Numbers game

The year started out with seven. Then it went to eight. Soon it was nine. And, finally, back to eight. I will now attempt to explain what all this means.

Obviously, we are talking about bicycles. Down in my basement, there were the usual ones when 2023 arrived. The fat bike. The mountain bike. The cyclocross/gravel bike. The adventure/touring bike. The three road bikes. Which adds up to seven.

My 2023 Trek Checkpoint.

Then, as previously told by way of my blog, I decided to update the touring machine. So, I acquired a 2023 Trek Checkpoint — a bike I had really wished for since its release in 2018 — and planned to pay for the purchase by selling my 2020 Trek 920. That adds up to eight.

Are you still with me? Is all this number stuff making sense?

Well, before I even had a possible buyer for the 920, I'd paid off the Checkpoint. So, what to do with the money if I did, indeed, sell it? Yes, I could put it in my savings account at the bank. But that's no fun. Therefore, I chose to freshen up my fleet of road bikes and ordered a 2023 Trek Domane. And I'm glad I didn't dilly-dally over my decision. The day I placed my request, there were only 13 left in the entire country in my size (54cm). Two days later, they were all gone; no more available until August, at the earliest.

Now we're up to nine bicycles.

After all this high drama, in addition to a certain amount of relief, a dude did actually obtain my Trek 920 touring beast. And it is about to embark on a real adventure; just what it was made for. The guy is going to cycle around Patagonia. And, no, not the outdoor retailer store of the same name, but the actual region located at the southern end of South America.

The money cleared the bill for my new Domane. And that's how we arrived back at eight bikes.

The new road bike, in a word, is sweet. It's all carbon fiber, so it's light, very responsive, and rides like the wind. I'll skip all the tedious technical details, but the color is worth the price of admission. Trek calls it Deep Smoke. The impression it gives is of quiet elegance, even though the bicycle is built for speed.

The Trek Domane has received excellent reviews for a number of years. I now have two of them in my stable of bikes, having gotten the first one in 2017. I feel very fortunate to have both of them, and I'm looking forward to piling up the miles with the latest version.

My 2023 Trek Domane.

First event of season

A bunch of us are participating in the Frost Heave Fondo this Sunday in Searsmont, Maine. The 35-mile spring event will certainly get my Specialized Crux cyclocross/gravel bike very dirty. There are plenty of gravel roads and more mud than you could ever ask for. Last year, we were wading through fast-moving brooks up to our knees on parts of the course. Sunday's forecast is bouncing back and forth with the prediction of rain. Oh joy!

The Frost Heave starts and ends at a craft beer brewery. It's very important to hydrate after any long bicycle ride. I'll let you know what happens. Stay safe!