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July 3rd, 2008
There has never been any question that cyclists have subjected themselves to a variety of perils.
On the road, the number one enemy (other than carelessness and inattention) is motorists. For mountain bikers, there is an endless list of hazards. Rocks, roots, trees, ruts, water, and wildlife are just a few of the big ones.
Most of my wildlife encounters have been at first startling, then a bit awe-inspiring. Rounding a corner to see a coyote or deer in the middle of the trail might have been a shock at first, but that wore off quickly, as I watched this animal looking at me with an equal amount of surprise. After all, I was the one intruding in their living room. And just like that, they were gone. One peaceful moment shared, and an awesome memory created.
Back to reality now. This past weekend, a 14 year old girl competing in a 24 hour endurance race in Alaska was mauled by a bear. I cannot begin to imagine how terrible that would be.
Let’s hope that this unnamed victim makes a complete and swift recovery.
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June 30th, 2008
Not the CCN is known for serious news, but it’s pretty amazing how much of a bias there is in this article, which made the “Latest News” page.
I read through some of the comments, and it doesn’t look like the writer, or CM in Atlanta, is getting much support.
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June 26th, 2008
Interbike International Bicycle Expo and OutDoor Demo
to Remain in Las Vegas
Host city research and industry feedback confirms Las Vegas is the best return on investment for exhibitors and attendees of North America’s
largest cycling trade show
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - June 26, 2008 - After two years of collecting potential host city data and retailer, manufacturer and industry partner feedback, Interbike management today announced the trade show will remain in Las Vegas, and that they are currently finalizing an agreement with the Sands Expo and Convention Center to host the industry’s show for a minimum of three more years, beginning with the 2010 show.
“The decision to keep the Interbike show in Vegas comes after years of research and communication with our retailer attendees, exhibiting manufacturers and important industry partners,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike’s industry consultant. “The data and communication we have collected, along with industry recommendations from organizations like the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) and Bikes Belong, confirm our decision to keep the show in Las Vegas.”
Keeping Las Vegas as the host city for the Interbike trade show came into question two years ago in preparation to renew the show’s contract with the Sands Convention Center, which expires with the 2009 show. Among other things, members of the industry were interested in seeing the show support a more cycling-friendly city, while maintaining the best return on investment for exhibitors and retail buyers.
The Decision Process
In identifying possible locations for the show, Interbike selected key market criteria it considered mandatory for a host venue. Interbike’s top venue requirements include:
- Contiguous exhibit space of at least 700,000 gross square-feet and ample meeting room space,
- An event location where retailer and manufacturer attendance can be maximized,
- A large and diverse selection of hotels, restaurants and entertainment options conveniently located to the events,
- An international airport located within close proximity to the event with many flight options, numerous carriers and low airfare rates,
- Relaxed labor union regulations and high quality services,
- An OutDoor Demo site with great weather, extensive cross country/downhill trails and a closed road loop, and
- An event market that is recognized as a cycling culture destination.
After determining the requirements for a potential host city, Interbike gathered research and data concerning hotel room availability, transportation costs, labor rates and convention centers in cities such as Anaheim, Calif., Denver, and Salt Lake City.
At the 2007 and 2008 Bicycle Leadership Conferences (BLC), Interbike presented to the industry host city suggestions and led roundtable discussions to assess the needs of exhibiting manufacturers. Manufacturer feedback included keeping exhibitor costs down, continuing to attract a strong audience of quality buyers and attending media, and strengthening the OutDoor Demo events, regardless of the show’s location.As part of its annual post-show retailer survey, Interbike asked specific questions about retailer satisfaction with the show, its locations and potential host cities. Retailer responses included:
- 96 percent of retailers surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with their overall show experience,
- The number one and two reasons retailers attended the show were to see new products and take in a variety of product segments,
- As of the April 2008, 88 percent of retailers are planning on attending Interbike this year.
When asked which city would best suite their business needs…
- 45 percent said Las Vegas,
- 36 percent said Denver, and
- 19 percent said Anaheim.
Retailers’ top reasons for choosing Las Vegas include the lodging, restaurant and entertainment options, fun destination and ease of getting to the event.
“While no one city is a completely perfect fit for the show, we are confident that Las Vegas continues to be the city of choice for the majority of our members,” said Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. “After numerous communications with our members and board and reviewing the annual survey results, the proof is in the numbers. In addition to what shop owners and managers say to us and what they put in a survey, retailers’ loudest vote has been with their feet by attending the show.”
As a final step, armed with the numbers and data from the retailer survey, attendance history, host city research and manufacturer responses to panel discussions at the annual BLC, Interbike met with NBDA and Bikes Belong board members and presented the recommendation to keep Interbike in Las Vegas.
“Interbike did a great job of sharing their survey results and other research,” said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong. “After so many years in Las Vegas, the simple idea of a new host city is appealing, but the data shows that retailers and suppliers still prefer this city for a variety of good reasons. Thus, we support the decision to stay for the next few years.”
“I will sleep well at night knowing that no stone was left unturned in our efforts to make the best decision for our industry’s manufactures, suppliers and retail buyers,” Camisasca said. “All of the data and research shows that by and large, retailers like Las Vegas and will continue to attend Interbike in this market. Exhibitors want strong attendance, the lowest cost of doing business and a dynamite location for the OutDoor Demo. Las Vegas delivers exceptionally well in all of these critical areas, but we will continue to evaluate potential host cities as they develop.”
For more information about the 2008 International Bicycle Expo, OutDoor Demo and/or OutDoor Demo East, please visit www.interbike.com.
About Interbike
Interbike (a business unit of Nielsen Business Media, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR), Health+Fitness Business, and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows) is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike (www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually.
The 2008 Interbike trade-only events begin with OutDoor Demo (September 22-23, 2008 in Boulder City), followed by the Interbike Expo, September 24-26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, and OutDoor Demo East, October 21-22 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
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June 19th, 2008
Compared to April 2007, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles this year. And overall, automobile travel on all public roads dropped by 1.8%.
While this is certainly related to higher fuel costs, it would have been much more satisfying had this been due to more people (re)discovering the joys of riding a bicycle. Yet it appears that no one tracks those stats. That’s very unfortunate.
The concern is that with less miles driven, less fuel is purchased, and therefore, less taxes are collected for the federal Highway Trust Fund. The tax varies between 18.4 and 24.4 cents per gallon, based on the type of fuel. With the average vehicle getting about 20+ MPG, that works out to about a penny a mile in taxes.
I’m quite certain that cycling benefits the country (as well as individuals) in a much greater way. Is there a way to calculate the positive health and psychological impact that each mile ridden provides? Not to mention environmental gains over automobile use. Lower weight, lower blood pressure, lower stress - these all can contribute to a reduction in health issues, and less visits to the doctor.
Mile for mile, Americans would do far better to consider riding a bike more.
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June 11th, 2008
The headline “With record gas prices, time to invest in bicycle stocks?” certainly caught my eye.
Unless you suffer from insomnia, don’t bother reading the article, although it’s too short to actually put anyone to sleep. As the price of crude steadily increases, Giant and Merida have both seen their share prices go up. While this is good for them, it falls into the category of “so what?” for cyclists.
And Elizabeth Lin, who rates stocks for Deutsche Bank in Taipei, was quoted as saying “Fuel prices are a catalyst for demand, but now it’s become cool to own a bike”.
Sorry Liz, but long before gas prices started to suck, bikes were cool. And owning more than one was even cooler. This was before they were a commodity, or a novelty, or something people bought because it was too expensive to drive their car 10 blocks to the store.
There are plenty of people who choose to live car-free, yet they are paying the price for motorist’s (not just the US, but China and India as well) consumption in the form of higher food costs, as well as increasing prices of other consumer goods. And they don’t see this as a trend, either. It’s a lifestyle. They’ll live in blissful ignorance of stock prices, and just keep pedaling.
Rather than put in that buy order with your broker, why not put a buy order in with your LBS instead? That would make sense instead of dollars.
[This post is dedicated to a certain Portland cyclist that’s rockin’ it car-free in a big way]
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