We set out for the Taipei International Cycle Show with some large, but focused goals, and we're happy to report that we had a very productive trip. We don't want to sound overly dramatic, but we're convinced we're at work on projects that will take Williams Cycling to a whole new level. Now it's a bit cruel to make a statement like that and then not reveal any hints about what these big plans include, but until designs are finalized and dates are set we just can't divulge much information. It's a bit of the old, "we'd tell you, but then we'd have to kill you."
So while we can't give you all the sweet details of the stuff we're working on, we can give you a firsthand look at what it's like to travel to a small country on the other side of the world for one of the biggest bike shows ever.
Taipei is a one shot, 14 hour direct flight from San Francisco. It's never nice being crammed into a tiny seat in a big aluminum germ factory in the sky, but at least we knew we'd be safe upon arrival thanks to the quarantine beagles.
The air travel can be tough, but luckily once we arrived the local transport was, how should we say it... magical. We got to ride with taxi drivers who had time traveled from the 80s and on beautiful horsey buses.
The show itself is massive. There are two main floors, each of which is the size of multiple football fields. A small part of one of those floors looks like this:
There were also three other smaller floors and an entire auxiliary exhibition center dedicated to athletic apparel that we never saw. That's a ton of gear!
So when you're spending all day on your feet going from meeting to meeting and logging serious miles just to get form point to point it's important to keep your body in peak physical condition. Strategies for this include properly fueling your body:
And maintaing a rigorous exercise regime:
Oops! Keith might have overdone it:
International travel can be pretty darn expensive, and when a trade show knows they have a captive audience they can really jack up the prices for a good lunch:
But all the high prices and the physical demands become worth it when you get to enjoy perks like robotic toilets, celebrity sightings and first looks at amazing new products:
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| Stock photo bike guy strikes again! This time in pink! |
All kidding aside, it was a really great trip. Taiwan is an amazing country with a rich culture and history, as well as some of the most generous and welcoming people in the world. We had a fun and productive trip and we can't wait to go back. If you want to check out some more photos from trip you can see them on our facebook page here.
