Bike to Care en Bourgogne
by Daniel Johnnes
May 17, 2022
Last July, I was standing in the driveway outside Domaine Didier Fornerol in Corgoloin when I received a phone call from Pierre Henry Gagey, President of Maison Louis Jadot in Beaune.
He wanted to share an idea that he and his team had to help a struggling restaurant industry and wanted to know if I would be interested in helping.
Knowing Pierre Henry, I was sure it would be a well thought out and meaningful initiative, so I accepted on the spot without having the full story.
It was going to be called Bike to Care. The plan was to bike 200km over two days in Burgundy. He was calling for 5 countries to each have two teams. One team of chefs and the other sommeliers or wine industry professionals. My role was to captain a team of sommeliers for team USA. Our goal was to raise 20,000 euros.
First question: who are we raising money for? Turns out each team could choose its own recipient. It had to be US based so my client base would be able to get a tax benefit for their generosity.
We decided to raise money for The Roots Fund, an organization dedicated to giving opportunities to people of color in the wine field.
To help in this effort I asked a group of the most accomplished sommeliers I know: Larry Stone, Andre Mack, Richard Betts, Bobby Stuckey, Andy Chabot, Edouard Bourgeois and Jaime Dutton, who is not a sommelier by training but is our Executive Director and partner and has worked in the wine industry for 20+ years. Each one of them was presented with an opportunity early in their career. They each seized their chance and parlayed it into a fulfilling career. This is what we hoped to do by giving an opportunity to ‘scholars’ from The Roots Fund.
The ride started under blue skies and a warm breeze as we wondered along the plains and the canals of the Cote de Beaune. Mostly flat terrain with a few climbs and some real challenges as we moved back north through Santenay. 100km under the belt and energized for a second day riding with new friends from Denmark, England, France and Canada.
An added bonus was having my dear friend Dominique Lafon abandon the French team to ride along with us and give us little tips about the route and vineyards we were riding through.
The second day was as spectacular as the first, though the first 20 km tested our stamina as we climbed through the shaded hillsides of Savigny les Beaune and upwards on a 10% grade. Getting over the ridge allowed us to glide through the Cote de Nuits and back to Beaune for a nice chilled beer.
The evening ceremonies were at the storied Clos de Vougeot where we were greeted by the horn players. We were able to thank Pierre-Henry, who conceived of this wonderful collaboration, and to thank our fellow riders who provided good cheer and camaraderie along the route.
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