sybaritesauvage   Uncorking a Mind Twisted by Wine, Food, Love & Remembrance

I am training for a 100 mile bike ride.  This will be my fifth time doing this.  I do it because it helps to raise funds to benefit the battle against pediatric cancer.  I do it because no matter my discomfort, it is not the pain of cancer.

The first year I rode the 100, I had no idea how my body would react.  Thankfully, the organizers of this ride do it in a series of three loops of varying mileage that begin and end in the same place. 

The first loop of 50 miles was agonizing.  I stepped off the pedals at the end of those first 50, not knowing if I would be able to continue.  My sit bones– and that thin, delicate layer of skin between the bones and the “cushioned” bicycle seat– after having taken a repeated beating over hardscrabble New Hampshire back roads, were in no mood for another 50 miles.  My lower back was an insistent burning demurrer– No Mas!  And had that been all, I think I could have made it.  But the worst of it is that my upper quads, and the joint that attaches the legs to the torso, were aching with each pump of the pedals.  They burnt when I stood.  They burnt when I sat.  “What the hell am I doing to myself?”  How would I finish? 

“You are not going to quit,” said the Brain to the Body.  

“Bollocks!” replied the Body.   

Ms. R, my personal cheering squad and pit crew helped me off the bike as I returned from that first 50.  I am glad that she was there.  I don’t think that I could have done it without her. 

Now if you have read this blog, you know I like to tease her.  Sometimes without mercy– but always with affection.  And let me say this now– without her, I would not have gotten back in the saddle that afternoon. 

The mind was willing, but the body was broken.  She procured doses of some extra strength pain-killer that came in a blue capsule.  Come to me sweet relief!  The pain subsided and 30 (or perhaps 40)  minutes after I finished the first 50 mile loop, I gingerly (how else) climbed back in the saddle.

Later that afternoon as I polished off the second fifty miles, she was there.  Waiting, perhaps anxiously, for me.  I made it, but did not do it alone.  And I am proud to admit that. 

Ms R, as you read this know that I carry that image of you waiting for me to arrive and I still hear your clear voice above all others, cheering me on as I made my final return that day.  That sound NEVER gets old.  Know that when you had cancer two years ago, I knew you would pull through.  And I hope that I was as good a cheerleader for you then as you were for me that first time I rode 100 miles. 

As I sit on the deck just off our living room, I am tasting this wine for the second time.  The sun is shining and refreshment is nigh as the temperature ebbs and flows in concert with the mid day sun as she begins her ride to dusk. 

I have written about Torrontes before.  If you have not yet tried this varietal– what are you waiting for?  An invitation?  Ms R. should be arriving from work any moment now and I have nice chilled glass of the Tiasta Torrontes waiting for her.   It’s one of the little  ways I cheer her on.

Familia Alonso Bodega Cruz de Piedra Tiasta Torrontes 2011 ($9).  100% Torrontes from vines that are 35-40 years old.  All hand-picked from vineyards on sandy soils in a semi-arid high mountain climate at an elevation of 4300 feet.  Irrigation is provided by the flood waters from the ice caps of the Andes Mountains.  No oak in this wine– fermentation is entirely in stainless steel tanks.  Pale in color and yet redolent of spring florals.  A mouthful of flavorful lychee and canepas (the beautifully pulpy fruit from Puerto Rico) complemented by a rich texture in the mouth.  Rated **1/2

The little guy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.