depends on how you feel about walking ... and if you feel ok with your wife razzing you about it
I agree with many of the posters that it's important to have a 'bail out' gear. I know (and you will find, once you start in on brevets) that a lot of people run compact doubles, but I personally really like the flexibility and range of a triple. After all, it's not about how your bike performs on the first 50km that counts, it's how it feels tackling the last 50.