Gaby Book 26 On The Edge by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2021 Madeline Bell Seventeen - it's a birthday overshadowed by its predecessor and successor and Gaby's looks set to follow that pattern. There are however big decisions to be made, should she grab life by the horns and experience everything it has to offer or take the more conservative, safer route through life. This volume, the 26th in the Gaby series has all the elements of classic Gaby, bike riding, teenage angst, developing relationships, grist to the mill for our heroine as life in the Ahrtal ticks on.

 
"What are you up to today kiddo?” Dad enquired as I put a second round of toast in the toaster.
"I need to see Nena at the kiosk and you've got us down for a hundred K, thought we could combine the two?”
"Anything else?”
"Er.”
"Packing Gab's,” Mand suggested, breezing into the kitchen, far too awake for seven thirty, "Morning!”
"Morning Amanda, someone's bright and breezy this morning,” Dad opined.
"No school and a week in Tenerife, whats not to like?”
"Four hours slogging around the Eifel?” I suggested.
"Seriously?” she sighed as I burst her balloon.
"Seriously,” Dad confirmed, "Neither of you have done much this week and you won't get a chance tomorrow, if you don't want to start the training camp on the wrong foot, you need to at least loosen the cobwebs.”
Mand sighed, "Bum.”
"I'll shout for lunch,” I offered.
"At the kiosk?”
"And what's wrong with the kiosk?”
"Did I say there was anything wrong?”
"Girls,” Dad interrupted, "I'm not bothered where you eat or in what order you do stuff but I would like your bags in the car tonight, I don't want any last minute panics in the morning.”
"I suppose we have to take the team frocks?” Mand queried.
"I'd pack them just in case, I don't know what George has got planned.”
"Joy, thats half the case taken up.” I moaned.
"But cozzies and t shirts don't take the space of jumpers and jeans,” Mand pointed out.

I guess there are plusses and minus's to the whole malarky.

"What about bike gear?” Mand asked.
"Shoes and underwear, we'll be launching the new strip on Saturday although on second thoughts, bring a set of summer gear along.”
"What about helmets?”
"Big league now girls, George has signed a deal with MET for everyones lids.”
"When you say launch,” I started as I buttered my hot toast, "As in press, cameras and stuff?”
"He didn't mean sending us into space,” Mand brown nosed.
"Yes, the press will be there Gab, why?”
"Just wondering.”
 

"Wonder what the new kit'll be like?” de Vreen mused as we rode tempo towards Bruhl.

We're doing a sort of reverse 'Ring ride to get the miles in before we get to the Kabin, Bruhl, follow the Vulcan Express line up to Engeln then over the top past the ring, Adenau and down to Altenahr. There's nothing too dramatic, well its a bit of a pull up to Engeln, a workout for sure but nothing to get too excited by.

"Not that we'll get much chance to wear it,” I noted.
"How so?”
"Me Weltmeister, you National champ?”
"Oh yeah, cool!”

Thats certainly one way of looking at it, but from experience, the main thing these special jerseys do is make your life more difficult when you are racing, you might as well wear a flashing light and sign saying 'watch me'. Its cool to have them, but it can be a bit of a rod too.

"Probably the same as this stuff,” I suggested plucking at my sleeve.
"Some of the pro teams change every year.”
"I don't think Apollinaris quite have US Postal's budget,” I pointed out.
"I guess, it'd be nice though.”

I suppose I am a liitle curious myself, as long as its not a repeat of 'that' photo shoot in Bonn after the World Champs!

"We are getting team helmets though,” I pointed out.
"Just as well,” Mand noted, "My race hat's looking a bit tired.”
"Well you've had the same one since i've known you.”
"The rents got it for me to go to Manchester,” she advised.
"My point exactly.”

I've had about three helmets in that time, well I like to look my best okay?
 

We settled into a companionable silence, keeping a steady twenty five kmh average along the Rheinstraße. The forecast didn't include wet but the grey skies suggested that might not hold true once we head up into the hills. Rather than cut through Bruhl we stayed on the main road, taking instead the last turn that takes you past the tourist railway station.

Once clear of the town we settled back into a kilometre munching cadence, its not a hard climb, well except for that bit at Engeln, but climb it is. When its running, its good fun trying to beat the train to the crossings but not today, today its just a few locals hurtling around. Up through the trees and into the open valley, bridged high above by the A61 autobahn then into Niederzissen. There's always traffic through the village but we got through and onto the lane up to Brenk.

You can of course just follow it through Brenk to be spat out on the main road but where's the fun in that? No, as we usually do when we come this way, we took a right and looped through the village onto the even tinier lane up to the Hohesbahnhof and Engeln. The last pull up to the station gets a bit intense in places but its the long drag up to the village that sorts the women from the girls, its brutal!

At least you get the drop to Kempenich afterwards, even if the road surface is a bit dodgy in places. Of course, its the four one two then, nearly all the way to the Ring and we turned under the track to take the old road up to the village.

Doesn't matter when you come up here, there always seem to be cars on the track and today was no exception. We could hear more than see stuff, the scream of engines dragging their machinery up the Döttinger Höhe straight, the doppler effect reverberating around the mountain top as they brake into Tiergarten.

Instead of going out around the GP circuit, we took the cycle path around the inside of the track which deposited us on the road down through Quiddelbach and on to Adenau. Its a nice fast bit of road, one to avoid at weekends as its full of motor bikes but today our only competition for the tarmac was a tractor pulling a slurry tank – we didn't stay behind him for long! Once we cleared Adenau its almost flat most of the way to Altenahr but we were a bit short on distance.

"Liersbachtal?” I suggested.
"Really?”
"Its not that bad.”
"She says.”

Well okay, the six closely spaced hairpins can be a bit of a challenge but we're supposed to be top athletes right?

"Extra pommes?” I suggested.
"Whatever,” Mand allowed, not that our route was ever in doubt.

We took the turn into Lier and started the steady ascent of the valley alongside the Liersbach, its really nice in the summer but the bare trees today let you see too far, even the tower Wensburg visible high through the trees. It gets a little steeper on the approach to Oblier, flattens through the hamlet then boom! The road goes straight up the hillside.

Its not long, the ramps are each only about a hundred metres but by golly its steep, twenty, twenty five percent, steeper on the turns – even if you are expecting it, its a lung buster. Eighteen months ago Mand would've been struggling with a capital S but these days she's more comfortable and stronger on the climbs. There was nothing beyond pride at stake today though, we climbed side by side through the first couple of ramps, only an on coming 4x4 causing us to single out gave me any advantage.

Its difficult to come back on a climb like this, especially if you are fairly evenly matched. Well I must admit to turning the screw another half turn through turn four, I don't think she noticed. Not that I pushed the advantage, by the T junction at the top I was still only about thirty metres in front.

"You bugger!” Mand gasped out as we started the roll down to Lind and our eventual return to the Ahrtal.
"What?”
"After that pickup.”
"Nuisance that,” I offered.
"I'll get my revenge Gabrielle Bond.”

Its not quite ten K from the top down to the Kiosk, a distance we covered in just under twenty minutes.
 

"Training?” Kris suggested from the hatch as we parked our steeds in the 'garden'.
"Alright for some,” Nen called past her, "Hi Amanda.”
"Hi guys,” Mand returned, "Titch is treating me to lunch.”
"I can change my mind.”
"We weren't supposed to be racing.”
"I wasn't, the legs just went a bit faster.”
"Coffee I take it,” Kris interrupted.
"Er yeah, please and Currywürst with the works twice.”
"You'll get fat.”
"They're not both for me smart arse.”
"Well I need a wee,” Mad announced.
"Its open,” Nen called out.

Its February, the tables aren't out so I borrowed the keys and released a couple of chairs – you don't think I'm standing up to eat do you? Mand and lunch appeared at the same time, two plates loaded with pommes, a big dollop of mayo and lurking underneath the sliced würst in its picant sauce all topped off with a dusting of paprika.

"Ooh, calories!” Mand slobbered taking her plate from Nen.
"I really don't know where you girls put it.”
"Out on the road?" I suggested, sampling a chip as I settled into my chair.
"Glad I don't pay your food bills,” Kris stated.
"We don't eat that much,” Mand offered between a forkfull of pommes and a chunk of sausage.
"If you say so, more coffee?”

As ride fuel English sausage and chips is probably better, neither are recommended as ride food but sometimes eating what you fancy is more important than all the calorie counting and balancing the carb to protein content.
 

"So when are you off?” Nen asked as I loaded our dirty crockery into the washer.
"Tomorrow morning.”
"Lucky you, sun, sea and sand.”
"And bikes, don't forget the bikes.”
"Yeah but I bet you got a new cossie.”
"Erm, two, they were on a half price deal in this place in Frankfurt.”
"Frankfurt?”
"On the way to the airport with Gran.”
"Don't suppose there'll be any beaches when we're on tour.”
"Dunno, might be worth taking stuff, just in case.”
"Its only like five weeks away.”
"Second thoughts?”
"Nah, you?”
"Second, third and fourth,” I admitted.
"It'll be fine 'Erd'.”
"If you say so 'Misty'.”
 
"What are you two plotting?” Mand enquired coming in through the back door.
"Just talking about BlauHase.”
"Whatever, we need to get home to pack.”
"You haven't packed?” Nen exclaimed.
"Well, not as such.”
"Not at all,” de Vreen supplied.
"There's plenty of time.”
"Thats what they said on the Titanic.”
"Okay, I'll be with you in a couple of minutes, I need to go over some stuff with Nen before we go.”
My herder sighed, "I'll get another coffee.”
 
"Sorted?” Mand enquired some fifteen minutes later.
"Think so,” I agreed pulling my gloves back on.
"So what was so important?”
"Making sure this place doesn't run out of Frites.”
"Thought Connie's mum did that?”
"Its supposed to be me and Con but what with college and being closed for a bit, we've got a bit out of the habit.”
"A bosses work is never done.”
"Something like that,” I agreed taking my steed from her.

"How much stuff do you think we need to take?” Mand queried as we pottered back down the hill.
"You mean apart from the swimming cossies?”
"Well duh!”
"Same as if I was going on holiday I guess, few tops, shorts, something a bit dressier in case we go out to eat.”
"Not dressy like Sunday though.”
"Yeah, that probably would be a bit over the top,” I agreed.
"I suppose we will have the team dresses.”
"As a last resort!”

To be fair, the whole idea of the dresses isn't so bad, its having to wear them away from the race concept that bugs me, and the others I think. When we all kick up somewhere it does look pretty impressive, very professional and for all we get from the team, wearing them is a small price to pay. But it still sucks sometimes.
 

Dad was waiting for us when we got back.

"Long lunch was it?”
"I told you I had stuff to do at the Kabin.”
"Well you're here now I guess, get your bags sorted, anyone fancy Chinese tonight?”
"Sit in or takeaway?”
"Does it matter?”
"Only in what she dresses in,” Mand told him.
"Sit in then.”
"She shoots, she scores!”
"Gaby!” they both complained.
"What?”
"Change, pack?” Dad suggested.
"On it!”

I know I should be better at this packing malarky, and I think I have improved, but trying to foresee every eventuality is a nightmare. I forget who told me but the advice was to get everything out to take, then halve it – it might still be too much but its a start. So a dozen tops became six, three posh outfits became two, no stilts just some dressy sandals – well you get the idea.

It took me an hour or so but I was quite chuffed, there was even room for the cycling kit. Cycling shoes, dammit, I knew there was something else. So okay, nearly everything went in my case, a few bits would have to go in my hand luggage.

Of course, given my track record, I then had to convince Dad I had everything.

"Passport?”
I flourished the document, "Here!”
"Bike shoes?”

I showed him the footwear.

"I'm impressed, you only forgot your knickers this time.”
"They were under the case.”
"But not in it,” he pointed out.

Well they're in it now so I'll not argue. I wasn't the only one to get the kit check, miss perfect de Vreen's stuff got the once over too.

"Ready to eat?”

When am I not? And its not like we get to the restaurant and eat straight away is it, it'll be best part of another hour before the Won Ton soup arrives.

"Lead on,” I enthused.
 
Eat in Chinese, without going down to Remagen, is restricted to the Ibis restaurant, a couple of 'asian' places or the Mandarin near the Bad Neuenahr bahnhof. The Mandarin wins hands down, you can actually park nearby, the food is good and its not too expensive. Dad had booked a table while we girls were packing, not that its usually full this time of the week.

We piled out to the car and fifteen minutes later we were parked in the huge car park almost opposite. Its been dry all day, if a little woolly around the edges but of course it now decided to rain, just as well i'd gone for the casual, jeans and jumper look, I had debated not wearing a coat but I was well glad that I had my ski jacket on for the short walk to dinner.

Its not the first time we've eaten here of course, Mum in particular likes Chinese so we probably eat here five or six times a year, not often enough to get too familiar with the menu but enough that you know what to expect. The décor is quite modern and restrained, none of the usual over the top Chinese iconography favoured in many establishments but it smells like a Chinese restaurant!

You know the sort of stuff on the menu right? Well I had a number six, a forty three …. just kidding. We often get one of the set meals but tonight we went 'cordon bleu', I had the hot and sour soup, beef chow mein and finished off with the battered banana with ice cream. The others were similarly restrained in their choices, the last thing you need is to be caught short on the plane.

Not that the simple menu choices were any quicker to arrive at table, it was after nine by the time we'd had dessert – coffee we can do back at Chez Bond. The rain was still persisting down, are we bothered? Not in the least, this time tomorrow we'll be in sunny Tenerife, well it might not be sunny at this time I suppose, but you get the drift.
 

"We need to be at the airport for eleven,” Dad told us over the cocoa (well it was that sort of time).
"So what time are we leaving?” Mand asked.
"Nine absolute latest.”
"So we'll have time for breakfast?”
"I was thinking we'd go around to Thesings,” Dad mentioned.
"Works for me,” I grinned, oh yeah, decent coffee and no washing up!
"Don't be too late going to bed, I'm gonna take this up with me.”
"We won't,” Mand replied.
"Nite Dad.”
"G'nite girls.”
 
Maddy Bell © 27.02.2021