Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad & M Indurain.
part LIII

The day had become cooler and I was wearing a university sweatshirt over my cycling shirt. I felt completely upside down in deciding what to do. I'd taken his money but I wasn't sure I wanted to attend the funeral, I needed to talk to Stella and had no idea when she'd be home, she was the only one who appreciated my situation, I don't think even Dr Thomas really understood me entirely. But then they saw different aspects of my life, the good doctor only saw me in her consulting room whilst Stella had seen me out and interacting, sort of.

It was bugging me and I found one way to release the tension was to do a hard training run on the bike, just head down and go for it. I was doing just that when I passed two other women out on road bikes. I flew past them and they only caught me because I got stuck at traffic lights on road works.

"Yes it is a girl," I heard one declare to the other. Then she drew level with me and asked, "Are you at the university?"

I admit I wasn't in much mood for idle chatter but politeness kept me from ignoring them. "Yes, why?"

"Do you do much riding?"

"A bit why?"

"We're trying to get together a scratch team to race against Southampton."

"When and what sort of distance?" I answered, although I knew I wasn't up to much as a racing cyclist.

"One hundred K."

That was about the edge of my range, I could do sixty miles it was just boring to do on my own and I'd never tried racing anything like that distance. "I dunno," I replied sounding super intelligent. "When is it?"

"Sunday morning." She beamed a smile at me and I found it difficult to be grumpy with her.

"I dunno, I'm out at a dance on saturday evening so may not feel like an early rise on sunday. Besides, I'm probably not good enough."

"What sort of distance do you cycle, regularly?"

"It varies, around an hour or two a couple or three times a week."

"Between twenty and forty miles?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," I shrugged.

"How far have you done today?"

"About ten, why?"

"Ten miles," she asked.

"Yes."

"How about we do another ten, the three of us?" Put on the spot I could only agree, she outlined a route which I knew. We agreed where possible to keep up a reasonable pace, which meant above fifteen miles per hour and preferably twenty. I knew that was a minimum standard for official races.

The lights changed and Jill led off followed by Amy, I brought up the rear. We tootled along at fifteen miles an hour for about ten minutes, but it was hardly race training. I moved up to second and suggested we up the pace. Jill waved me through, as if to put my money where my mouth was.

I took them gently up to twenty over the next mile, then up to twenty five on a nice flat stage. Jill was pretty well keeping up but Amy was struggling. I waved Jill through and asked if she wanted me to cool it? She shook her head vigorously, so I upped it a little more. By the next rise we were doing nearly thirty miles an hour and my little legs were beginning to know it.

We stopped to wait for Amy, so perhaps Jill was feeling the pace too. I had actually been riding faster than I usually did by nearly fifty per cent.

"That was good Cathy, I needed a work out. Amy, bless her tries hard but is a bit slow."

"I couldn't keep that up for long," I said still breathing hard and sweating profusely.

"Neither can most cyclists. You up for sunday then?"

"How many have you got?" I asked.

"Four definites, plus two possibles. I'd prefer to have someone like yourself who can ride a bit."

"That might have been a flash in the pan," I said knowing that it wasn't really, I was capable of that sort of performance most of the time.

"We need a minimum of six, over that it doesn't count."

"I don't know."

"Go on Cathy, your university needs you, or are you going to let Southampton win by default?"

"I can't say I care too much either way."

"Please, I need you to help us show we can at least get a team, last year we had three riders."

"I'm out on saturday night."

"It isn't until eleven o'clock, just don't have too much sex or you'll be sore."

"I beg your pardon," I said in astonishment.

"I speak from experience."

"What!" I nearly fell off my bike.

"I had this really heavy session the night before a club race, we were at it like bunnies. Gawd, the next day I could hardly walk, let alone do sixty five miles." She began to laugh and it was infectious, "Learnt my lesson that day, I was sore for a week after the bike ride. I mean it's up to you what you do, but bonking and bikes are not good bedmates."

"I'll take your word for it," I said smiling in a knowing way, which was a total lie because I didn't know.

At this point Amy caught up with us and we let her get her breath back before we set off again. It appeared that she was one of the extras for sunday if we needed her. I knew Southampton had a good men's team but knew nothing about their women's riders. Apparently, Jill considered they were good too.

"I don't have a racing licence or anything," I mentioned as we reached Portsmouth again.

"It's only a friendly, so you won't need anything, although I would suggest you join the club, training with others is better than on your own."

"Yeah, I know. I occasionally bump into Ann someone who does triathlons."

"What Ann Sommers?"

"I thought she owned a series of questionable shops? This woman is a nurse."

"Yes Ann Sommers, you know she's an amateur international."

"I didn't, but it would explain why I struggle more on hills than she does."

"Her cycling is her best sport but she runs quite well and her swimming is good too."

"I suppose it would have to be to be a triathlete." My logic was faultless, at times!

"Look we're going down the Union later, wanna come?"

"No thanks, I'm still trying to finish my dissertation."

"What, a bit early isn't it?"

"I'm doing an MSc, with a view to going on to do a doc phil."

"In what?"

"Mammals in general, dormice in particular." I wasn't at all sure how happy I was to reveal too much about myself, maybe I should have told a few porkies.

"Oh those sweet furry things, I'm doing boring old history."

"So am I," called Amy from behind.

"I liked history, but you don't get to chop up so many rats doing that." As soon as I said it I thought it sounded like something a boy would say.

"Each to her own, personally, I couldn't chop up a dormouse if you asked me," offered Jill.

"They're protected, so you can't anyway. I was only joking, I hate doing experimental work that involves killing or dissection. I'm better at population studies."

"Just remember what I said about the night before the race, population studies indeed!" Jill kept a straight face as she delivered this killer line, I laughed so hard, I had to stop and was in danger of falling off again.

Back at my room I finally managed to catch up with Stella, "Anyway, I don't know about going, but he sent me some money and I've bought a blouse and a suit." I described them to her.

"If you were working in a bank, that would be fine. Look I'll be over in an hour, I have just the thing for you to wear and I'll take you, friday is my rest day."

"Only if I pay for the petrol then," I insisted.

"Simon does, save your money, if you like the outfit I have in mind, you can buy it off me."

"I can't afford the sort of clothes you buy," I protested whilst thinking, 'which Simon also pays for'.

"Don't worry, I don't want too much for it, and we have to see if it will fit you yet. See you in an hour."

"Thanks Stella, you're a life saver."

"No lifesavers are paramedics, I mop fevered brows," she giggled and said," see ya in an hour."