“Mum!”
"Wotcha kiddo,” she replied as I grabbed her in a hug.
"I didn’t think you were back until next week?”
"Bit of a change of plan,” she admitted waving a bandaged arm.
“Mein Gott, what have you done?”
"Its nothing too serious, nothing broken at least, more of a bad sprain, but less of me, what about you? I'm guessing that was Max outside?”
Sugar!
"Erm yeah,” I allowed.
"Sit, kettles on, I want to hear everything.”
"I'll pick you up at four, be ready please,” Dad told me as I climbed out of the A Klasse.
"Yes Dad,” I sighed.
"Everything is in your kit bag?”
"Yeah?” I suggested, the stuff I borrowed on Tuesday is in there too.
I went round and opened the hatch to retrieve the day’s baked goods.
"Hmm, okay, remember your mother is coming up later,” he called back through the car.
"I remember,” I rolled my eyes as Kris took the trays allowing me to close the hatch.
"Your mum’s home?” Kris enquired as I juggled the keys and a sack of Brötchen.
"Yeah, this flippin’ locks jammed again,” I waggled the key and eventually it turned, "She’s done her wrist.”
"Broken?”
"Nah, just badly sprained, it happens,” I allowed.
The forecast for the day is mixed, mostly dry with occasional showers so with that in mind we put the umbrella things up. Just as well, the first shower hit just as our first group of Trekkers arrived! Thankfully the cloudburst didn’t last long and the road was soon steaming under the glare of the golden celestial orb.
"Hi girls,” Mum greeted when she arrived a little after eleven.
"Hi Mrs Bond,” Con returned, "Did you ride up?”
Sometimes Con! Mum was dressed in full lycra, her white Weltmeisterin jersey a stark counterpoint to her deep tan. In the er, warm light of day she looked like one of those desert adventurers, not just the tan but her hair has bleached out almost white – I guess that’s what weeks riding in southern Europe do for you. And of course she looks fit, I don’t mean in a sexual way, duh, she is my mother, no, I mean in the honed sports person sort of way.
"I might not be fit to race but I can still ride,” Mum advised.
"You want coffee?” I offered.
"Please love,” she agreed as she peeled off her mitts.
"Go sit, I'll bring it over.”
"Here you go,” I delivered the coffee and a plate bearing a slice of apple torte.
"I'll get fat.”
"Not likely,” I stated, "There’s more fat on a string bean.”
"So daughter mine, what are you doing Saturday?”
"Saturday? Dunno, why?”
"I was thinking we could go shopping?”
"Really?”
"Well I need some new stuff and I'm sure you could do with some stuff?”
Now come on, who could turn down an offer like that?
"Just us?”
"That’s what I was thinking.”
"What about Mand?”
"Going to the velodrome with the BC crowd, I already checked.”
"Velodrome?”
"Don’t worry, you aren’t missing out, you’ll get to go next time, your Dad wants to assess them all in a controlled environment.”
"In that case, yes please.”
"Okay, its a date, looks like you’ve got some customers.”
"Er right, see you later?”
"I guess so kiddo.”
"Just saw a really hot looking girl on a bike just now, really tanned,” Max opined leaning on the counter top.
"In a white top?” Con suggested.
"Yeah, how did you know?”
"That was my Mum,” I pointedly advised.
"Really? You sure? didn’t look like her.”
"She was only just here,” Kris put in, "Shift so I can wipe that down lover boy.”
"I didn’t think she was home till next week.”
"She had an off in Catalunya, she was there when I got home from Steffi’s,” I emphasised.
"Oh right,” for once he actually caught on to my hinting.
"She does look pretty buff,” Con stated.
"Con!” I complained. The last thing any child wants to hear is that their parent is, well not looking like a parent should.
"Well I hope her daughter turns out that hot!” Max added.
“Max!” we all three chorused.
"Just saying, I'll er just sit over there shall I?”
The thought that my boyfriend thinks my Mum looks ‘hot’ is a bit disquieting to say the least although I have to admit, you wouldn’t think she’s forty next birthday.
"You never said about the velodrome Saturday,” I mentioned to Dad as we headed over to Neuweid.
"You can come if you want,” he suggested.
“Mum’s taking me shopping.”
"Which reminds me, Sunday.”
"What about it, the Three Countries right?”
"Three Countries?” Mand queried.
"Yeah, it starts in Germany then goes through Luxembourg and into Belgium and back,” I supplied.
"Er yeah,” Dad agreed, "How upset would you be not to ride?”
"What? I won last year!”
"I know,” he allowed, "Hear me out please.”
"But?”
"Gab, luv, the organisers don’t want girls riding this year, I've argued with them but they’re adamant, lads only.”
"They can’t do that can they?” Mand asked.
“’fraid so.”
"But what about equality? We rode last year,” I pointed out.
"You were on a boys licence and they turned a blind eye to Ron but a full squad...I'm afraid its their choice, we might not like it but that's the reality.”
"So we’re not racing then?” I sighed.
"I didn’t say that, there’s a Kirmes1 in Wuppertal which I thought we could do.”
“all of us?”
"No, Caro’s taking the lads over to the Three Countries still so it’ll just be the girls.”
"Hmmph! So instead of a proper race we get to play on a tiny circuit.”
"Sorry kiddo, if I could change things I would, there’s nothing else you could sensibly done without another long drive and I don’t want a repeat of last week.”
"Guess its Wuppertal then,” I sighed. Sometimes it sucks to be a girl.
As a result of the change to the weekends programme, the lads had already departed for a long session through the Westerwald so it was a reduced group of seven girls who set off up the Wiedtal. For the first few K we rode piano, its a pretty steady gradient and we held a comfortable twenty five kph pace. Once through Waldbreitbach though Dad had us start Fartlek’s, you know, that sprint and rest thing, we took turns at that up through Roßbach.
“’S warm,” Sal allowed as we waited for Dad to signal the next escapee.
"Bit humid,” I allowed.
"Bit different to the Pennines eh?”
"Bigger, these hills go all the way from Belgium to Kassel.”
"Is that far?”
Well she wouldn’t have the references, “few hundred kilometres I guess.”
"Wow.”
Paarp!
Gret sprinted off the front, time to concentrate, another paarp and we set off in pursuit.
We kept up with the set piece stuff most of the way up to Neustadt then left the river at Peterslahr to start a more varied route through the lanes back south rejoining the Wied at Waldbreitbach where we retraced our outward route back to our start point. My computer reckoned it was sixty six kilometres, not a bad run out and the mostly easy terrain meant our average wasn’t far off twenty eight, the Kirmes on Sunday will be similar in both duration and distance although the speed may be higher – depending on the field.
“Ah, back before the lads,” Angela beamed, "Get showered, food’s nearly ready.”
We were somewhat earlier than last time, a shorter ride and no hour long commute afterwards so it was barely seven thirty when I bounced into the dining room.
"Someone’s keen,” Angela mentioned.
"You know me,” I grinned, “more rabbit food?”
"Its not rabbit food, there’s turkey escalopes tonight.”
"No Pommes though,” I sighed as I started to load my plate from the buffet.
"Off the menu I'm afraid.”
"You heard from Ron?”
"She rang while you were out, she’s riding some Grand Prix thing near San Sebastian on Sunday.”
"Cool, you heard about Mum?”
"Yeah, hope she’s okay?”
"Seems to be,” I allowed, "Say hi to Ron when you speak again.”
"You can tell her yourself, the rest of the team are home next Wednesday.”
"It seems weird, Ron being away.”
"There are lots of things different now,” she agreed.
Dad came hurrying into the dining room, "Where’s Angela?”
“Kitchen I think,” Gret supplied.
He hurried through and a moment later Angela dashed through in the other direction.
"What’s up?” I enquired as Dad followed.
"There’s been an accident, I'm taking Angela now, can you guys look after yourselves?”
"What?”
"Who?”
"How?”
Well you’d expect questions wouldn’t you?
"Ready Dave,” Angela advised poking her head through the doorway.
"Gab, you got your Handy here?”
"Course.”
"Ring your mother to fetch you and Amanda, I'll ring as soon as I know what’s happening,” and then he was gone.
A moment later there was a spray of gravel kicked up as he set off at speed.
“Mum?”
"What's up kiddo? When are you home?”
"Er there’s been some sort of accident.”
her voice dropped, "Your Dad?”
"No he’s fine but he said you should fetch me and Mand.”
"Sugar,” Mum allowed, "Right, I might need some directions when I get to Neuwied, I'll call.”
“laters,” I ended the call and slipped my Handy into the back pocket of my Capri's.
"She coming?” Mand enquired.
"Yeah.”
"Wonder what’s happened?” Claire mused pushing her now forgotten food around her plate.
"Whatever it is there’s nothing we can do,” Sal observed.
"We can clear up this stuff,” Tal suggested, fear etched on her face.
"He’ll be okay,” I told her, my fingers mentally crossed.
Its times like this your own mortality comes to haunt you, incidents like on that training ride the other week are thankfully rare but I guess the potential is always there, think about it too long or hard and you get paranoid. No, for now there’s nothing any of us here can do.
Maddy Bell © 10.06.17