An oldie but goodie…

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As the snow slowly melts in the northern reaches of New England, the roads are beginning to clear and riding outside has finally become a reality for me. I just closed our cross-country ski center for the season last Sunday even though there is still plenty of snow left to slide around on in the woods. The skis have been waxed and all the rental and personal equipment stored away until next winter. We’ve enjoyed a great season of snow and although my bicycle riding miles are low right now, I racked up an impressive 1,300 miles of grooming (the old fashioned way on a snow mobile with drag behind groomers). Think cold, dark nights driving very slowly, all the while inhaling the sweet fumes of two-stroke engine oil that tickles your lungs and probably negates the benefit of many a bike riding mile. Anyway, back to the topic, the other day I took out my trusty old cyclocross bike for a chilly but beautifully sunny road ride. While everyone is justifiably excited about the arrival of their new 29er bikes, (I am trying very hard to be patient about my new Hifi while reading about everyone else’s new rides) I was recently enjoying the predictable feeling of my rare old steed. I was very lucky to score this bike from a friend who used to ride professionally for Fisher “back in the day” and who also rode in a couple of Tours de France for a powerful Dutch team in the mid-eighties. It’s frame, or soul, is a bontrager made (yes, some folks may not know that he actually used to make bikes) of sweet steel and most of the bits have since been upgraded to more modern versions. The frame sports a flat black paint job and a few old fisher decals to add to its allure. Sure, they make flashier and more exciting ‘cross bikes now but they just don’t do it for me like this one. In fact, a former Trek demo guy once offered me a straight up trade for any frame in the family line-up and I didn’t even have to think about it…Get out and enjoy your new rides fellow crew members (and please tell us all about them) and I’ll try and catch up when spring finally finds its way North.