Coming out and stepping down

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Photo Credit: Provided by PB.
 

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Chapter 8
 

“Danke für alles, das Sie getan haben, Mike.”

Dave thanked Mike as he brought up the last piece of luggage. Both he and Jenny were very appreciative for all the help he had given them during their move.

“Ich weiß, daß es ein Uhr ist, aber Sie mögen ein Kaffee oder einen Tee?” Jenny offered as she was putting on the kettle.

As it was one in the morning, Mike politely declined the offer of a coffee and instead bid everyone a good night.

With Mike gone, Jenny put four teas on the dining room table. Despite the time, everyone was wide-awake with excitement. By moving all their clothes and a few things for the apartment over the last few weeks Dave had been coming to Germany, the only thing they had to unpack was the single box and the clothes they brought with them. George gave Dave the day off, knowing full well it would be quite late when they got in.

“I’d like to go see George to see how soon he can put us in touch with his cousin,” Jenny suggested to Dave.

“Absolutely,” Dave agreed.

“I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking about retiring from competition and taking George up on his offer.” Silence followed Jenny’s announcement.

“Why Mum?” Gaby finally asked as she moved to stand beside her chair.

“For the simple reason that I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as I was. Neither my strength nor my stamina’s returning as fast as we hoped … and if it ever did … I’m afraid that at this rate I’d be too old to be a serious competitor,” Jenny softly explained while keeping one arm around Gaby’s waist.

“Now don’t look at me like that, young lady … pouting won’t change anything … and I have no intention of leaving the team.”

“Then what’ll you do if you’re not ridin’?” Gaby quietly asked.

“George has already offered me the position of Training Director and Head Coach for the Apollinaris Youth Program ... if I decide to retire from competition…”

“…That means I’d be working directly with both you and your Dad. You, of course, as one of the cyclists in the program ... and your ol’ Dad would be my boss,” Jenny smugly reasoned with Gaby.

“Kewel … I guess. But you can’t stop … you’re the World Champion!”

“I know … but let’s face it, sweetheart. If we were racing against each other, tomorrow … I daresay it wouldn’t even be close … and if it was longer than 30km I probably wouldn’t even be able to finish!”

“You’ll get better…” Gaby despretely reasoned.

“No … it’s far better to go out when you’re on top than to be forced out as a shadow of your former self. Unfortunately, people don’t always remember your best races … just the most recent,” Jenny lovingly countered.

Gaby reluctantly contemplated her mother’s words until Jenny interrupted her thoughts.

“I know how you must feel, kiddo … but that’s life and it’s not always fair,” Jenny quietly offered while gently pulling her upset daughter into a warm hug. “Anyway, George’s agreed to see how I’m feeling at the end of the season, before I have to give him an answer.”

Previously Gaby had only heard her mother hint at the possibility of retirement, but this was the first time she’d heard her admit that her return to competion was not going as well as hoped.

“I used to dream that you and I’d be riding together in a stage race … as teammates … that’ll never happen now, will it?”

“Ya know what, kiddo? I don’t know about Maria … but I bet in a few years, if you continued to ride and decided to turn pro … Tina would probably still be around … George says she’s going to be irreplaceable if she keeps improving like she has.” Gaby smiled as she remained in her mother’s arms.

“Anyway … I’ve not made my final decision and won’t until Dr. Dieter gives me his opinion,” Jenny observed.

“This reminds me, we should get you into see him as well. He’s going to have to come up with some kind of plan until you can get back on the bike.”

As they finished their tea, Jenny made a suggestion.

“I think we should all turn in … we’ve a busy day ahead tomorrow. Your dad and I need to see George … and we (looking at Gaby) have to talk to George … as well as the doctor … plus we still have to tackle those thousands of little things that have be done when you move.

The girls had started to head off to their room when Jenny called them back.

“Kids?”

When they returned, Jenny gave each girl a warm hug and a peck on the cheek.

“Thank you for helping your dad and I. Now off you go … we’ll follow in a few minutes.”

“It’ll be really cramped with the four of us in this small apartment … but it‘s worth it … we’re all together again!” Jenny thoughtfully mentioned to Dave as she turned out the lamp on her night table. He held the covers for her as she crawled onto the bed and snuggled up against him.

It was mid-morning before the family awoke and prepared to drive to the training facility. Dave and Jenny knew the team was only in town for a few days before departing on April 1 for Belgium and the Tour des Flandres, so anything they had to do with George or the doctor had to be done quickly, assuming that either of them had the time to spare.

“Hurry up, girls. We’ll grab a proper lunch with the team,” Dave urged as he walked past their bedroom door.

“Brill!” An excited voice emanated from the girl’s shared bedroom.

A short time later Dave was going over the short list he had prepared of girls he thought would be good candidates for the Youth Program, with George. He was hoping to finalize arrangements and meet with at least two of them while the team was in Belgium.

Meanwhile, Jenny and Gaby were with the team's doctor. Gaby’s physical was set for when the team returned from Holland, on April 12 and Jenny scheduled her own physical before the team departed for Belgium.

“Before I forget ... I want both of you to know that I already haf your records from your doctor in Worsop ... Dr. Sanwari, ja?”

“Does George have to know everything?” Gaby nervously wondered.

“Doktor/patient confidentiality, Gabi. I can’t tell a soul unless you allow me to. George has the right to know the fitness level of those on his team … but he doesn’t need to know their medical history unless it directly affects the well-being of that team member … and even then … only as it relates to their performance levels … und I don’t see how your … situation … would affect your riding,” Dr. Dieter quietly told her as they all sat in his office.

“Then … he won’t know about …?” Gaby asked.

“Nein … all he has to know is that you’ve had some major surgery that would require some extended recovery time … und, of course … my recommendations for a training program in light of your surgery,” Dr. Dieter explained.

“However … it might be a good idea to be up-front and let George know … just as a courtesy … don’t you agree doctor?” Gaby quickly turned her head and glared at her mother, sitting beside her.

“Muuummm!”

“Ja. Personally speaking … I think it would. You do not haf to do it, if you do not want to, Gabi … but if you are worried that it might stop you from competing … I tell you this. Speaking as the doktor of an Elite cycling team, I can say under current UCI cycling rules … your medical history would have absolutely no affect on your eligibility to compete. You are female … both physically and legally … period!”

“If you do tell George, you will not be facing him alone … your Mama vill be with you. I also vill be there to confuse him with all the medical details und convince him that there ist no problem of you competing under UCI cycling rules,” Dr. Dieter playfully explained.

“But … I also need you to tell me that you agree to tell him. I can’t say a thing without you … Verstehen Sie?” Dr. Dieter asked to be sure she understood everything he had told her.

“Dear … by being up-front with George … you’re helping him in the event someone tries to embarrass you … or the team. You understand where I’m coming from?” Jenny added.

“Yeah,” Gaby quietly acknowledged. “Can we do it now … before I ‘chicken out’?”

“Ja … we can do that,” Dr. Dieter calmly agreed and then the three rose up from their chairs and proceeded to leave his office.

On their way to George’s office, Jenny peered into Dave’s open door and asked him to come along. A couple of minutes later, the four of them were standing in front their boss and briefing him about Gaby’s medical status and the true nature of her surgery.

After hearing her story, George sat in silence for several long, agonizing minutes. Gaby was positive the longer he remained silent, the worse his reaction would be for her or her parents, maybe even firing them from their jobs!

As far as she was concerned, the scowl on his face wasn’t helping matters either. Despite his appearence, George was crumbling under Gaby’s anxious stare.

“Fräulein Bond! … Gabi … gekommen zu mir, bitte.”

George kept looking at Gaby as he walked to the end of his desk and opened his arms to her. She glanced nervously at her mum for some kind of guidance and when she nodded, got out of her chair and went to get a bear hug from the boss.

”Willkommen Gabi und danke, dass sie mir das erklaert haben.”

George softly thanked Gaby for telling him and acknowledged it must have been difficult for her, considering the very personal nature of her disclosure. Following the meeting, the Bond's and the Doctor parted company.

“Dr. Dieter’s nice, Mum … I like him. Can he be our doctor?” Gaby softly asked her mother as they walked back to Dave’s office.

“He’s certainly a good doctor and he knows how to deal with people … but unfortunately he can’t be our family doctor ... he’s here for the team and only the team,” Jenny allowed.

“Mum? I need to know the truth … was he…?” Gaby quietly pleaded after a short period of deep thought. Jenny felt a knot in her stomach as she gently ushered her daughter into Dave’s office and closed the door.

Jules had been waiting patiently in the office for their return and now with the whole family now looking on, Jenny sat down in a chair beside both girls and finally told them the truth.

“No, dear … none of that ever happened … an’ that’s God’s truth …” Jenny had tears in her eyes as she held Gaby’s hand while nervously glancing at the other two.

“It was all a lie …a lie told by a stupid … scared little girl … whose ego couldn’t stand the thought of anyone seeing that she was as frail as they were … and that she was dying. (sniff) I thought if I could make you hate me and drive you away with a divorce from your father … you wouldn’t worry about me. Talking on the phone was one thing … but … after I saw for myself what I was doing to you guys … I decided to come clean and ask your dad if he’d take me back.”

After her confession, Jenny only wanted to hold both her girls and tell them much how she loved them but the mood was broken when she heard George knocking on Dave’s closed door.

“How do I look, girls?” Jenny quickly asked.

“You look fine Mum,” Gaby whispered. “Mum? It’s okay … we still love you.”

A short time later they found themselves sharing a table with George in the team’s dining room.

“Maria! Sitzen Sie mit uns,” Jenny called out with an invitation to join them as she was passing their table.

“Danke ... Hallo Gabi … Jules,” Maria replied as she set down her tray on the table. “Anudder visit or haf you now moved to Bad Neuenahr?”

Before everyone got too involved with their food, George decided it was time and stood up to inform everyone that he was calling a short meeting of the entire team following lunch. After he sat down and had started eating, he casually informed the Bond’s that they were expected to attend since they were the reason for the impromptu meeting. A short while later, conversation turned to his cousin Stefan. George suggested that he should meet with the Bond's as soon as possible and then promptly placed a call on his mobile. After he hung up, he informed them that Stefan would be at his place later that evening.

Later at the meeting, George informed the ‘room’ that the Bond’s were now living in Bad Neuenahr and for the first time, the entire team heard the real story behind Jenny’s abrupt disappearance from the team and her bout with cancer.

“Depending on Dr. Dieter's advice, I hope to be rejoining the rest of you on the race circuit … maybe for next season,” Jenny concluded.

George also took the opportunity to officially welcome Gaby to the ‘home’ of both the Team Apollinaris and the junior development program.

“Until your Papa und I can draw up a training plan for the Youth Project, you vill train mit der pro team,” George told Gaby.

“I don’t mind,” Gaby beamed.

When the meeting was about to break up, George again requested everyone’s attention.

“Aufmerksamkeit Leute, bitte.”

“There’s one bit of business we forgot to cover … can Jenny und der family come back up here? … Mike?”

As they came back up to join George at the front of the room, Mike entered the room wheeling a bike.

George continued, ‘Look familiar, Gabi?”

“My bike!” she exclaimed. Jenny felt a tinge of pride when she saw the happiness on Gaby’s face as she rushed over to take it from Mike.

“This bike was custom-made for Gabi by Diane Biggs of Biggs Fabrications in Virginia, to ride in the Atlanta Winter Classic last month … und I’m sure Tina or Maria has told you all about that,” George explained with a grin.

As she turned to her dad, it occurred to her that she never actually saw Diane take the bike back with them to Grottoes and that the last time she did see it was when her dad had it at their hotel.

“You kept it after you showed Mum … didn’t you?” Gaby asked as she hugged her dad.

“Only until I passed it to George,” Dave replied with a smile as he shifted her gratitude back to George.

“I’ll have to email Diane and Erin, later. You knew they were going to do this … didn’t you Mum?” Gaby rushed over to where her parents were standing and gave them both a big hug.

The rest of the day went quickly. During the short time they were with the team, Jules was finally able to meet all the people she had only heard about and get a glimpse of what her mum actually did with the team.

That evening, Stefan joined the Bond’s at his cousin’s home.

“I’ve finished putting together a proposal for the house we discussed at your last visit, Dave.” Stefan had prepared a PowerPoint presentation that a virtual tour of a similar design, as well as a CD copy that the family could take with them. “There ist some leeway for customization und so I ask that you und Jenny think about what you might like to see as we go through the presentation.”

Together, they spent time going through the floor plan, room by room. When it came to the girl’s bedrooms, both parents looked to Gaby and Jules for suggestions. Stefan also outlined the various financial packages available and since Jenny and Dave had already discussed their finances between them, it was only a matter of presenting themselves to the bank.

Since Jenny was still on the team, George decided to mix some business in the evening discussions and asked her to tag along on their remaining race dates. As neither of the girls were currently in school, Jenny and Dave gave them the choice of tagging along for the remainder of the season or fly back to Warsop and stay with Carol until school commences in the Fall.

Pleas of ‘can we go mum?’ and ‘muuummm’ arose from the two girls before Jenny could answer. Her smile answered for her as Dave grasped her hand and nodded his head as he looked at her.

Her smile answered for her as Dave grasped her hand and nodded his head in agreement.

“I guess it’s unanimous, then … count us in, George … Dank.” Jenny cheerfully replied.

“Dave … I expect you to help Mike mit the bikes during the races … but I also think you might have some time to work on the Youth Project … Ja?” George mentioned.

“Assuming we are approved by the bank … shouldn’t I stay behind while the house is being built?” Jenny asked as she looked to Dave.

“We vill be back a few times before Stefan finishes the house, so you will have plenty of opportunity to inspect it during construction und to talk to him, if that ist what you are worried about,” George pointed out.

After he unfolded a copy of the team’s 2004 race schedule, he highlighted the breaks he mentioned for the next three months before he handed it over to Jenny and Dave. He specifically commented on the break in June.

“Looking at the team’s schedule und assuming Stefan can get it completed late June as he claims … there ist a two week window that the team will be back in Bad Neuenahr, between … ummmm … June 16th und June 28th. That should give you time to move into your new home,” George allowed while taking a friendly dig at his cousin.

“We still have to get you girls registered in school before we leave,” Jenny reminded the girls “You girls realize you could walk there from the flat … but if we get the house before school starts … you’ll have to do like Kat does … and either cycle in the good weather or take the train back into town.”

“Where?” Gaby asked.

“Bad Neuenahr Are-Gymnasium,” Jenny replied. Seeing Gaby’s confusion, she explained it was the area secondary school that served the region around the city.

“There’s a train?” Jules asked, going back to something her mum said earlier.

“Thought that’d get your attention,” Jenny smiled.

“You could drive us on the way to work…” Gaby playfully suggested as Jules looked on.

“We’ll see,” Dave and Jenny flatly chorused together.

“Maria has to get Kat registered for her courses before we leave … so we should be able to get you two sorted at the same time,” Jenny mentioned. “Hopefully they’ve got your records by now.”

Two days later, the Bond’s took the Pinger’s out to dinner.

“Everything’s set with the bank and Stephan told us they can begin construction sometime mid-April. Providing they have no delays, he says we should be able to move in late July,” Dave announced as he got ready to toast their friends.

“Here’s to … neighbours!”

On the remaining day leading up to the team’s departure for Belgium, Jenny enrolled the girls into their new school. During their visit, both girls were praised for their efforts to-date to learn the German language by several of the teachers that they met.

Once they were back at the Pinger’s, Jenny and Gaby decided to confide with Maria and Kat, repeating what they had told George.

“Maddy almost had me thinking you were a boy … but something told me you were a girl,” Kat admitted.

“Seems there was a lot of that going around,” Gaby sarcastically mumbled.

“What about Maddy? You und her were very close, ja?” When Kat innocently asked the question moments later, Gaby’s mood fell.

“I dunno,” Gaby quietly admitted. She then told Kat about Maddy’s behavior on their trip to America and what happened at her birthday.

“Despite everything she’s done to me … I still love her … an’ in my heart … I feel she still loves me, but … I really dunno.”

“You still like Maddy? But …you just said you are a girl.”

“I can’t help it Kat. I’m not interested in being with a boy … an’ I can’t just forget her because all of a sudden we’re both girls … it’s not like turning off a light switch or sumpthin’. An’ I just know someday we’ll be back together. Don’t ask me how I know that … I just do.”

Kat sat on the floor, staring at her friend in an awkward silence while both mothers looked on.

“I’m sorry, Kat ... but that’s just the way I feel.”

After a minute or two, Gaby pressed the issue further while looking directly at her friend.

“I thought it’d be better if you and your mum heard it from me … rather than find out later by someone talkin’ ‘bout me and get upset.”

“Dank, Gabi … We know you as long as we know your mama und we know the kind of person you are … it does not bother me,” Maria replied. “Does it bother you Katia?”

“Nein … I don’t care if you like girls or not, Gabi … you are mein friend,” Kat softly replied as she gave her friend a hug.

“…But why would Maddy do that to you after all you meant to each other?” Kat wondered as she tried to change the conversation back to Maddy.

“That’s anybody’s guess!”

Jenny decided to rescue her daughter from further questioning form Kat by turning the conversation to learning what subjects her girls had chosen.

“So… let’s see what you girls ended up with.” Gaby gave her mum the course list that she decided upon with help of one of the school’s counsellors.

“Hmm ... Math, German, English, History, Political Education, Geography, P/E and French … nice. What made you take French as your second mandatory foreign language?”

“How useful is Latin?” Gaby smugly replied?

“Point taken,” Jenny allowed.

“Here’s my optional subjects!” Gaby pointed them out to her mother.

“Biology, Chemistry, Computers, Art and … Drama … good choices … interesting … but good...” Jenny quipped. “… But when we saw Frau Meer, didn’t she say that you also needed to take two subjects at the ‘advanced levels’?”

“I have … Math and Computers,” Gaby replied.

“Oh … well … at least your ol’ mum might be able to help you in Geography … an’ I see they wrote a note here saying that you’re exempted from P/E because of your riding ... not bad!”

“Now, what about you Jules?” Jenny asked as she turned her attention to her oldest daughter.

“I’ve got Physics, Math, English, German and Political Education … Chemistry and Computers are my optional subjects … and before you ask … Chemistry and Math are my two ‘advanced level’ courses,” Jules proudly pointed out.

“I see you managed to also get two spare periods a week,” Jenny questioned.

“What can I say?” Jules replied as she tried to stifle a huge grin.

“Just don’t abuse them, young lady,” Jenny sternly warned, along with the hint of a smile.

Talking to the girls about seemingly trivial things like registering for school, made her realize just how much she missed because of her cycling. The move to Germany not only meant the family was together again, but also it gave her another chance to be a wife and mother and she wasn’t about to throw away a second time.

When Dr. Dieter finally saw Jenny, he gave her a complete physical and ran several tests to gauge her strength and endurance. In the end, she was given a training plan designed to gradually reintegrate her with the team, with the goal of having her return to competition for the following season. This included weight training as well as increasingly longer training rides, with the team.

Dave spent a fair bit of his days prior to the team’s departure, on the phone finalizing details for meeting the girls and their parents as well as assisting Mike in getting the bikes and other equipment ready to travel.

Never to miss an opportunity to keep the team in the papers, George made it known that the mother-daughter duo would be traveling with the team and would be made available to the media. Gaby was also drafted by her dad to help promote the Apollinaris Youth Project whenever he met with the various cycling clubs.

Following Maria’s overall win at the Novilon Internationale Damesronde van Drenthe in Holland, the team returned home for a week’s stay and then it was back to Belgium for the Grande Prix de Wallonie.

First thing Gaby did upon her return was keep her scheduled appointment with Dr. Dieter.

“Gabi … it ist hard to belief that it has only been seven weeks since your surgery … everything looks great! However, it ist better to err on the side of caution, so I think you should continue to rest up for another month or two. Anyway you care to look at it, you’ve had major surgery und your body needs time to recover. I want to see you every two weeks, so I can monitor your progress … Verstehen Sie?”

“Ja.”

“Now you can get dressed and join your Mama and I in my office,” Dr. Dieter told her as he turned for the examination room door.

When she joined them, the doctor handed both her and Jenny his proposed training regimen to follow Gaby’s recovery. He planned to bring her back up to her previous level of training on a gradual scale, at least until both of them were confident that there were no problems.

After the team once again left Bad Neuenahr, Jenny would often accompany them on their regular pre-race training rides. Her performance during each ride was closely monitored by both George and Dr. Dieter, but probably not any closer than by Jenny herself. At nights she would talk with Dave and the doctor about her progress and how she felt after each ride.

It was after one such training ride while they were in Montreal for the Grand Prix Feminine International du Canada that she approached Dr. Dieter for his medical opinion. After spending some time alone and thinking about what she had been told, she finally made her decision. Following an impromptu family meeting, Jenny and Dave went and informed George.

“You’re sure this ist what you want?” George asked.

“Yes … I’m sure,” Jenny confidently replied.

Although it wasn’t her first choice, given her current health and her age, Jenny knew it was the correct choice. Dave and the girls had let her live her dream, but now it was time to let go. In the end, she took comfort in the fact she was still going to be involved in the sport she loved and being able to share her knowledge with those just starting out.

On one hand, George hoped Jenny would change her mind, but deep down he agreed with her that it was the right decision. With a bit of reluctance in his voice, he offered to set up a press conference for the next day, so she could make an official announcement. He was saddened that he was losing a great asset to the team but at the same time welcomed her into her new position. As she and Dave went off to inform the rest of Team Apollinaris, George began making arrangements for her to meet the press.

Following the next day’s training ride for the upcoming Grande Prix, George and the Bond family followed Team Apollinaris into the hotel’s conference room that served as a temporary press room for the race coverage.

“Ladies und Gentlemen of the press, bitte? … Danke. My name, for those of you who don’t know, ist George Müller. I am the Direktor of Team Apollinaris. The purpose for this press conference ist to allow our own Jenny Bond to make an announcement … I would hasten to point out that following her statement, there will be no questions taken. Danke,”

Once George had called the press conference to order, Jenny and the rest of her family took their seats at the tables on the stage at the front of the pressroom.

“Afternoon…” Jenny spoke in a sombre tone.

“Before I proceed, my name is Jenny Bond … that’s J-e-n-n-y B-o-n-d … I’d like to introduce my family … on my far left is my oldest daughter Jules … that’s J-u-l-e-s … and my husband Dave … on my right is my youngest daughter … Gaby. I’m sure many of you know of her by now … but for those that don’t … that’s G-a-b-y.”

Jenny looked up from her prepared statement and crumpled it into a ball. Slowly scanning the assembled media, her first words took the journalists and TV crews by surprise.

“I’m a cancer survivor!” After the initial murmuring among the gathered media died down, Jenny continued.

“Last year … I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and by New Year … I was considered to be Stage IV. Shortly thereafter, I underwent surgery in a last-ditch effort to remove it. It was obviously successful, but it’ll be a while yet before they can give me a clean bill of health, but the fact that I’m here and so-far, remaining cancer-free must account for something. However … I have to admit that my recovery on the bike has not been all I had hoped for…”

Jenny closed her eyes and momentarily paused to compose herself and get strength from her family as she squeezed Dave’s hand for support.

“…And after lengthy consultations with the team’s doctor and with George, here … plus my family … I’ve decided not to defend my World Champion title and to retire from competition … effective immediately. This does not mean I’m walking away from the sport … just the competition.”

After the words were spoken, she sat upright in her chair, away from the microphone that was in front of her and dabbed her eyes, generally regaining her composure. After a few minutes, she continued.

“Sorry people … but ... even after all the time I spent thinking and talking about it … it’s still not an easy thing to say … so please bear with me if I get a bit emotional.”

After taking a sip of her water, Jenny continued, sounding more confident as she went along.

“The good news is that I’ll be remaining with the Apollinaris organization. As of now … I have assumed the dual role of Head Coach and Training Director for the Team Apollinaris Youth Project. After I’m through here … I’ve been told that George will give you a little more insight as to what I’ve taken on. As for my family and I … we look upon my retirement with mixed feelings. Of course, I’ll miss the competition … which I loved … but when I was competing … it meant I was away from my family for months at a time. With my new position, I’ll be able to spend more time with them and that by itself is worth it!”

She finished her statement by saying, “I want to publicly thank my family for all the support they’ve given me in letting me pursue my dream of pro cycling and especially for the love and support they’ve given me since first being diagnosed with cancer ... without that … I’m sure that I wouldn’t have had the will that let me be here today … and I also have to thank George Müller and the entire Team Apollinaris organization for their belief in me … right from the start ... Danke…”

Following her statement, Jenny stood up and faced the team standing along a wall near the raised stage and acknowledged their presence by blowing a kiss to all of them. Dave and the girls then stood up and quickly embraced Jenny in a family hug.

As the media threw out questions for her, George walked up to the front of the room and restored some order then joined the others at the head table.

A silence fell on the room as both George and Dave started to cover the Youth Project in detail. Although news of the project was not new, this was the first time that George was able to outline more than the concept. In addition to Jenny’s aforementioned position, he named Dave as the overall Director for the Project. The three of them then spent some time going over how the idea started, the concept and goals of the program as well as who was eligible to participate. When asked, Jenny could only speculate on the training the girls could expect in the program, but she emphasized it would also largely depend on the skills they brought with them.

Finally, George once more directed the attention in the room to Gaby as he again proudly showcased her as the first participant in the program. She felt like sliding under the table when he introduced her, but she fielded any and all questions with both the confidence and delivery of a ‘media veteran’, having been through the media scrum before.

The following day, the Grand Prix Feminin International du Canada was run. Just before the race, they held a final strategy meeting in the coach allotted to the team while in Montreal . As they were about to adjourn and head out to the start line, Maria entertained a final motion. Following a token discussion, they unanimously resolved to win, if not put someone on the podium … for Jenny.

After a bit more than four hours in the saddle, the road race came down to a final 200-meter sprint. If Maria’s chain hadn’t broken, the team might have well swept the podium with a 1, 2, 3 finish. In the end, they were satisfied with Tina taking overall first and although a cyclist from Univega Pro Cycling edged out Ilsa for second place, she was more than happy to take the third place finish.

Now it was off to Italy and the Giro del Trentino Alto Adige-Südtriol and then back home to Bad Neuenahr for two weeks before heading back to Italy for the Giro d’Italia Femminile.

Right up until the first day of school, Jenny’s impromptu German lessons continued. Individual members of Team Apollinaris helped out whenever they could, reinforcing her lessons and encouraging the girls to communicate in German. Maria even supplied a few of Kat’s paperbacks for reading material.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...