Interbike and Cross Vegas

Apparently there's guys in the industry that get sick of going to interbike year after year. I'm glad I'm not that bikes haven't become that stale for me yet. I look forward to interbike...it's my one excuse to go to Vegas each year. This trip was an adventure for sure. Hershey and I went out early Wednesday morning and came back late Thursday night. We both brought cross bikes as I raced Wednesday evening. We also decided to camp and save a little money on hotel. The show was really fun. Not an extremely innovative year for the industry (besides the new electronic Dura Ace), but all the bikes looked really good and the attention to detail was there. Cross Vegas was awesome. The course was a rolling field with a nasty run-up and a couple other short steep climbs. One of those climbs became a run up for me on one lap as I somehow managed to come unclipped when I stood up. At 110 racers it was the biggest cross field I had ever done. There were call-ups for the first 25 or so riders and I managed to get in the 5th row. My start was solid and I had already moved up a couple spots when we looped back through the start/finish area. At one point going during the 2nd lap I was top 15 and moving up...when I came unclipped on that aforementioned hill. I lost about 7 spots and was struggling to catch back onto the chase group. I was riding really well in the long straights and running well, but another bobble going into the final turn cost me another spot or 2. I finished top 25, but not sure of my final place. I felt good, but the dry dusty air did a number on my throat and lungs.
The Pro race was a blast to watch. We had a perfect spot in between 3 sections where we could run from side to side to catch all the action. Mr. Armstrong showed up and it was fun watching him suffer. I'm not sure he knew what to thing about world class cross racing. The only other time I've watched all the top riders race was at nationals last year, and those conditions weren't favorable for speed. It was amazing to see how fast they go on grass courses. Trebon pulled off an impressive win against a pretty stacked field. It was cool to be up close and personal with the riders after the race. Maybe next year I'll hang around and race the industry cup crit also.