I did it. I survived.
Every year, for the last six years, I’ve attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). And every year it kicks my ass and I promise myself I’m going to spend less time at the open bar and food buffet and more time at the fitness center.
This time around I wouldn’t say I got fit while in Vegas, but I at least left at even.
The odds have always been stacked against this happening, partly because the days are long, the events are spread all over town, and the booze is free. But I doubled down on the possibility of success by unpacking the folder the minute I was in my hotel and immediately going for a shake out spin.
Turns out Vegas is flat, especially if you ride straight south out of old Vegas, like I did. But the roads are wide and the drivers are mostly friendly.
I knew I wasn’t going to have time to get out on the road during the week, so I forced myself away from the “free” parties and headed for the Marriott’s 24-hour fitness bonanza. I am always surprised by the one guy at the gym who is ripped from the waist up and has chicken legs. During every one of my visits, there was at least one guy who was doing bench press, bicep curls and lat work, but not once did hr attempt a squat or a leg press or any cardio.
I think it must be because I am a cyclist, but nothing would make me happier than to have someone come up to me and ask if I were okay because I looked emaciated from the waist-up. “What is the matter with you, dude? Your arms look like spaghetti noodles.”
And I always wonder if they are working out so hard for a sport I don’t really know anything about. The only thing I can think of is arm-wrestling. Maybe there is some secret underground arm wrestling league I have never heard about.
In the end, it must be about looking good for the opposite sex. I guess if the choice were walking around Vegas on a big, juicy, ripped bicep or grasping onto a skeleton, the choice must go to the engorged upper-body.
Anyway, on my last day in Vegas I finally got out for a proper ride. I asked my Garmin 1000 to pick me a nice 50-miler and it did me proud. But one pro tip—if you are smart enough to remember your Garmin, you might want to also remember to bring your mount. It turns out trying to follow directions with your computer in your back pocket is super annoying.
The route out and around Route 159 through the Red Rocks was beautiful and after wanting to bad mouth Vegas as a cycling town, I realize now I just scratched the surface of what must be some amazing riding.
I’m almost looking forward to CES 2016. Almost.