Cycling in Burgundy:
A Riding Revelation

Dave Bowden

“Wow.” I said it more times than I can remember—and the ride lasted barely two hours.

My first-ever B&R biking experience took place, appropriately enough, in Beaune, the heart of Burgundy wine country, our longtime European home. Pedalling an easygoing route through the forests around the city, I couldn’t help but feel that after six months with the company, I was only now coming to understand it.

On one stretch, ensconced by the luscious green of Burgundian trees, with a perfect breeze at my back and the sun on my face, I had the resounding sense that, though this was my first time on a bike in more years than I care to recall, I got it. The appeal of a bike trip was immediate and obvious.

Riding past renowned vineyards, with nothing in sight but blue sky above and fields of yellow grape seed in front of me, I could for the first time comprehend what it means to, if I may borrow a phrase, “slow down to see the world.”

“While biking is ostensibly an individual sport, there’s no better way to become a team.”

And the best part was, I wasn’t alone. In my particular case, I was surrounded by three colleagues, which at B&R means three friends as talented as they are fun, enjoying their company as much if not more than the aforementioned scenery. “Car back!” we’d call to each other when a vehicle approached from behind, breaking from our habit of riding two across and forming into single file. (Amateur cyclists all, I have to admit that we were as interested in good conversation as we were great scenery. In fact, the two complemented each other perfectly.)