Missing Interbike In Las Vegas In Mid-September

It's mid-September in Las Vegas and by now the 100-degree temperatures are cooling down to a comfy 95 degrees (haha).

But there's a hole in Las Vegas because the bicycle industry no longer holds its once-annual gathering here in the desert. The photo above shows the tear down of the last Interbike in Las Vegas in 2017.

It was a family reunion for me. It was wonderful to see bicycle buds from around the country and renew friendships.

It's been eight years since Interbike closed shop in Vegas.

Man, I miss the High Holy Days of September here in Las Vegas.

A Decade Later: The Breaking Away Reunion At Interbike

From the way back collection. This happened today ten years ago.

Wow.

Interbike was still in Las Vegas and Pat Hus the Interbike chief put together a Breaking Away movie reunion featuring three of the four Cutters -- Dennis Christopher (who played Dave), Dennis Quaid (Mike) and Jackie Earle Hailey (Moocher). Only Daniel Stern (Cyril) was missing. 

I wrote a story about the reunion for the local Las Vegas newspaper and then did this story on the story behind the reunion for Bicycle Stories. 

A whole decade has passed since these scenes.

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Meeting The Mythical Fisher King Creature Of Red Rock

 

This mythical creature emerged on two wheels from the darkened mountain bike trail tunnel into the Late Night parking lot off State Route 160.

This helmeted bicycling bigfoot of Red Rock's dirt trails looked familiar.

His name?

Jared Fisher.

I was on my road bike and had just climbed to the Mountain Springs summit and was descending back to the homestead when I made a pitstop about five miles down the massive downhill at the Late Night lot.

I figured I might meet a few people and engage in some ad-hoc bicycling schmoozing.

Indeed, I bumped into an Escape Adventures tour guide, Javy, and the EA van where I met Javy and a customer, a fella from the Washington, DC area who had lived in Tampa and Jacksonville.

Then as I took off and pedaled back toward SR 160 out of the parking lot when I noticed his bike first and then The Fisher King himself.

Many have heard of this bicycling sasquatch, but you are a lucky person to enjoy an actual sighting and conversation with Jared.

Near the Mountain Springs summit is a side road to a famous biker bar and a Nevada Department of Transportation site. There were some fun signs:

Working LVSportsBiz.com Beat Via Bicycle

 

I stay away from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino parking garage and prefer to park just west of Allegiant Stadium and bike on Hacienda Avenue over I-15 and head over to the Mandalay Bay arena where the WNBA Aces are playing Game 1 of the playoffs against the Seattle Storm Sunday.

I lock the bike on a bike rack next to a security station on the side of the parking garage.

And again, the parking is easy and mostly accessible.

I'm working the Aces beat tonight.

Last night, I was at Allegiant Stadium, which means only one thing.

I used the ol' 1980s-era Raleigh road bike to reach the stadium to cover the Canelo vs Crawford boxing match.

 

Bicycling In The Late Day Shadows

 

It was a twilight bike ride tonight and these rides in the fading light remind me of my bike rides when I was in my young 20s working long summer days at the Liz Claiborne production plant in New Jersey.

I would get home around ten minutes of 7 PM, wolf down dinner and hop on my bicycle for a bike ride that would last until there was no light.

The same feeilings of freedom and independence come over me when I bike in the dusk at the end of the day.

Las Vegas and Clark County Does Not Make Bike Commuting Easy, But Use Guile, Local Streets To Reach Destinations

Reaching the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) meeting room is not east to get to.

Technically, the LVCVA -- the government tourism board charged with attracting tourists to Las Vegas -- has its office and meeting room in a new section of the Las Vegas Convention Center complex. It's on the east side of the complex at 3260 Joe W Brown Drive and the car parking is limited.

So I drive to a quiet nearby street, park and ride my bicycle over which means my parking is fine.

Bicycle As Transportation, Not Just Health, Fitness, Recreation And Sport

The bicycle is a beautiful instrument of mobility.

Here in Las Vegas the people who promote bicycling talk about it's terrific health effects.

But bicyclists should understand that bicycling is transportation and I use a bicycle to report on news for LVSportsBiz.com in the Strip corridor, especially as commuter transportation to the Raiders' Allegiant Stadium and to cover the A's stadium construction site.

When elected officials understand bicycling is transportation, not just for health, recreation and sport then more resources will be committed to protected bicycle lanes and paved trails.