The circuit, I think I mentioned, is quite narrow which played to our plan quite nicely, especially as the Spaniards seemed quite happy for the stupid foreigners to fill the front of the grid. There was a bit more rattle from the MC, then the Mayor had his two penn’ath before a klaxon was sounded and we were off. There was of course the usual cacophany of cleats being engaged and some cheering from the crowd – I was already clipped in having leant against Josh to wait the start.

It wasn’t like the others were deliberately going slow, they just didn’t make a big effort to get away quickly. On the other hand I took off like a blue arsed fly, I had about twenty metres by the first turn. Not that there was time to contemplate anything, I locked my attention on the road and just hammered it.

With all the turns, getting a steady time trial like cadence wasn’t going to happen instead its a case of max power, brake, sprint, brake – well you get the idea. Of course with so many turns even a quite modest lead means you are out of sight fairly quickly which is what we’re banking on today – yep, out of sight, out of mind. I concentrated hard and being on my own was able to use the whole road to get the best lines through those tight cobbled streets.

The longer, wider straights of the main square allowed me to temporarily get in a bit of a tuck and the smoother surface saw me touching fifty K on the slight downhill through the start / finish area. My arrival clearly caught the MC unawares as his gabble went from fill in mode to full on excitable. Well that's my surprise element blown, there might not be screens to give me away but instead he’ll be telling the soon to be chasers every detail of my progress.

Race length is forty kilometres, forty laps that is so about an hour and a half, my computer was showing just two minutes twenty elapsed. I did my best to shut out all the distractions around the circuit and just gave it everything – Dad reckons I can take the lap in five at full gas, i’m not so sure. You might wonder why i’m on my own, why Josh isn’t up here with me, well apparently that’d draw attention to my absence – it’d still be nice to have some help.

Meanwhile, as they say, back in the peloton.

“You reckon she’ll do it?” Claire asked of Manda.
“If anyone can its our Gab.”
“I guess, on the right!”

Daz reacted and slotted onto the would be chasers wheel. Oh the ruse had worked fine until they returned to the square, whatever the MC was spouting had most definitely alerted the competition to the lack of Gaby. It did allow part two of the plan to go pretty much unheeded, well girls just can’t race this fast can they?

Next time through the pit area Dad had the chalk board out, thirty eight seconds, well I guess that's on schedule. Unlike the somewhat sparse support on the previous stages, today we’ve attracted a quite vociferous crowd. I might not be Spanish but I am a tiny girly which apparently makes up for the former, enough that I was cheered on throughout the laps, the plucky girl taking it to the lads.

You’d think a five kilometre effort would be easy after the hundred kilometre plus stages we’ve already done. The reality is that this is much more intense and the constant changes in pace make it harder than a time trial. A lap later and Dad’s board read fifty nine, my rate of advantage has dropped, clearly there has now been some reaction to my absence.

When a lap later the gap had closed to fifty seven it was a bit of a blow, here I am dangling in no mans land, my chances of success are in the balance. We did discuss this last night, how the chasers would be heartened at closing the gap but would they react as expected? Well no point in trying to second guess things, i’ve still got a race to win.

I kept plugging away, lap four, lap five.
“twenty!” Dad called out despite holding his board reading fifty three.

The next lap then, oh I know I said five laps before but that would be perfect world, no Dad is a master at this stuff, reading the opposition, knowing his own riders strengths and planning accordingly. It doesn’t always work of course but he’s got a pretty good success rate. I dug a bit deeper, the grimace on my face being replaced by a wry grin as I thought about what was about to go down.

It took me most of that lap but suddenly there they were, Tal and Gret on the straight ahead of me. In most crits if you are lapped you get pulled out, there’s no chance of taking that lap back but as its a stage of a longer event that rule isn’t being enforced today. Yeah, in theory they still aren’t supposed to give assistance but if we happen to be riding at a similar speed…..

The girls had of course easily slipped back, maybe a little quicker than others finding the pace a little testing, but it wasn’t like they’d stopped to wait. I purposely held off making the connection until we were through the finish area – well we don’t want to raise suspicion with the judges do we?

“Heya,” I allowed as I passed them.
“’bout time Bond,” Gret complained.
“You need a breather?” Tal enquired seeing me freewheel to take a drink.
“Nah, lets get on, after you.”
“Come on then,” Gret sighed as she led Tal back past me.

We couldn’t do a full on rotation but I could sit in behind their rotation which, after being on my own for nearly seven laps, was a huge relief. It wasn’t that we were going slower even, if my comp is to be believed we actually upped the pace, but just that bit of shelter is enough to make all the difference. Ahead of us I could see more back markers, the key to our scheme’s success.

“She’s on!” Mand enthused seeing Dave Bonds ‘OK’ sign as they went past the pit area again.
“’bout time like,” Josh mumbled echoing Gret’s comment a lap or so before.

So far they’d managed to contain all the reaction, the Schauff guys legitimately giving a helping hand. That said they were getting to the point where a more concerted and organised attack would be difficult to counter. Gab’s lead was still hovering around the minute mark but that will hopefully change in the right direction now.

The good thing about backmarkers is their ability to act as stepping stones and indeed carrots to those coming from behind. With the Luchow / Schmidt tandem doing most of the work we soon started to reel those stepping stones in. Of course they were mostly the less capable girls to start with but when we caught a lad I recognised as being top twenty on GC, a puncture victim, we had the start of a train.

With each lap now, Dad was showing us, well me really, moving further ahead of the chasers. It was around mid distance that we rejoined the rear of the peloton, yes! I looked for Sanchez and co but couldn’t see them or several of my friends. Joining the back of the bunch is one thing, moving through it another, it was best part of another lap before I and my companions got up to Mand.

“You made it,” she grinned.
“Yeah,” I allowed, “where’re the others?”
“Chasing down Sanchez, they went about a lap before you got on.”

Sugar. Of course it was always a possibility, well lets face it, it was almost inevitable really. Oh I know i’ve got a lap in hand, about two minutes or so, but they don’t have to take the lap back to throw a spanner in. all that effort and its still uncertain.

The chasers had made rapid progress to start with, according to Dad’s board forty seconds in just a couple of laps. We do have Josh, Jamie, Mikel, Geth and Daz in there, yup all five lads are up there but even with them policing things there is only so much you can do. Meanwhile its left the fairer sex, that's the girls, to control what’s left of the race, talk about messy and complicated.

We were lapping at a good speed, maybe not quite as fast as I was to get the lap but it was still quite intense. I’m sure the lads were doing their best but we were steadily losing ground, a few seconds each lap – if they get too close they’ll smell blood and all that effort could be for nought. That is so not going to happen!

“Mand!” I hissed.
“Wassup?”
“You up for a bash?”
“As in attack?”

I nodded around my bidon.

“Guess so, what’s the plan?”

After setting things up it seemed like an age before the crucial launch time, go too early and we might still lose out, too late well not helpful. No, just like their own countermove it needs to be timed for maximum effect, we aren’t trying for a lap just to be clear of the bunch when they arrive.

“You ready girlfriend?” Mand asked as we crossed the line with five to go.
“As i’ll be, you?”
“I’ll do.”

By Dad’s last time check they’ll be on this bunch imminently, its now or never I guess.

“Next turn then,” I panted.

We’d been sitting about fifth / sixth wheel for a couple of laps, the rest of team ‘Gaby wins’ a bit further back as they’ll be running interference on the chasers. We aren’t even bothered if others get on with our escape, all that matters is that we are clear by some margin. I gave those behind the signal and took a deeper breath as we braked for the 120° turn.

Then it was out of the saddle to get on Mand’s wheel, a clatter of gears behind suggested we might get some company, just because they’d missed the break doesn’t mean those in this group lack ambition. The initial impetus opened a few metres of gap, a gap which was crossed in short order by a French lad and a couple of ‘locals’. Gift horses and all that, Mand continued into the narrow lanes at full gas before assistance came through.

“Come on Gab!”
“Up, up, up!”
“Dig in Mand!”

Yeah our pit crew were giving their enthusiastic support, of course they’ve been doing that all race, there will be some sore throats later. The board said twenty three but I wasn’t quite sure what that referred to, our lead over the bunch, the chasers deficit to the bunch or quite what? Whatever it means its not a lot and I want more.

I might be a lap in front of these guys but they seemed quite keen to not be caught by the others which added impetus to their, our efforts. All five of us were contributing to a fast rotation - at least on the better paved bits, the crowd and the MC seemed a little unsure about what was happening. They were still cheering but maybe less enthusiastically, I just hope the judges are a bit more aware.

A quick glance behind suggested ‘Team Gaby’ had, at least for now, contained any further pursuit as we had half the length of the finishing straight clear. Four to go, we can do this. I took a last draft from my bidon, it would have to be the last as it was now empty, i’m sure I can survive the last eight or nine minutes without another wet.

This time when we passed Dad the board just said C – the chase has caught the main bunch, question now is how quickly will they notice my absence. If they are content to just sit in at the back they’ll get the same time as the front of the group – plus their lap of course. But if they realise i’m missing, well they could potentially steam through and give chase, our lead isn’t huge and could easily be overturned.

Our little train continued chugging along with intent and by the time we’d done the lanes it seems the MC had worked out what was going on, good news, we got more support from the crowd, bad news, our chasers get informed of the situation. The board read thirty three this time, half a minute, its enough if we can keep it but that's a big if. Mand gave me a worried look, I answered with a shrug, what can we do?

Little did I know that there were things going on behind to help. Whilst everyone in the bunch will score the same seconds that only applies if there isn’t any gaps, if there are you get the time of the first rider in the next unbroken string and so on. The girls had a plan, so far the lappers were just sitting on the back, the lads had failed to prevent the connection, it was down to girl power now.

Ding, ding, ding!

One lap to go, twenty six seconds, talk about knife edge. My companions are flagging, i’m flagging, there’s nothing left in tank, I felt in a pocket, yay, two gummi bears! I popped them into my maw, there’s no way they’ll do anything at this point but in my head they were giving me that bit extra. Tired legs pounded over the cobbles again, come on Bond, you can do it.

No board this time, well i’m sure Dad’s legged it to the finish, and then we were into the final straight.

“Good ride Gab,” Mand allowed.
“You too.”

I sat up allowing my companions to draw away, they’d have to do the last lap but at least they won’t count as being lapped. I kept pedalling though, a quick straighten of my jersey, check behind, no one close, arms in the air and a final air punch at the line. Two stages, if i’ve failed to get the overall, i’ve failed in style.

Spotting Dad I rolled to a stop to be engulfed by not just Pater but Caro, Kat, Angela and yes Daz joined in too. I broke the hugs and turned to watch the clock as the rest of the peloton sped towards us. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen – they’re gonna do it, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and the dream was over, Sanchez gave his own air punch as he rolled in mid bunch.

I sagged into Angela’s arms, tears arriving unbidden as she hugged me, so close, just three measley seconds. If I hadn’t sat up, if i’d given it a bit more welly earlier. I started to sob, deep wracking sobs, I’ve failed, I’m useless.

Maddy Bell © 11.05.2018