My 920 revisited

I was out for a ride the other day and came upon another cyclist standing along the road. It was sunny, but only 40 degrees — with a "feels like" temperature reading of 31. So, naturally, I looped around to make sure everything was cool.

As it turned out, no problems with his bicycle; my new acquaintance was actually peeling off a layer of clothing — despite the afternoon's chilly conditions.

We introduced ourselves to each other. He was from Gardiner. I said I was just upriver from him, in Hallowell. Then we started chatting about various topics ... obviously, the weather, where we go riding, bike shops, etc. Come to find out he knew Nash, my former colleague at Mathieu's Cycle, who is in the process of opening his own bicycle business in downtown Augusta.

At this point, he said, "What was your name, again?" I replied, "Patrick." Then he uttered the following statement that completely caught me off guard. "I bought your 920." Say what? You mean my Trek 920 adventure bike? The two-wheeled machine I parted with in order to purchase my 2023 Trek Checkpoint gravel beast?

While it may seem unusual to sell a bicycle without ever meeting the buyer, that's exactly what happened. When Mathieu's was still open, Nash knew someone who was in the market for an off-road touring bike for an upcoming trip to Patagonia. At the time, those types of bicycles were hard to find — especially ones equipped with an accompanying rack system.

Nash had been aware of my desire to part company with the 920 and asked if I was still interested in such a transaction. I was, indeed, and he ended up taking care of everything — contacting this dude, showing him the bicycle, answering any questions, agreeing to the deal, and, ultimately, taking payment. As a result, I never met Kevin ... until the other day, while riding my bicycle out in the middle of nowhere.

And there's more to this bizarre tale. Later, I learned that Nash had actually seen Kevin the day before our chance encounter, and they discussed how weird it was that the 920 seller had never met the 920 buyer.

Anyway, it shows how you never know what awaits you while out riding a bicycle. What you might see. Who you might meet. The list of possibilities are as endless as a long country road. Maybe that's why I keep going for a pedal. Stay safe!

My 2020 Trek 920 adventure bicycle.