Pasta is a traditional "bike food". This time of year, I take a big ripe tomato, chop it roughly, and put the tomato in a pasta bowl. Then I put hot, freshly cooked pasta over the raw tomato, along with a couple spoonfuls of boiling pasta cooking water. I throw in some torn basil leaves, salt and pepper, and parmegiano cheese, and drizzle on some olive oil. Fantastic food--the flavor of the raw tomatoes shines through.

Later this month, I'll ride out to the country and buy a whole backpack of tomatoes from a farm stand. Then I'll chop them and saute for about 5 minutes in olive oil. I'll pack single servings in sandwich bags, then freeze them all in big ziplock bag. This will be the basis of fresh tomato sauce for the rest of the winter. Every time I thaw out a bag, I'll enjoy both the falavor and the memory of riding on a hot summer day to buy the tomaties.