Well, I’m back from Interbike. With two shows (Eurobike and Interbike) within three weeks, it’s all a bit mad. But one thing is consistent – as soon as I get back from Interbike, and this year was my 15th, it is always suddenly autumn. I guess that by going away for ten days, I miss the gradual slide of countryside colours from green to the reds and russets of autumn, so that by the time I get back, the change is immediately noticeable. I maintain to my bike industry friends that Las Vegas is the perfect place for a bicycle trade show – not only does it have lots of places to stay, eat, and a show hall big enough for us all, but the miles of sun bleached concrete, unnatural plants, fountains and pirate shows all serve to make the green grass of home that much sweeter when we return. It makes me appreciate the trees, fields and sheep of the valley that much more.
Not that I’m sad that summer is definitely over, for once I made the most of my summer, took some time off and rode my bike – and I’m looking forward to the cool, damp, dark nights of the end of the year. It’s actually the time that we get to ride bikes more, catch up with friends – cycling and non-cycling alike – who we’ve had to ignore during the busy months of the summer. And it’s a time of night rides, pubs and working out what bikes need rebuilding. It’s also the time for cyclocross; that painful hour of life-justification every Sunday or so that keeps the fires burning through the colder months.