15th Annual CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge

The morning was cold and foggy as I drove the Spyder down to La Jolla cove. I arrived around 6:45 AM and parked up on the lawn under the Can-AM Spyder canopy. The outside expo area was already jamming with athletes, sponsors, spectators, and event staff. Before I could even get my helmet off, I was approached with questions. "What is that? Is it street legal?"

Buck arrived and we were both challenged with trying to get the area organized / set-up while talking with the crowds. It was a good problem to have. The day started off with a bang and continued through the 3:30 PM breakdown.

Our location was perfect! It was front and center to the main entrance; everyone came by our canopy. Someone said this event draws 5,000 people. I'm guessing 90% of which saw the Spyder booth. We interacted with hundreds of people. Some wanted to sit on the Spyder, some had questions, some were just curious, some wanted to own one, some wanted literature, and some were a combination of the above.

We took a few photos and Buck shot some video to capture the essence of the day. In my opinion, this was perhaps our greatest event to date. Not only did we reach a large number of people, many who never saw us before, we had a large number of highly interested customers who would be taking test rides and purchasing.

Buck and I also received some interesting feedback from the challenged population. Some had one, two, or more limbs with prosthetics. They commented on how they could never ride a motorcycle but could see themselves on a Spyder. For example, one guy had a prosthetic on his left foot. I explained how we have a semi-automatic shifting option that he could work. He was excited about the possibility. Along those lines, we had several other inquiries about modifications to the Spyder. "Could I get the throttle on the left side?" "Could I get a hand brake?" Buck and I just said it may be a possibility but the manufacturer would be able to provide more information.

By the way, there was another first. We had a man who just married a couple come check out the Spyder. A man in a suit on the Spyder... nice look.
In summary, it was a fantastic event. We received tons of exposure, had direct interaction with hundreds of people, generated interest from a potential new market, and got inspired from the energy of the event.

PS - a big thank you to Buck's girlfriend, Amanda for helping us out at the event.

See photos from the event: