Given their ability to help us cover multiple miles without requiring a spousal sag wagon, e-bikes sales have soared by 70 percent or more each month since the pandemic began, according to industry statistics.

Their ride ended in the sag wagon.

The “sag wagon,” one of seven trucks manned by 80 or so volunteers who were ready to pick up riders should they have a roadside accident or decide to call it quits, collected Ms. Bertelsen and a pedal-weary friend in time to avoid missing the first course, a vegetarian and gluten-free autumn squash and cauliflower harlequin soup prepared by Florian Wehrli, the executive chef at Triomphe in New York City.

In the end, hopping on the sag wagon didn’t bruise Anne Bertelsen’s ego.

They had brought their bikes, and the next day they alternated, one of them riding with me, the other driving the car, into which — my sag wagon for the day!