Good Wine, Good Friends, Good Laughs

We’re trying to get in shape for our summer cycling trip in Normandy, and we’ve mostly been riding one day every weekend. Yes, we could stand to do more, and we’ve managed to ride both days a few weekends just to adjust to time in the saddle, if you get my drift.  I’m not overly concerned about being ready to ride 40 miles a day. We have all day to accomplish that, and we manage to ride 20 miles in about two hours of straight riding here at home. 

With stops along the way for lunch and the occasional antique shop or museum, I think we’ll easily be able to make forty miles before dinner. And if not, I believe the sag wagon that accompanies us on the trip is there for a reason. If there are days when 40+ miles is just too much, I’ll happily climb in the van. I’ve done my record 50 miles in one day—not a big record for some, but a big deal for me—and I’ve done my major hills, with our trip to the Greek Islands last year.  My husband, on the other hand, always feels he has to run faster, climb higher…well, you get the picture. I just don’t think there’s any shame associated with taking a break when my knee hurts, or when the hills are just too high.

Come to think of it, there’s no shame associated with having a bit too much wine one evening and being unable to go the distance the next day.  After all, we are talking French wine.  My girlfriend, with whom I tend to get in the most trouble, is accompanying us on this trip along with her husband, and MY husband is already predicting that the nightly wine will be an issue for us girls. Ah well, good wine, good friends, good laughs…sounds like the perfect trip.