“Lets hope it doesn't rain tonight.” Anja opined as we wearily made our way into the Haus Hohenpeißenberg.
“At the very least I want to sleep in my bed,” Ron mentioned.
“Yeah,” I agreed.

A night like the last one before the 'big' race won't exactly set us off on the right foot.

“Gut ride ladies?” George queried meeting us in the lobby.
“Its gonna be interesting tomorrow Boss man,” Maria advised.
“Gut, gut, so dinner at seven, Petra will start massages in thirty minutes, schedule on the door.”

Ah yes, a bonus to being with the senior team, a good post ride leg rub, not only that but I'm first on Pet's list which to be fair is in alphabetical order, poor Tali will be last this evening. I won't be anyone's friend though if I'm late so I hurried up stairs to get my shower.

“Ooo!”
“Tight?” Petra asked as she pushed and pulled at my pins.
“Bit,” I allowed.
“You've not pulled it at all?”
“Don't think so.”
“Lets see what we can do.”
“'Kay,” I agreed into the towel I'm leaning on.

The soporific effect of the muscle kneading and manipulation was interrupted several times with twinges of discomfort, have I pulled something then.

“So you still do the dancing stuff?”
“Garde, its not really dancing though.”
“I'm sure your Mutter said something about cheerleading.”
“Oh that, I'm the coach, I don't do the jumping around very much myself.”
“Anything this week?”
I had to think about that, “I did go through a new move with them on Monday.”
“Ah, that's probably it, you've got a small muscle tear here,” she lightly pressed on my inner thigh.
“Ow!”
“You need to be careful if you do that kicking stuff Gaby, good stretching and warm up first eh?”
“We do warm ups.”
“But maybe not enough eh? I'll check it out and maybe put something on it in the morning, right you're done.”
“Thanks.”

I slipped off the table then had to sit on the bed to redress, my legs a little too relaxed for safe one leg knickering! By the time I was ready for public consumption Ron was already on the table.

“Room key's in my shorts.”
“Oh right, cheers,” I rummaged in her shorts, extracting the key card before wobbling out, “see you in a bit.”

You'd think we'd escape team uniform for dinner tonight but George was insistent so I reluctantly went back to our room to dress. When I got inside I checked my Handy, well you do don't you, someone might've called after all, well shiver me timbers there were two missed calls, Mum and Max. dressing can wait, I made myself comfortable on the bed and hit the key to return Mums call.

“Bond.”
“Hi Mum, its Gab?”
“Heya kiddo, I hear congratulations are in order.”
"Only just.”
“It doesn't matter how big the margin is Princess.”
Ooooo! “Guess not, nothing for you?”
“They're younger than me.”
“But you've won the Worlds.”
“That was then Gab's, the girl who won only does time trials.”
“Yeah the other ones on the podium yesterday are specialists, I think they were pretty irked.”
“But I doubt they have your background, all those evenings on Cuckney have paid off eh, what was your course like? it was all lanes here.”
“Well apart from the lack of traffic it was like the O2, down to the turn and a climb back.”
“It was out and back?”
“Yeah.”
“I'm jealous, so your Dad tells me tomorrows course is interesting?”
“Could say that,” I sighed, “there's several K of dirt roads each lap.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“How did Mand get on?”
“Has your Dad not said? I guess not, she needs a new skinsuit.”
“She came off? Is she okay?”
“No she's fine, she won silly, fifteen seconds to your friend Kristen.”
“Excellent!”
“George'll be pleased, I hear Erica took her title too.”
“cool!”
“I need to go eat kiddo, good luck for tomorrow.”
“And you,” I returned.
“And be careful on those tracks.”
“I will, Tschuss”
“Tschuss Gab.”

I shut off my phone, one call down.

I headed to the bathroom for, you know, a wee, when I returned to the main room I could hear knocking on the door.

“You in there Bond?” Ron's muffled tones enquired.
“Hang on,” I requested crossing to let her in, “that was quick.”
“Not really, I was in almost fifteen minutes, what're you up to?”
“Returning a few calls, Mand and Erika both won too.”
“I knew about E, cool for Manda.”
“How'd you know about Erika?”
“She messaged everyone on the team last night.”
“No one said.”
“Probably thought everyone knew.”

I guess us juniors just aren't in the loop.

“Well I need to ring Max now.”
“You want me to get scarce?”
“Nah, I promise not to get too mushy.”
“This I have to see.”

“Heya Gab!”
“Wassup?”
“Eh?”
“you called a bit back?”
“Oh right, just glück for tomorrow really.”
“Er thanks, that it?”
“Well I wouldn't mind a snog.”
“I'm in Bavaria Max, how's that work?”
I could almost hear him shrug, “it was only a thought.”
Daft flippin' thought, “so what're you doing tonight?”
“Working, pity you aren't here, its one of dad's English nights, you?”
“Dinner then just hanging out I guess.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“It was last night, we had the mother of thunder storms, we all ended up sleeping in the lounge.”
“What for?”
“Duh, it was too noisy upstairs.”
“Oh right, hang on.” I could hear some exchange off phone then my man's voice returned, “soz, I need to go, Dad's after me.”
“'Kay,”
“So like good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
“'MAX!'” even I heard that across the airwaves, “have to go, he's yelling now, bye.”
“Tschussie,” I offered in return adding a 'mwah!' before he closed the call.

“That sounded interesting and I only heard one side,” Roni opined.
“Not really, he's working tonight.”
“Doing what?”
“His dad's restaurant, working tables and stuff.”
“I thought his family were some sort of toffs?”
“I guess but they still need to make a living.”
“Suppose so,” she allowed, “damn, we'd best get ready.”
“Its only just turned six,” I noted after checking my timepiece.
“My point exactly.”

We weren't the first to the dining room and I was surprised to see what, if I'm not very much mistaken, white wine being consumed.

“What's with the wine?”
“Wine?” Tina queried.
“Its not wine Gab,” Anja being a bit quicker on the uptake advised.
“Looks like wine,” I observed.
“Elderflower presse, try it.”
“Petra makes it up for us,” Maria mentioned as I seated myself.

The presse was actually pretty good, sort of like a flowery cordial, it turned out to be the highlight of the meal. How do you muck up Tagliatelle al Pollo? Well it was eatable but the pasta was glutinous, the sauce watery and the chicken was doing a Pimpernel. The Strudel afterwards was better if a little over spiced for my taste not that anyone was complaining, we're not paying for it ourselves, a luxury most of our fellow competitors don't have.

“You speak to your mother?” Dad asked as we found seats in last nights sleeping quarters.
“Yeah.”
“She said she'd call on your mobile.”
“Had to call her back, I was with Pet when she rang.”
“Talking of which, she mentioned you've torn a muscle?”
“More of a pull,” I proposed.
“You need to be more careful kiddo.”
“I do try, she said something about putting something on it in the morning.”
“Hmm, okay.”

It was a strange atmosphere in the lounge, officially of course tomorrow is an individual race, every rider for themselves, no team orders. But of course there will be some team connivance going on, in the senior race more than the junior. It also puts George and especially Dad in an awkward position, they can't really insist on team riding but success on these Bavarian roads will go to the strongest team, not the best rider necessarily.

“So is there a plan?” I asked.
“Not as such, there's only three of you.”
“And?”
“And you can't control ninety odd others, Gret and Tali will do what they can, I expect you to do the same if one of them is in position.”
“'Kay,” I allowed, “that it?”
“That's it,” he confirmed.

Guess I'm on my own then.

Maddy Bell © 19.08.2017