Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

“Alison was your friend in England?” Mand suggested as we headed back to the autobahn.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “me, Mad, Al, Bernie and Rhod, we were in the same class from juniors.”
“They used to do everything together,” Mum added.
“You’re like a friend magnet,” Mand proposed.
“Eh?”
“Well, you make friends easily, you’re like everyone’s best friend five minutes after meeting them.”
“Don’t be daft,” I scoffed.
“So how long did it take you to be part of the Angels?”
“Er.”
“She’s right, Gab,” Mum put in, “I bet it was less than a fortnight.”
“And at BC last summer, you were everyone’s best mate on day one.”
“Not everyone, I don’t think Redding likes me,” I suggested.
“I think I’ve got like two friends back in Croydon and they’re not the same sort as you have, I walked to school with Mary cos she lives two doors away and I suppose Jackie is my best friend since the infants.”
“You must have more friends than that.”
“Not proper friends, a bunch of us would do the shops and stuff but not like you and the girls here, it was mostly hanging round the town watching the lads.”
“But you’ve got friends now,” I pointed out.
“I guess. You on the other hand have a talent for it.”
We were already on the spur down to Ahrweiler, I’ve said before that Mum drives, er fast.

“Morning!” I called out as I entered the bakery next day.
The rest of the gang were already there, as usual the nearest is last!
There were a few guilty looks, what’s going on?
“What’s up?” I queried slipping my coat off.
“Er hi, Gab, P was just telling us about last night,” Steff told me.
“Right,” I agreed, “it’s a bit weird seeing people from England like that.”
“Like visiting distant relations,” Pia suggested.
“I s’pose. Anyone want more coffee?”
I’m sure there’s more to it than that, the guilty looks for one, hmmm.

When I got home Dad was setting up our bikes on the turbo’s.
“Wotcha, spud.”
“Hi.”
“Look, about Mark,” he started.
“It’s okay, I was just surprised.”
“I did know on Friday,” he admitted, “George wanted to surprise the press.”
“It’s okay, honest.”

“It’s good for the team and he won’t be here all the time.”
“Er no,” I agreed, “we not using the new bikes?”
“I thought you could use the old bikes on the trainers, keep the new ones for the road.”
“So we’ve got ‘best’ training bikes,” I grinned.
“Lots of people have a turbo bike, it’s not a very bike friendly activity, all that sweat and damp.” He pointed out.
“I’d best go and change.”
“Not your new kit,” he instructed.
Well if we have bikes dedicated why not clothing, “Er sure.”

“So what’s the verdict?” Hannah enquired.
She’d left me to get Fran’s comments last night so I’d rung tonight to report back.
“She was quite impressed,” I started, “I think they responded to her comments better than me.”
“Don’t take it to heart, Gab, it happens with Garde too if we get someone else in for a session.”
“Well she thinks we’ll be okay for the competition.”
“What about, you know, what we talked about?”
“Depends on convincing Mand really, Lisse is the black spot, in Fran’s words, she’s all ‘knees and elbows’.”
I could almost hear her nodding in agreement, “So we need to work on Amanda, I don’t think Lisse will be an issue.”
“It took me an hour to get her in the uniform last night,” I mentioned.
“Maybe we use more subtle means, yes?”
“Like?”
“Hmm, leave it with me, we’ll talk Friday.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
I ended the call, I wouldn’t put money on convincing Mand, she’s been adamant she only comes for fitness.

“I’ll follow you round in case there’re any issues,” Dad informed us as we prepared for our Saturday morning ride.
“Issues?”
“Everything’s new, there’s bound to be some adjustments to make.”
Yeah, this is our first session on the Pinarello training bikes and in our new strip.
“Can we do the Ring?”
“I suppose so but be careful on that descent, Manda?”
“Yes, Mr B.”
“We don’t want to break anything on the first outing, eh?”
“No, Dad,” I agreed. Well I don’t like breaking bikes but well it happens sometimes, racing’s like that.

It was one of those mornings where the weather isn’t sure what to do, look out the window and it looks fine but outside, well it was a fine drizzle, great. Me and Mand set off ahead of Dad, we were past Rech before a toot alerted us to his presence behind us.

In theory there shouldn’t be any difference apart from the shifters between the new bikes and the old, everything has been set up the same after all. In practice every bike has its own characteristics, maybe a little twitchier, slower or faster acceleration, even comfort, what the magazines call compliance, on rough surfaces. Not only that but previously we were each on different bikes, now they are essentially identical machines which means neither of us has any mechanical advantage.

With the constant drizzle we were soon quite damp despite, well partly because of our waterproofs – never fun. There’s something about riding a new bike, you don’t want it to get dirty, and it’s always better than the old one, always faster, always lighter. Of course in reality those latter points are often in our heads rather than real and you can’t keep a bike pristine if you use it.

“These gears are a bit clunky,” Mand noted as we climbed through the tunnel into Altenahr.
“I wouldn’t say that, firm though,” I opined.

We carefully negotiated the parked cars and Saturday morning traffic through the town; we’d lost our following car before we reached the bridge. Once across the level crossing we picked up the pace a bit, the wider road encouraging a rotation. The pace eased a bit after the Münstereifel turn, the start of several kilometres steady climb.

It’s been a while since I’ve, we’ve ridden this way, in fact not the full circuit for a long time – we got a lift home after Mand’s flying lesson. You forget, not the route but the severity of the gradient, the sharpness of the turns, the way the nature of the road changes out of Adenau and inside the circuit. The twists and turns above Quiddelbach had us out of the saddle to keep the pace up and thankfully the dampness eased to merely damp roads.

I’m not sure when it started but as we approached the top the chattering of my gears took a downward turn when my chain slipped, almost putting me on the deck.

“Whoa!”
“Sugar!” I agreed as I tried to get my shoe re-engaged.
“What’s up?” Dad called from the car, pulling alongside us.
“Gears slipped.”
“There’s a pull in on the top road, can you get there?”
“Should be able to.”

“That should do it,” Dad stated, “Cable stretch, yours okay, Mand?”
“It’s a bit jiggly.”
“Let’s have a look then.”
Dad had brought a workstand; he quickly swapped our bikes over and started checking Mand’s machine.
“So much for new bikes,” Mand sighed.
“It’s only adjustment,” I pointed out, “it’s the same with any new bike.”
“I guess, I’ve never had a brand new bike before,”
“We had the Bianchi’s in Japan,” I pointed out.
“But that was only a loan, this one is mine long term.”
“Uh huh,” I agreed.
“There we go, I’ll do a full check this afternoon,” Dad advised passing Mand her bike.

I guess we were both a little wary when we set off again; we’d turned off the main drag past the circuit before either of us felt inclined to test the bikes again. The Hohe Acht climb had us going at it and then we were on the ten kilometres plus drop towards Ahrbruck. I know we agreed to take it carefully but, well what’s the fun of going down on the brakes.

The road hasn’t improved over the winter, it’s still narrow, bumpy, pot holed and twisty but that’s part of the excitement. Slinging myself low over the bars into an aero tuck, the bike sped up and I’m sure left the tarmac out of the next dip. I was aware of Mand in close attendance, she’s certainly more confident these days; it wasn’t surprising that she came alongside at one point.

Not much traffic uses the road thankfully; we only had to slow to cross one farmer’s pickup on the way down. I did drop the speed as we came into the village and this time Mand did likewise, just as well really – the new brake blocks still needed a bit of bedding in.

“No visiting the farm today,” I joked as we passed the field Mand landed in.
“Bit damp for lying on the grass anyhow,” she replied.

We’d dropped Dad on our wild descent but he rejoined us on the couple of kilometres to Ahrbruck. The surface isn’t any better but the road from here is at least wider and less steep down to the Ahrbruck junction. Once on the main road we turned up the screws for our usual bash back down the valley to Dernau.

Well okay, we were more careful through Altenahr of course but once past the shopping area it was every man, er girl, for themselves. The tunnel spat us into the gorge and I almost overshot the Tanzklub corner, Mand getting the drop and twenty metres on me. We were into Mayschoß before I caught back up to her and if truth be told that was partly because of a slow car holding her up.

I took over the lead; experience says that it’s easier to go from the front than try to get around someone for the Dernau sprint. Head down, full gas I twitched the bike around drains and without thinking bunny hopped that annoying trench across the road as you go into Rech. Then it was my turn to be slowed by the traffic, a car was waiting to turn into the village and oncoming traffic left nowhere to go.

The back wheel locked and started to squiggle on the damp tarmac, we might’ve only been doing forty-five K but when your contact with the road is about four square centimetres it makes for interesting times. Just when I was certain I was gonna hit the car it moved and I was able to slip past. I must’ve distanced Mand a little beforehand as she barrelled straight past me as I tried to get my gear rolling again.

She was away and there was no point in giving chase, the sign was too close so I sat up and dropped into a lower gear to finish the ride. My pulse was racing from the adrenalin rush of the near miss; I hope Dad didn’t see it. Up ahead Mand had taken the sprint uncontested, I’ll get you next time de Vreen!

“Good ride?” Mum asked.
“Er not bad,” I allowed.
“How’re your bikes?”
“Fast,” Mand supplied.
Mum just grinned, the new bike effect.

Maddy Bell 14.06.16