Interbike Day 1

Interbike is reunion time.

How incredible is it to see amazing bicycle people like Steve Toll of Tampa, who has launched a saddle empire with his ISM bicycle saddle, and Chicago's Ira David, who created a fabulous PBS TV show called Pedal America, and is back at Interbike to network and line up sponsors.

It's always a charge to see Joe Kurmaskie, the Metal Cowboy author who now sells Arkel bicycle bags.

It's about renewing friendships, but also writing stories for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Check out today's story on a couple from northwest valley using a remote Interbike floor site to launch their 11nine fat tire business. It was cool to meet Lance and Lynn Sisson and write about their story.

Let's look at a few more scenes.

Sneak Peak At Interbike

The plethora of bicycle goodies goes on display Wednesday morning at Interbike, but on Tuesday night the media got a sneak preview of a tiny micro-slice of the action at Mandalay Bay.

  It was so cool to see a light built into the frame.  It's a Swiss brand named Stromer and it interacts with your iPhone.

 Adrienne Hester is doing marketing for the launch of new eBike,  Kayman, based right here in Las Vegas.

These guys were showing a jersey that was amazingly light -- just perfect for Las Vegas summers.

What a gorgeous cargo bike -- and Ira David of Pedal America was on the scene to check it out.

Interbike Launches R2R This Morning

On the day before Interbike moves into the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Interbike works with the Ride 2 Recovery folks for an annual Tuesday morning ride.

It's inspirational to see the vets on wheels -- and I make sure I'm there to see the ride take off.

Here is Ira David Levy at the ride start.

Today is the second day of the Outdoor Demo in Boulder City before Interbike is held Wednesday to Friday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. For the first time ever, the B2B show will invite the public to attend on Friday for $20.

Making A New Friend On The Scenic Loop

These days, I don't zip out of bed and on to the bicycle as effortlessly as I once did. And this being Sunday morning, I played around way too long on Facebook and fiddled about knowing that I wanted to bike the Scenic Loop today.

So, instead of leaving between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., I left with a brave face at 9 a.m. with temperatures already hitting the 90s.

But it's dry heat, right?

I felt strong as I pedaled through Red Rock Canyon to the Scenic Loop entrance, showed the booth man my annual Red Rock pass and proceeded to start biking up the Loop.

And right behind me was another bicyclist.

I learned that his name was Anthony, he owns Broadway Pizza on Charleston and Rancho, is from Long Island and enjoyed his time in Denver before moving to Vegas 18 years ago.

Another Scenic Loop ride, another friend. We chatted pedaling up the steep, slanted terrain and flew down the final eight miles.

Anthony ended his ride at the overlook on SR 159 and it was nice to know that I made another friend on the Scenic Loop thanks to starting my ride so late.

Pete Is Remembered

Sadly and regrettably, I have been involved in planting too many ghost bikes into the ground in the Tampa, Fla. area during my bike advocacy days there.

Every bicyclist takes it personally when a driver of a motorized vehicle kills a cyclist. The thinking is that it could happen to me.

So, this morning. I joined another 440 bicyclists to remember the life of Pete Makowski, a 33-year-old member of the Allegiant Air racing team who was killed in June 2013 when he was struck by a gravel truck on South Las Vegas Boulevard at mile marker 17 just south of Sloan and Las Vegas.

The "3 Feet for Pete" ride was held by Pete's fellow Allegiant members to tell the public that drivers of motorized vehicles are required under law to pass a bicyclist by a minimum distance of three feet.

T-shirts handed out to participating cyclists had the 3 foot law's language on the back.

The ride remembered Pete and also publicized the 3 foot law, drawing mostly roadies but also folks on mountain bikes and tandems.

Here is my Review-Journal story on the 3 Feet for Pete ride today. It includes a video interview of Tony Gebbia of the Allegiant Air racing team.

The vast majority of the road was closed to motorized traffic.

Take The Lane, Not Share The Road

Here's a narrow lane that just begs for a sign advising motorists that bicyclists can take the full lane.

But instead, it's one of those pseudo share the road signs showing a bicyclist on the edge of the roadway.

Yeesh!

This is on Washington Street in Las Vegas.

R-J's Story On Mt Biking The Grand Canyon's North Rim

It was cool to see the Review-Journal run my story on mountain biking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.