Sorry folks. #Trekworld is over. The Moose Out Front should have told you so.

This is the definitive post on #trekworld.  At least as far as it goes for me.  I mean how much info can you gleen from one source.  (I am not the brightest bulb on the tree after all.)  But, another year has come and gone and another trekworld is in the books.  This one was a doozy.

I am feeling a bit like Ralphy in the bunny suit.  Packages all astray, paper everywhere, wood crackling in the fire "a copious amount of wrapping paper and christmas bliss"... yep, that is how I feel. Belly full, sleep deprived...

 

Have I told you that I have the best job in the world?  If I have not, then be told now.  I do.  The point of bringing that up - again, is just to let on that I understand that no matter how much work I think it is - most people would roll their eyes at me.  Good grief, I am working around bicycles, and have a ton of other privileges that go along with that.

So here goes.

Trekworld.  Yep, it is just about the biggest party of all time.  In fact, it has been called the party of the century.  The USA version goes something like this.  Sales meeting with all the sales people from North America, dealers arrive, demo a bunch of bikes, see the new stuff and then they head home hopefully full, tired and happy.  It is a little like a trip to an amusement park, super fun while it is going on but then everyone falls asleep in the car on the way home.  If you remember the Griswalds trip, even the drive falls asleep.  (That would be me)

Ours started out pretty exciting.  We built a huge tradeshow booth.  I mean big.  Not just your usual booth at the camping expo, with a couple of canoes on display and maybe a tent or 2 built up.  I am talking 50,000 sqft of new stuff on display. 

Yep, it is that big.  Here it is being built.

The first thing you see is Trek's 1st bike, Project One and Andy on the Galibier!

There are a few bikes on display.

I am sorry if you have not been to it.  If you ever get a chance, come to Trekworld.  You will not regret it. 

But, I am not here just to tell you about new bikes and other things.  You can go to the product section of our website to see that.  Plus, if that was all that I was doing with this blog, I would not get a chance to make a fool of myself.   So, here we go again.

You will recall from my last post, that I think there are actually a few days better in life than Trekworld.  I am probably right about that, although that is debatable, I stand corrected that my birthday is not better than Trekworld.  Most people do want to celebrate my birthday, and I guess that does make it better than Trekworld (thanks Bill for pointing that out.)

From here I will jump right to the punchline.  The rest of the story that I would have put in here was just filler anyway.  Some sort of lame attempt to get you to come back for more and more.  It was probably not really going to be worth it anyway.  After all, this is not dehydrated breakfast cereal hour - oatmeal for all.

The best part of Trekworld this year was the pro rider event that we held.  We brought in a few athletes who were not racing that weekend and brought them in to meet people at Trek and to meet the dealers.  Cannot say enough about what a great experience that was.

Here is the summary

- great stories

- a few great bike rides

- lots of autographs

- more bike rides

- dinner

- party at my house

- cell phones at the bottom of the pool

- police came (not going to explain that one)

- aftermath

 

Given all of that, here are some pictures.  You can put the caption to most.

Frank digs the autograph signing.  Seriously, I had to pull him away from this stuff.

I also had to drag Fabian away from signing autographs.  He was a star.

It was fun taking the guys for a ride around Madison on city bikes.

There are a few good athletes in this picture.  Jens, Frank, Fabian, Andy, Chris Lieto, Juli Dibens

It appears to me that Fabian can sleep anywhere.

That is me teaching Andy about how to accelerate on his bike.

 

Yep, we are thinking of coming out with a light cycle. 

On the last night that the Leopard guys and Chris were in town, we had a big party at our house.  A bunch of Trek employees came over to the house to meet the riders and hear a live band etc...  The party got a little bit loud and wild late.  People ended up in the pool and the police came to get us to be quieter...  hmmm.  well it was fun.

Andy and Gary.  Write your own caption for this. 

I know that is a bit odd.

I am clearly saying something really interesting here.

 

That is Jens, Andy and Frank throwing me in the pool late at night.  Believe me, they followed me in, as I grabbed their shirts and pulled them in with me.

I think Andy is looking for his phone at the bottom of the pool.  hmm.

 That is pretty much it for some behind the scenes images of what goes on at Trekworld.  Someday, maybe you will get a chance to come.  Only about 340 days till Trekworld 2012. 

Trek world has left the building. 

Sorry Folks.  Trekworld is over.  The Moose out front should have told you that.

Adios.

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

#Trekworld is nearly here, and it's a pretty swell deal!

We are exactly T minus 4 days from the start of Trekworld.  That title says it all.  It is an exciting day.  It is not the only exciting day in a year, but it is pretty much at the top of the heap.  Along the way in the next days, I will be putting up a bunch more about what is going on with Trekworld. It is going to be really exciting days.

But there are a few other great days in the year.  Some of them actually compare favorably with Trekworld, sadly - most do not.

• Christmas - Santa comes, you get to have wine before noon and feel good about it, wrapping paper, leg lamps, getting up early, falling asleep on the couch while in a food coma etc... Trekworld is 2.6X better than Christmas.

 

 

• The day the new phone book shows up in the mail.  Just think about it, you are somebody on that day.  That is the kind of spontaneous publication that makes people - btw.  Trek world is 2.35X better than the day the new phone book shows up.

• The first day of the Tour de France.  It is the greatest bike race there is, and is soon to be declared a global holiday, so that no one misses the racing action.  The best days of the TDF are better than Trekworld, but only by 1.23X.

• My birthday.  Most people want to celebrate it.  Trekworld is 7.65X better than my birthday.
• Wednesday - It's hump day.  Enough said.  Wednesday is 1.08X better than Trekworld.  Most really good things happen on a Wed.  

• Just about any Sunday in April is a pretty exciting day.  You get to watch the greatest races of all time.  Flanders, Roubaix, Amstel, LBL etc... Fabian Cancellara will be shredding big time.  Race days in April are exactly 3.47X better than Trekworld.

  

• Having a girlfriend/boyfriend is a pretty good day.  Unfortunately, that pales compared to Trekworld.  Trekworld is precisely 4.65X better than having a girlfriend/boyfriend.

• Winning an Olympic gold medal can be a pretty good day.  But until you have been to Trekworld, you just cannot compare.  Trekworld wins by 1.48X.

• Getting your drivers license when you are young is a pretty big deal.  Lots of songs have been written about the day.  The day helps you get to the girlfriend/boyfriend day.  But realistically Trekworld is 2.79X better than getting your first drivers license.

 

 What is Trekworld you say?  Follow along on the Trek Facebook page or with the Twitter hashtag #trekworld for the next week and you will see. 

I suspect that by now you are understanding that Trekworld is a pretty big day.  You can keep your Worldcup, your wedding day, your birth of your first child, your trip to Disney World etc...  Next time you win the lottery and are tempted to say "I'm going to Disney World", trust me - you know where you are going.

See you there.

Joe