digging on the Salt Lake City option, but it never really was in the running, from what I can tell. And besides, both Anaheim and the SLC were the wrong answers to the question of where Interbike should go. There is a better answer, and everyone knows what it is, but it seems to be the "pink elephant" in the room that everyone is trying to ignore, but is so painfully obvious it hurts.

Denver, Colorado.

But you will never here that "answer" now. Not for several years anyway, is my guess. Nope! We're headed back to slimy ol' Las Vegas, and that's probably where we'll stay for several more years to come. Even though the independent bike shops would probably come out in droves for this Denver venue. It is centrally located, has a major airport which is a hub for several airlines, and has hotels and motels along with a nice venue for the show. Still, that all doesn't seem to matter.

Too bad. I hear the Front Range has some stellar cycling in September. Oh well.......