A Healthy Mix

To anyone who has ridden in Indianapolis before NAHBS rolled into town, it’s obvious that thousands of people who love bikes have converged on the city. They are everywhere, small packs of cyclists passing through the Indy traffic. And, they are from everywhere.

Indianapolis has long been known as the crossroads of the United States, and if evidence is needed, a cross-section of this year’s NAHBS attendees should do the trick. Cyclists have come in from cities all across the United States, even all across the globe. There are people in town from Lansing, Nashville, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, and the list stretches beyond to Toronto, Vancouver, and even Tokyo.

“It was a simple drive,” says one show-goer. “Indy is simple to access by car, and those who would have flown to Portland have still flown to Indy.”

With two-thirds of the United States within one day’s drive, attendance has been record-setting, and positively eclectic. There are cyclists from across the spectrums, from urban single-speeders to pannier-laden commuters to carbon-gazing roadies. And Indy has presented something for all of them, whether the shenanigans of the ArtBike! party, or the simple nightlife and restaurants of downtown. NAHBS this year has truly been all things to all people, and Indy hasn’t just simply welcomed NAHBS, but facilitated it to the point of embracing it.

Christopher Newgent