Interbike Vegas 2009

Matt Haughey is a fellow cyclist and bike racer. We cosponsor the Buy Local Team. He’s also internet famous and a colleague who blogged with us during Interbike.

Last night Matt tweeted:

I passed out at home had a seizure, went to ER, did a cat scan and they found a growth. Awaiting surgery in the next week to remove it.

and the community responded with well wishes. We tweeted too and are sending him a care package today.

Get well Matt. Fix your head. The interwebs are a better place because of you.

The annual Spokesmen Live television event from the Interbike Media Center with David from The FredCast Cycling Podcast, Carlton from BikeBiz.com/ Quickrelease.tv, me, Jeff from Velo Reviews, and Joe Lindsey from Bicycling Magazine.

Worth noting that a bike magazine and bike bloggers met for the first time and got along just fine.

Dahon’s view of the Mobile Social Interbike in Vegas. We rode the Strip from the Sands to Mandalay Bay and into a VIP Tent.

We just finished the Mobile Social Worldwide and our next one is in Austin for SXSW.

In what maybe considered the best day ever for a cyclist like Eric Steele, he rode with us down the Vegas strip in the Mobile Social Interbike

and then won a Novara Fusion

Photo: Byron on Eric’s Camera.

Eric provides a variety of marketing services for the outdoor and hospitality industries at Steele Media and is based in Idaho Springs, CO.

He gets his Fusion next week and will upload the photos. REI is giving away more Fusions online via Facebook.

Now that we’ve all gotten back into the groove from Interbike we wanted to reach out and give a thanks for the great Mobile Social event, and provide a bit of our thoughts about thank REI, Globe, and Dahon).

It’s hard to believe that this was just the third year that Bike Hugger was at Interbike, the response we got to the Mobile Social was fantastic. Within days of announcing the logistics for the event we had 100 people pre-registered for the event. We gave out all 250 wristbands we brought, and had more people come through our tent to watch the crit and hang out, including Gary Fisher, who had a few beers and chatted with our attendees.

We had a fabulous time at the Bike Hugger Mobile Social Interbike 2009. Thanks so much to our partners Novara, REI, Globe and Dahon. We’ll write more about this after we’ve slept a bit and get all the images into the Hugger Flickr stream, but in the meantime, here’s the Flickr group of the images I shot of us riding down the Las Vegas strip and hanging out at our VIP tent course-side at the Crits.

We were thrilled to meet so many of you all (we had more than 250 people attending our booth, including Gary Fisher). We gave away a ton of schwag and raffle prizes, including Hed Wheels, Sun-Ringle wheels and a fantastic Novara bike.

This ride was by far the best part of Interbike for me, so thanks personally to everyone who made this such a great night.

The Mobile Social Interbike presented by REI with Globe Bikes and Dahon is on tonight. We’re riding from the Sands, on the Strip, to a USA Crits VIP Tent at Mandalay Bay.

Where to Meet

Outside of the Sands Main Entrance at 6:00 PM - we’ll start to congregate at 5:45. You’ll find us. Were the ones with the bikes. Get a wristband from Mark V.

The Route

The route has changed due to construction and we’re going to turn left out of the Sands, left on the Strip, and onto Mandalay Bay where our VIP tent awaits us with cold beer.

The Rules

To keep peace with the PoPo, all we ask is that you ride with us in one lane and obey the traffic laws. The City of Las Vegas requires lights and Princeton Tec has that covered. They’re giving away lights at the VIP Tent.

Bikes

Globe Bikes has bikes to lend, first come first serve.

Schwag-a-thon and Prizes

We’re giving away schwag and prizes from our partners

• Novara Fusion
• Hed Wheels
• Sun RingleAccelerator X2.0 Wheelset
• Crumpler Bags
• Osprey Packs
• Ibex Gear
• Breezer Bike Tees

Kickstand Mag and New Belgium hooked us up with beer and Substance is a media partner. See you there.

The DJs of the Sun will lead the ride from the Sands, mixing up a lounge-like, mellow vibe for the peloton and rocking during the Mobile Social Interbike schwag-fest. They joined us earlier the year in Austin for the MoSo SXSW. They roll with a Voltaic System on Dahon bikes.

You can win a bike and gear at the Mobile Social Interbike. Our partners are bringing the goods with them and giving it all away. That’s the way these MoSos work: we ride, blog, party, and give away product.

Novara Fusion

The Fusion is all about commuting and we’re giving one away at the end of the MoSo. Make sure you get a raffle ticket and you’re present when we call your number. We’ll give you a card to take to your local REI.

Phones are ringing, teletypes are clattering and reel-to-reel tapes are spinning up as the Bike Hugger gang puts the finishing touches on the plans for the Mobile Social Interbike. We’ve got a great party planned and want you to be a part.

Here’s the 411-

We’re going to ride from the Sands Convention Center to the USA Crit finals at Mandalay Bay where we’ll party at the VIP tent formerly used by Bicycling magazine. We’ll watch the race, drink free beer and have a prize giveaway. For those with legs to burn, we’ll do a hot lap on the crit course too.

Afterwards we’ll head to a super-secret location for our after-party and keep the vibe going until we’re all tuckered out.

We’ve got some great sponsors and happenings to announce soon on this, but you’ll need to RSVP to be part of this event, as space is limited. You can sign up for the events at either Upcoming or Facebook.