Bicycling Magazine sponsored tonight’s VIP Party at the Shimano North American Handmade Bicycle Show.
Builders, special guests, and the media mingled over nibbles and brews at The Marriott in Downtown Richmond. After a full day on the show floor, the 110+ exhibitors, many of whom likely hadn’t seen each other since last year’s show, had lots to talk about in between sprint races. That’s right, fixed gear fork-mounted roller sprints.
With a male to female ratio of easily 9:1, nearly all of the sprinters were tipsy men, at least one of whom tipped over when he pedalled backwards by mistake. Only the determined few stuck it out for the final heat. Remarkably, the 500 meter times improved as the night went on, although few were left to witness the feat.