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Gravel and sand are some of the optimum constituents for growing the merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes in this area.
这一带的碎石和沙子是适宜种植梅鹿辄（merlot）和赤霞珠（cabernet sauvignon）所需葡萄的材料之一。
They also happen to be (probably) the worst surfaces to cycle on.
但这里也恰好（或者可能）是骑自行车路况最差的地方。
Gravel has a wonderful habit of sending your back wheel flying off into a random direction like a bucking horse, while sand just brings the entire bike – and rider – to a halt.
碎石有一个奇妙的特点——它会使你的自行车后轮突然转到别的方向，就像突然跃起的马一样。然而沙子只会让整辆车子和骑手停下来。
By just mile three it is already really tough going, and needless to say, confidence in our ability to complete the route starts waning.
到了第三英里（约合4.8公里），骑行十分艰难。毋庸置疑，我们的自信开始消退，我们开始怀疑自己能否完成整场骑行。
Fortunately, nothing cures cycling angst quite like a chateau stop, and there are rather a lot of them.
幸运的是，没有东西能像城堡停歇处那样消除骑手的骑车焦虑。这样的停歇处这里有很多。
Each one is like coming across a country fair-cum-children's birthday party – assuming the child in question is rather partial to a glass or two.
每个人都好像遇见了乡村集市和孩子们的生日宴会——假定这个小孩特别喜欢喝酒。
There is music, dancing, games, pirates, the Mario Bros, Shrek and Princess Fiona, tables filled with party food (cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets) and, of course, wine.
这里有音乐，有舞蹈，有游戏，有海盗。还有马里奥兄弟（the Mario Bros）、怪物史莱克（Shrek）、菲奥娜公主（Princess Fiona），还有一些餐桌，桌子上放着蛋糕、饼干、炸薯片、甜点等食物。当然，红酒也是必不可少的。
At around mile seven, we get our first taste at Chateau Cantenac Brown, and it does far more for me than any energy drink ever has.
在大约第七英里（约合11.3公里）的时候，我们到了肯特•布朗酒庄（Chateau Cantenac Brown），在这里我们第一次品尝了葡萄酒。这对我造成的冲击比其他任何能量饮料都大。
It is a moderate sip, however, because while the French are fun, they're not stupid.
但是我只喝了一小口，因为法国人虽然有趣，但是并不笨。
At least, the organisers aren't: a man wearing only a singlet and a nappy who has an – empty – bottle of wine in his bike's water bottle holder by mile 10 might be a bit stupid.
至少组织者们不笨：到了第十英里（约合16公里），要是有一个人穿着背心、铺着尿布，自行车的水瓶架上再放一个空红酒瓶，那他的样子会有点傻。
As well as not overfilling our glasses, not every chateau serves the strong stuff, so we're never drunk or at risk of causing ourselves serious harm.
不是每个酒庄都会让我们品尝烈酒，他们也不会给我们把杯子倒得太满。所以我们不会喝醉，也不会给自己带来严重伤害。
Not that we could do much damage at the slow pace we're going anyway, but then, the last thing you want to do when cycling round an area as pretty as the Medoc is go fast.
不是说我们慢慢前进的时候能造成什么破坏，而是在骑车环绕像梅多克（Medoc）这样美丽的地方的时候，你最不想做的事情就是快速前进。
Put it this way; if the Disney princesses decided to get together for a Real Housewives of Orange County-esque reality television series, this is where they would base it.
这样说吧：如果迪士尼公主要聚在一起拍摄一档真实电视系列节目——《像奥兰治县一样的地方的真实主妇》，这里就是他们要选择的拍摄地。
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