A few minutes later Leon was driving us back out into the countryside.

“How far is the course,” Tony enquired as we joined a bit of motorway signed intriguingly for Toronto and Niagra.
“About an hour,” Annika told us.
“Really? Thought we’d be closer,” I mentioned.
“It would be nice but the accomodation was much higher priced,” we were advised, “so, we won’t be the only ones testing today, there isn’t time to set up and ride the whole course, we’ll drive around and then spend some time on the more technical sections okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Tony allowed.
“Gaby?”
“Um, sure, any chance of a short test, say ten K?”
“Leon?” Annika queried.
“Should have time,” he agreed.
 
“Good idea for the test,” Tony noted as we drove east.
“I’ve not done a proper trial since the Nationals,” I admitted.
“Me either,” he allowed, “you don’t have the team suit on?”
“Thought i’d give the National strip a ride out,” I advised lifting my T to show him, “its not had an airing yet.”
“The Weltmeister has priority of course.”

He was of course referring to the title the pair of us have been sharing since Roskilde last year, almost my last race before Gaby became a permanent fixture. If only I hadn’t skidded off i’m sure i’d have won cleanly instead of getting the same time to three points. There can’t be a repeat this year of course, he’s a lad and i’m, well not.
 
“So what do you think?” Annika asked.
“I’d like to go over that climb,” Tony suggested.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “maybe the approach to the finish?”
“It does look a bit technical that last bit,” boss lady noted.
“Just a suggestion,” Leon put in, “how about do the test over the last ten kilometres, kill two birds?”
I shrugged, “good for me.”
“Okay,” Tony added.
“Will they let us ride through the finish?”
“Maybe not to the line Gaby, we’ll get as close as we can eh?” Annika smirked.
 
We did spend a little time setting up, well more like making sure the bikes were rebuilt to the figures we both ride on fit wise. Then it was time to get ready for our impromptu effort, a no holds barred head to head event. We dropped Annika off in the finish area then Leon drove us back along the course to a suitable spot, there were quite a few others out on the road, some doing efforts, others not even on TT bikes just rolling around.

“Nice helmet Bond.”
I snugged up the chin strap, “its new.”
“Won’t help, i’ll still beat you,” Tony stated.
“Maybe.”
“Okay you two, who’s going first?” Leon asked.
“Ladies first.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, after you.”
Before he could argue Leon spoke again, “settled, five minutes warm up then we’ll start at two minutes same as tomorrow.”
I shrugged, “okey dokem glück Martin.”
“Glück,” my nemesis returned.
 
Our timing was gonna be a bit convoluted using Annika and Leon’s mobile phones to link start and finish, Leon would hold us and we’d start on Annika’s countdown from the other end. Yeah, not ideal but at least its just one time keeper, sufficient for our purposes.

I watched Tony settle for the start, Leon straddling his rear wheel to make sure he was vertical. I couldn’t hear the countdown, but Tony nodded his head slightly when it started so I started my comp as he got the go, now its a simple calculation for me. I slowly rolled up to our ‘start’ line as he disapearred up the road.

“Ready Gaby?” Leon queried.
“Yep, he should start in a lower gear,” I observed as I rolled into place.
“Agreed, he was straining a bit there, i’ll speak with Annika after. Up?”
“Anytime,” I told him.
“I’ll have to hold your saddle,” he warned.
“Okay.”

Just one hazzard of being, er smaller, at least he warned me before I felt his hands brush my shorts. Once he had me securely in his grip I clipped in and shuffled into position.

“One minute,” Annika’s voice tinnily advised.

I checked the helmet visor was locked in place before watching as my bike computer displayed each digit in the run up to my start.

“Five, four, three, two, one, go!”

If Tony was in too high a gear, maybe I was too low, my rear tyre skipping a little as I laid down the power from out of the saddle. Today its about ten K, call it six miles, for tomorrow’s twenty eight I can start slightly more conservatively. What’s not fair tomorrow is that the lads get to do ten kilometres more – talk about sexist!
 
The almost straight through cassette let me accelerate smoothly and from starting in one from bottom in just a couple of hundred metres I was in eighth and the comp was showing almost forty kph. I made an effort to calm my breathing, it always goes silly at the start, the heart rate monitor reading suggested I hit two hundred and five BPM, bit high to hold for more than a minute or two. The road was clearly newly surfaced and clean, my tyres pinged along nicely, a slight tailwind adding some free speed as I started the first of several rolling rises.

Time trialling is all about pacing but to be honest, ten kilometres is more of an all out sprint. I tried to keep a lid on things over the first couple of kilometres but when I spotted what looked like Tony off in the distance I decided to just go for it. When the speed climbed over fifty on a longer descent I wanged it into top and went for it, I recognised the road, the climb back out is pretty short.

Momentum helped of course, I lost a sprocket as I slowed towards the top, not that my effort reduced. Of course theres no way i’ll catch Martin for two minutes and i’d lost him, if it was him, from sight as quickly as i’d glimpsed him. I kept the hammer down, the clock on the bars ticked over fourteen minutes, twelve minutes race time, how much further?

Is that an eight or nine on the distance line? Must be eight, twelve’d be about right for eight K. Not too shabby, the HRM was bobbling around the two hundred mark which according to Dad is in my anaerobic level five – in short there’s a finite time you can go at this effort. The legs were starting to complain and the first edges of red started to encroach on my view of the road.

Come on Gab, you can do it! Then suddenly I was in the finish zone, the barriers lining the road, the scaffold already holding the timing for tomorrow and there, a few metres before the line, Annika almost bouncing. Is there anything more in the tank, dunno, only one way to find out, I stood up but there was no more, no more anything actually, I freewheeled past totally spent.
 
I felt more than saw hands grab me as I slowed to a halt amongst a lot of exciteable voices.

“Easy girl, deep breaths,” Leon told me – how did he get here in front of me? “can someone get her bike?”

I felt myself being lifted then set down on the ground before my helmet was awkwardly removed.

“Here,” a bottle was pushed between my lips.

I sucked at the liquid and gradually my breathing and senses came back under control.

“She okay? Should we call an ambulance?” someone asked in what I think was English.
I sort of waved a hand, “Nein, Gut.”
“She’ll be okay I think,” Annika mentioned in not great English.
 
Twenty minutes later we were heading back towards London in a strangely quiet car. Leon just kept shaking his head, Annika was giving me worried glances and Tony, well I couldn’t read Tony at all. I looked out of the glass and allowed myself a little smirk, oh I know I ended up completely blown but i’ve proved a point. I didn’t just go faster than Tony, I had in fact pulverised his time for the ten kilometres.

In fact he’d barely passed our timekeeper when I hove into view, only the turns in the approach to the finish had kept him from sight. His sixteen minutes twenty seconds wasn’t exactly shabby, my fifteen oh one was just ridiculous. Its been a long time coming, a full year, but i’ve made my point, I would have won last year if I hadn’t eaten gravel.

“How?” Tony muttered again, “i was on the limit all the way.”
“No one else knows,” I magnaminously mentioned.
“I know,” he replied in a very low tone, “a minute in ten K.”
“One nineteen to be exact,” I corrected, “look at it this way, we’re not in the same event tomorrow.”
“Some commiseration.”
“It was only ten kilometres, it wouldn’t be pro rata over race distance.”
“And that helps? You’re a girl, a girl beat me by a minute for ten kilometres.”
“What’s being a girl got to do with anything? Beryl Burton used beat the men all the time.”
“Who?”

Well I guess her fame never reached Germany, “a British woman who won everything she rode. It would’ve been less if you’d started in a lower gear, you must’ve lost at least ten seconds starting in that gear.”
“Urgh!” he threw his arms up in disgust.
“Gaby,” Annika started, “i think maybe it would be good to keep this afternoon to ourselves? At least for now?”
I thought for a moment, “i guess.”
“If anyone asks you both tested out on form.”

Tony snorted at that.

“You too Mr Martin, the fewer people who know the better.”
“As if i’m gonna tell everyone I was beaten by Bond.”
“Hmm,” Annika allowed.
 
“So how’d it go,” Tali enquired as we waited for the others in the bus.

Yep, due to our accomodation location we’ve got a good drive to the U18 opening reception in Brantford, not that far from where i’d been this afternoon.

“Okay,” I hedged, “everything worked.”
“Sounds like classic Bond avoidance to me.”
“Honest, we drove the course then had a bit of a ride along the last bit, right Tone?”
“Eh?” Herr Martin queried as he climbed up.
“This afternoon, bit of a ride?” I hinted.
“Oh yeah, reckon we got it sorted.”
“hmm,” my team mate allowed.

We were saved from further inquisition by the arrival of the rest of Team Deutschland.

“Oo, new dress?” I suggested as Izzy followed the lads up.
“Well I wasn’t gonna be shown up by you pair tonight,” she stated, “gis a hand Paul.”
 
“Gott, I hope there’s decent food, i’m starving,” I pronounced as we once more travelled eastwards.
“She always like this?” Iz enquired.
“Nah, sometimes its worse, i’ve seen her beat Josh at Berliner’s.”
“He’s useless,” I stated.
“Who’s Josh?”
“Her boyfriend,” I told Miss Beyer pointing at Tal.
“Ah, how many?”
“Seven I think,” Tal told her.
“They were only small ones,” I put in in my defence.

There was a bit of eye rolling and some chuckling from other passengers in the bus, they’re making fun of me!
 
Maddy Bell © 15.10.2018