Vegas. I'm not really much of a Vegas guy. I sort of assumed that, but after the past three days I think I can say I'm sure of that. Nevertheless, Interbike goes there every year and I decided to make the trip this year to try and see what is going on in the triathlon and cycling world.

Some of what happened....

***I was sorry that I could not make the power symposium that was held at the very beginning of the trade show. I landed in Vegas around 10:30 on Wednesday morning and the symposium began some time around there.

***I went by the Quarq (www.quarq.us) booth to check out their product. They have a power meter on the market that reads power from the spider on a crankset. The company is out of Spearfish, South Dakota and was created by a triathlete (and MIT alum) looking for an alternative to SRM. It is ANT+ compatable so you can use it with Garmin, Powertap, SRM, etc head units that read power; and it weighs in at 88 grams. Another company has a product called Vector: a power meter built into a Speedplay pedal that should be out next Spring.

***I went for a run on the strip on Thursday morning. That was quite possibly the worst running route I have yet to do. It was interesting to be out early and see how Vegas powerwashes the sidewalks before the day's festivities. Having said that, I was impressed by the number of folks (likely there with Interbike) that were out running despite the locale.

***I tend to get lost inside the Casino/Hotels. I reckon that's the idea.

***We stayed in the Imperial Palace, which everyone seemed to think was a total dump. Apparently they have not stayed in some of the places that I have.

***On Thursday night I went to watch the Pro Men's Crit. Around 2/3rds of the way through the race a rider from Bicycle Haus crashed into me. Literally. I was sitting in a spot without a barricade and he got pushed into the gutter forcing a crash. We both walked away unscathed and he managed to get back with the main group. Made for a good laugh.

***I spent the rest of the time there cruising through a variety of bike, wheel, nutrition, helmet, chamois cream, saddle, compression, bike fitting, etc, etc companies. Some of the biggest companies like Trek, Cervelo, Giant and Felt decided not to attend the show, but pretty much everyone else seemed to have a presence there.

Now its back to reality in Boulder (is Boulder reality?) and time to start training again. The fall weather is definitely rolling in, but I still think I can make into the mountains a few more times.

cheers,