Interbike 2013 Part 1

Interbike was held in a new venue for 2013.  We moved to the other end of the tacky Las Vegas strip and the new place was confusing to navigate after so many years at the other convention center. The huge hall was bisected by corridors open to the public, making finding your way around tough at times, even with a map and the "address" of the stand you were looking for. I'm sure we'll all get used to it eventually. 

One thing is always easy - finding the ITALIAN PAVILION, filled with all the great things made by the Italians.........including ITALIANS, as shown above. Seeing our amici again is what makes flying off to the middle of the desert worthwhile, including our friends at Albabici who you see here. They put up with Larry for the show, though he does bring the vino to share, a legacy of the days when the Italian Trade Commission provided a catered lunch. This was the most popular place in the show back-in-the-day, as the Italians would all congregate there as the food was wheeled in. Their guests were of course welcomed and more than a few hangers-on managed to score a free meal as the Italian "hospitality gene" prevented anyone being turned away, though you might be asked to step to the back of the line so guys like Eddy Merckx or Felice Gimondi could get a plate!

Larry uses the Albabici stand, one of the biggest in the pavilion these days as Gianluca and Alessandro add more and more great products to their lineup, as a home-base, heading out to meet other friends and suppliers, some located outside the comforts of the pavilion. Espresso and chocolates are always available to keep the energy levels up during the show. 

GRAZIE MILLE Gianluca & Alessandro!

More Interbike details in future posts-