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Tech Report, with Matt Pacocha - Thanks 'Vegas
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Thanks 'Vegas — for kicking my butt.
I almost made it. After six days in the Sin city I was as close as I could have come to making it out unscathed.
I spent two days in Bootleg Canyon, Nevada, where the trails are known for their brutality. Crashing there is like riding a razor blade covered Slip-and-Slide into a wading pool of glass. It’s a good place to practice the 80-percent rule — riding at only 80-percent of your ability to ensure that you’re not the guy — you know, that guy who crashes at an event where you have no reason putting it all on the line. Plenty of the attendees didn’t adhere, and more than a few left with battle wounds. I, however, made it out with nary a scratch — phew.
The next three days of the indoor show are a different type of test; a test of how well your body can handle massive doses of caffeine, alcohol, recycled air and lack of sleep. I learned long ago that adding alcohol to Interbike does little to improve the experience and does plenty to make it worse.
I keep my happy hours in the city of lost wages to a minimum. Recycled air and lost sleep, however, are impossible to escape subsequently caffeine is a necessary to make it through the week. I apologized to my immune system.
Apology apparently not accepted.
An hour before rushing to the airport to catch a flight home, I felt a tingle in the back of my throat. A couple hours later, when the plane landed in Denver ,I kept telling myself my sore throat was just from talking too much. I was in denial.
I was ready to shift gears, from Interbike mode to be ready for the first race of the Boulder Cyclocross series the next day. I made it to the race and started, all the while still hoping for the best — a good hard effort may blow the effects of a week in ‘Vegas out of my body — right? By the midway point, when VeloNews.com columnist Brandon Dwight attacked the Clif Bar cyclo-cross team duo of Danny Summerhill and Brady Kappius for he win, ‘Vegas got me.
I’ll survive. It’s just another year in which ‘Vegas took its toll.
We’ll be gathering together all of the tech’ and tidbits picked up at this year’s edition of Interbike for a comprehensive tech and product blowout in VeloNews issue 20, due out October 29th. Until then, I’ll leave you with some snippets from the end of the show.
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