No animals or cyclists were killed or injured in the writing of this story.

Easy As falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part 61.

My sleep following the attack was poor to say the least, or it was to start with. I awoke about nine thirty, suddenly remembering that Simon was due in half an hour. I switched on the kettle and jumped in the shower, then threw on the racing skins plus my uni sweat shirt.

I noticed that my knuckles were grazed and I had broken a couple of nails. I worked out that my back up to Simon had been the principal cause, and I'd obviously caught my hands on the pavement when trying to beat Big Mac's sidekick to death. I would have to watch my temper in future. Just thinking about it got my heart racing, so I made some tea and ate my cornflakes.

Simon arrived just after ten, he had a bruise on his cheek, which I kissed better for him. It made him smile anyway. He carried my bike down and shoved it on a bike rack on his Volvo.

"I didn't know you had a bike rack," I said in surprise.

"I don't, but a good friend does. I borrowed it." He loaded the bike and we drove out to the start area, which was near the university sports centre.

"You didn't bring a change of clothes then?" he asked.

"Nah, I was going to ride home to sort of unwind." I hadn't thought of a change of clothes, I could hardly use the showers anyway. "I prefer to shower at home, I got athletes foot in communal showers, so I avoid them."

"Oh, okay," he seemed to accept my reasoning then asked, "How about coming for some lunch after?"

"I erm, erm, okay." I couldn't think of a valid reason for saying no.

"Good, I made a booking just in case." He smiled and I poked my tongue out at him.

We arrived and much to my surprise Stella was waiting with some weedy looking bloke. "Who's the bloke with Stella?" I asked Simon as we unloaded the Litespeed.

"John somebody or other, he's a doctor at her hospital. He works under her." I giggled at the double entendre. "No he reports to her."

"I thought she was a nurse?" I said looking incredulous.

"She is but a special one."

"Well yes I know she's special," I smiled.

"She's a nurse specialist in urology, didn't you know?"

"What?"

"Urology, you know she plays about with prostates and bladders and things."

"Wow, I knew she was clever, but.."

"Yeah, she takes the piss professionally." He smirked as he said it and I nearly wet myself.

Stella spotted us and came over to give me a hug, "I heard about last night, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Pity I wasn't there, I could have done with a workout."

"Kicking them to death might be construed as criminal," I offered.

She threw a kick at me which she pulled inches from my face. I stepped back shocked at the speed of it. "Maybe you're right," she said and hugged me again. "So where is the best place to watch my 'little sister' win a bike race?"

"What me? You're joking, I'll be lucky to stay with the fitter riders for half the race, let alone win it."

"You are so modest, anyway come and meet John." She introduced me to him and after talking with him for a few minutes he didn't seem to be so wet. Simon arrived with the bike and I mounted it and rode it around for a few minutes. I felt stiff and sore almost everywhere from the dancing and fighting, I hope the ride would reduce some of that, but I wasn't at all confident.

Jill emerged with Amy and three other women, "We're still one short and may have to use Amy." At this Amy winced, but she was aware of her limitations. Not that I had anything to brag about.

About ten minutes later Ann Sommers arrived, she waved at Jill who sighed with relief. "Now we have a chance of redeeming some pride."

"Isn't that cheating?" I asked.

"Not at all, she teaches on the nursing courses. All's fair in love and bike racing."

"Hi Cathy, so you've got dragged into this as well?" said Ann arriving at our group.

"Looks like," I answered smiling back at her.

"Hi Stella, John," she waved, "Hi Simon." She looked at me and said, "It was that Simon then," she winked at me.

"I didn't say it wasn't, and he saved my life last night." I related the story of the attack, only in my account he drove them both off.

"Wow, Maybe you've managed to pull him out of his banker's shell."

"I don't think I did anything," I replied as we did some warm up sprints.

"Can't think of anyone who went out twice with him, so you're special to start with." Before I could reply, she shot off at twice my speed and then we were called to the start.

It was an unofficial race, a sort of team time trial, where the first six members of each team counted. So in other words the first team with six riders home, won.

We had the route outlined and we were assured there were marshalls at any controversial points who would direct us. As we were riding on roads, we had to obey the traffic laws and safety was the priority, so not to take any risks.

Then we were off. It was all new to me so I got left a bit at the start and had to ride harder than I'd wanted to get up the field a little. I didn't want to be last at any rate.

After a few miles and two steepish hills, the field was beginning to spread out and sadly I was towards the rear. I hadn't realised how good some of these women were. Amy was way behind me, as were a few from Southampton, but they had about twelve riding for them as opposed to our eight, another had turned up just as we started.

I had tried to count where I was with regard to placings, but breathing and counting were too hard. The race was sixty kilometres and my computer told me we were about half way through, we were also looping back towards Portsmouth.

Then I saw Stella and Simon standing with John, "Come on girl, you're lying thirteenth," Simon's voice carried over my grunting and puffing.

Thirteenth? Bugger, that's no good, I need to make up two more places to count towards the race. At least the stiffness had gone and my movement was easier. I upped my pace a bit and after about ten minutes spotted three of the enemy in front of me. Two more minutes and they were within attacking distance.

I actually passed them on a roundabout, not the wisest thing to do, but there was a copper stopping the traffic as we came up to it. They had slowed, I didn't. If my maths was correct, I was now in ninth position and still going well. My effort was going to help the cause although I suspected there were more of them ahead of me than our lot.

With ten kilometres to go, I caught and passed one of ours although I tried to encourage her to keep up she was fading. I was in eighth place if my count was right.

I could see two more of the enemy ahead, but no matter how hard I tried the distance stayed the same. Or it seemed that way. The last two Km included a bit of hill, a long drag of about half a Km. I knew it well, I also knew of the downhill the other side and the sharp bend at the bottom. I redoubled my efforts.

I don't know if I was stronger from my training or they were weakening but I began to catch them. I was watching my cadence, it was about ninety. I was almost level when we crested the hill, they hadn't seen me at all and I passed them on the downhill, pedalling like fury down the middle of the road touching speeds of about fifty miles an hour.

I knew there was likely to be a parked car on the bend and I wasn't disappointed, there it was and having the better position, I carried on, they had to brake and pull out. I was now in sixth place or thereabouts. I considered we'd still lose but at least we'd given them a fight.

In the last kilometre I caught another one and I knew I had her. Some long time ago, I remembered talking with an experienced racer, who had told me that when they get tired they up their gears because they don't have to pedal so fast. As I came up behind this opponent, she clicked up and tried to pull away, I kept up my spinning and forced her to sprint harder, then a couple of hundred metres out, I also clicked up and stood on my pedals. I won the sprint by about a couple of metres.

When I managed to stop gasping for breath, Jill and Ann came to congratulate me. I had made fifth place, beating two regional riders in the process.

We did lose, but only by a handful of points, we had first, third and fifth then ninth, eleventh and twelfth. It seemed everyone was happy, Southampton because they won and Portsmouth, because they came a closer second than last year.

"If you don't join the bike club, I'm going to shoot you," said Jill, "You're pretty good but you could be better."

"I doubt it, that was the fastest ride I have ever done and I suspect it was a one off."

"Nonsense, there's always room for improvement."

"You did better than you have on our rides Cathy, maybe Simon is good for you," Ann winked as she said it.

"Our rides?" I gasped, "we've met a couple or three times and we weren't training as far as I knew."

"We will be in future," smiled back Ann.