|
Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell
Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell
|
Maharaja
Cramp, we’ve all suffered at some time, its never pleasant, almost impossible to predict and always, always a pain. In sport, well bike racing at least, the most common cause is low potassium combined with insufficient fluids but sometimes it just happens. Given I’ve been drinking plenty and if anything my diet this week has been saltier than usual, the current discomfort was of the ‘no good reason’ type.
Depending on the severity and your mindset you have two options, try to ride through it or get off and writhe about until it hopefully passes. No prizes for guessing my choice, I straightened my leg and tried pushing through, it eased a little so I gave it another go, raising myself out of the saddle to get more of my fifty kilos behind the move.
"What’s up?” Daz asked.
"Cramp,” I allowed in a quiet voice.
"Bugger, you keeping going?”
"Hopefully.”
"Here,” he put a hand on the back of my saddle which kept me moving through a third attempt to relax my solidly locked calf muscles.
"Cheers.”
"I’ve got some electrolyte left,” he offered.
“’s alright, got some,” not that it would work that quickly anyway.
Of course, we’d slipped off the pace a bit now, there was a gap, not big but a gap nevertheless between the two of us and the rest of the break. Not only that but our absence had been spotted not just by Mand and Josh but by the interlopers to our party, not good news. From having the numbers, its become a lot more of a lottery, especially if it comes to a sprint.
I could see that the Toon was trying to slow things down a bit, but as we discovered the first time through, its a fast road, heavily tilted downwards for most of the last ten. The pain had eased a little but there was another strike as soon as I tried pedalling in earnest again. Options, options, I quickly played through the likely scenarios in my head but I couldn’t see a way to keep me in the running without significantly damaging the team’s chance of the win.
Daz was still helping my forward motion of course but whilst that’ll get me to the finish its hardly fair on him and if we involve the others…
"Get yourself back up there before its too late.”
"What about you?”
"I’ll be okay but its not my day.”
"You sure?”
"Yep, I’m not the only rider in the team, tell Josh that one of you has to win, can’t let the locals get the better of us.”
He still didn’t look convinced, "Okay, see you at the finish.”
"I’ll be right behind you.”
Flippin’ dreams. Daz made short work of rejoining the others but without his helping hand I was losing ground quite rapidly. There was a brief exchange with Josh, a look behind and my fate was sealed.
Its never nice to be dropped, I watched in frustration as the leaders slipped further and further from my grasp. On the plus side, I was actually back to pedalling but as soon as I put any extra effort in I could feel the tension returning. As I wasn’t racing, I took a good look behind on the next rise, the next group were coming up, not fast but steadily and it had grown.
I might have taken myself out of the race for the podium but that doesn’t mean I can’t still play a part does it? I rolled over the top of the rise, Josh and co were still in sight but they were easily half a K ahead now, if the lot behind get the bit between their teeth they could still be hauled back before the finish. Well that’s not gonna happen if I have anything to do with it, I clicked up a sprocket and got myself aero, I might not be running on both cylinders but one and a half Gaby legs is still pretty good.
Maybe I was over the cramp, maybe I was just pushing through it but either way I was back to clicking along at nearly forty k’s. My plan was cunning and at first glance counter intuitive, force the chasers to chase me rather than the head of the race. With any luck when, and that’s fairly certain, when they catch me they’ll ease off which will hopefully give the others enough clear tarmac to get to the finish.
Last time through I was in a big bunch, sucked along without any choice or need for efficient lines down the target but now, out on my own, picking the right line was essential. There’s just enough movement in the road that I’m pretty sure those behind couldn’t actually see up the road to the leaders, their strength in numbers a foil to my own testing capabilities. When I checked under my arm on the penultimate rise I still had something like two hundred metres advantage on the chasers, they were coming but they were running out of road.
The next, well the last little blip in our descent was where it all kicked off last time but this time, instead of that dead turn in the town we’d be going into the centre, a much straighter run, where the finish will be in the main square. The horde were almost at my heels by the time we reached the underpass, barring a disaster the others should be making their final approach. I dug in a bit harder but the baying pack swallowed me before we reached the town proper.
It was a motley bunch that swept through, I didn’t offer even token resistance now, Gret and Tali were both riding the tail of the serpent, I added the Rainbow bands at its tip. Within what felt like seconds we’d navigated Bischofheim’s shopping district and joined the meleé of people and bikes filling the square. For once I wasn’t the centre of attention, instead I simply stopped, unclipped and collapsed over the bars, spent and frustrated.
"I was worried when you didn’t come in with Amanda,” Dad told me, again, as he worked on my sore leg.
"Stuff happens, ooh!”
"Sorry, you going to be okay to ride back to the HQ?” he asked helping me get back on my pins.
"I’ll give her a push like,” Josh put in, a grin as wide as the Tyne on his face.
"I can manage on my own.”
"Wit ever Hen.”
"The others gone up?” Dad enquired of the day’s victor.
"Aye, Dieter said he’d bring tha car doon if yous wants like.”
"Well apparently Erdbeer can manage, go on the pair of you, I’ll be up as soon as.”
"Daddy!” I complained.
"If the hair fits,” he smirked, "Wouldn’t say no to a cuppa when I get there.”
The result? Well I’d’ve put money on Manda over Josh in a sprint but from what I’ve garnered the sprint was for minor placings, Josh having taken a flyer as they came into town. The others never quite got back to him, one of the locals just snatched second from Mand, Daz holding the other off for fourth. Me? Who knows, probably twenty something, another dose of cramp had me trailing even Gret and Tali across the line, so much for being team numero uno, today I was bottom of the Appollinaris pile.
Of course, as the deposed champion I was the butt of my team mates humour in the aftermath, I think it was all meant in fun. As you know, its a team tradition to all have a meal when the racing is done for the day and today we were celebrating the winner of the Sud Rhön GP and for once its not me. Once we were clean, dry and faintly human again we drove back into the centre where Dad had sussed out the Landgasthaus Rhönblume in a corner of the Marktplatz as our eaterie.
The earlier wet and grey was long past, it was sunny, a few white clouds scudding across a blue sky and temperatures, well warm enough for us to eat al fresco.
"So champeen, how’s it feel?” Gret posed.
"I’d just like to thank my dog, the girl in the bakery, my manager and most of all Erdbeer without whose cramp none of this woulda been possible like.”
Josh held a straight face almost to the last before collapsing in laughter.
"It was painful,” I complained giving my calf a bit of a rub.
"What do you reckon caused it?” Mand asked around a forkful of red bean salad.
"Dunno,” I admitted, "Dad?”
"From what I’ve heard of the race, it could’ve been the weather.”
"Weather?” Daz repeated, "How can the weather give you cramp?”
"I’m not sure how it works.”
"There’s a first,” I interrupted.
"If you’d let me finish Kiddo,” he gave me one of those ‘don’t do that again’ looks then went on, "I’ve heard of top flight riders getting similar attacks, you put in a hard effort, its cold and wet, you put in another effort then out of the blue cramp kicks in.”
"I did get quite chilled when I did that dummy attack.”
"We all did,” Tal pointed out, "So why did it only affect Gabs?”
Dad shrugged, "Who knows?”
"Its not Frau Mond time is it?” Gret suggested.
I coloured up immediately, look I know its a perfectly natural bodily function but I’m still not very comfortable with the idea that I can, you know menstruate and the implications of that.
"Gret!” Mand admonished.
"Well she did have those other,” she did the air quote thing, “’issues’, didn’t you get cramps then Gab?”
"Can’t remember.” or rather I remember all too well, the abdominal pains, the blood, so much blood.
"Gab?”
"Eh?”
"You okay love? you’ve gone very pale,” Dad opined.
"We yeah, sure, where’s that food, I’m starving.”
Dieter and his passengers headed straight for the autobahn after we’d eaten, he and Gret still had a long way to go after they’d dropped Tal and Josh off at Kassel Bahnhof for their train north to Harburg. The rest of us were in less of a hurry, with Darren staying at Bond Acres for the week and Mand enjoying a similar long break to me, they weren’t heading back to Dernau until the morning. We’d made loose arrangements to eat back in Fulda with the band, not that I felt much like eating after our repast at the Rhönblume, but it’ll fill the evening.
After failing to raise Misty I found Anna Louise in my contacts and pressed dial, it only rang twice before she picked up.
"Hi Anna, were just heading back to Fulda now.”
"How did you get on?”
"Not brilliant but Josh won.”
"The one who talks strangely?”
That’s one way of putting it, I swear his accent gets worse each time I see him.
"Yeah, that’s him, so what’s happening for dinner, I tried ringing Mist but all I got was voicemail.”
"I’m sure she’s just asleep, I can check if you want?”
"Don’t bother, you’re probably right, she’s been partying hard all week, so, dinner?”
"Oh sure, we’ve got a table booked at an Indian just up from the station.”
"Dad’ll be pleased,” I prophesied, "Have Sam and Hilde arrived yet?”
"Just after lunch, you guys gonna meet us at the restaurant? We’re going for a drink first.”
"Probably easiest, what time?”
"Its called the Ma ha ra ja, tables booked for eighteen.”
"Okay see you there, tschuss.”
"Tschuss.”
"What will I be pleased about?” Dad enquired.
"Indian tonight, some place called the Maharaja near the Bahnhof, said we’d meet them there.”
"Why do all Indians have names like that, Taj Mahal, Everest,” Daz enquired of the camper.
"Yeah and Chinese are like Happy Sun and stuff,” Mand added.
"There’s one in Sheffield called China Delight,” I giggled, "I mean, what’s wrong with Su Li’s Cafe?”
"Or Abdul’s Curry House,” Daz went on, clearly on a roll now.
"Do you need to go to the hotel first Gab?” Dad asked before it got too silly.
"Erm,” do I? "I’m not really dressed to go out.”
"I’ve got a frock you can borrow,” Mand offered.
Hmm, tempting but I do have an image to uphold.
"If we go by the hotel I’ll run in and get something then we can go to the camper ground, I’ll only be like…”
"Five minutes,” everyone else chorused.
It was only a few minutes drive back to the B&B Hotel, Dad pulled the behemoth of a camper up at the kerb – well no point in trying to put it in the car park.
"Don’t be long,” Dad requested.
"I won’t be, ten minutes tops.”
"So much for five minutes,” Mand opined.
Well that got the response it deserved!
"Whilst I think about it, you’d best take this,” Dad told me retrieving a bag from the bin in the central console.
"What is it?”
"Just a couple of tubes and a new tyre.”
"I don’t need a new tyre.”
"Humour me, just in case right?”
"Thanks Daddy,” I leant in and gave him a quick hug, "Fifteen minutes.”
"Gab!” Daz joined Manda in complaint.
"Okay, ten, it was worth a try.”
I hopped down to the pavement and headed in to the hotel. When I opened the door to our room a couple of minutes later a waft of something chemical hit my nostrils, quite pungent, sort of like that smell you get at swimming pools – just stronger. Then I took in the room, it looked like a small tornado had hit it, the contents of Mists suitcase were strewn liberally across her bed and some of the floor and even my bed.
On the plus side my stuff was as I left it this morning so we’d either been visited by an inefficient thief or the mess was all my room mates doing. I’m sure I’ll get the low down of why my usually tidy friend had gone ape later but I was on the clock and she’s not here anyhow. I opened a window to clear the pong, then, after transferring my wallet and stuff to my backpack, stuffed my dress and found my strappy heels still lurking in a corner of the case.
Have I got everything? Wallet, Handy, shoes, dress, fresh undies – oh slap. I dived into the bathroom to pickup my makeup bag, the smell was even stronger in there! My visit was a bit hit and run, I grabbed my bag and exited stage left, by the box I saw amongst the debris in the bin, it looks like Mist has hit the hair dye, which I guess explains the smell – mind you it didn’t smell like that when she did mine.
“’bout time,” Mand grumped as I clambered back into the Hymer.
"I was as quick as I could, I had to wait for the lift to come back down.”
"Excuses, excuses,” she mumped.
"To be fair Mand,” Daz put in, "She was only eleven minutes.”
"You were timing me?” I accused.
"Er, not really.”
"So how do you, oh never mind.”
It took nearly as long, even on a Sunday afternoon to make our way round to the Stellplatz which, whilst only across the town centre involved an excursion around the bypass and nine sets of traffic lights of which we got caught at five. There were several camper vans already parked up but Dad had obviously sussed thing yesterday and soon had us parked under some trees.
We soon had electric hooked up, while Dad made use of the shower, I set off with Daz to find the parking meter.
"You okay Gab?”
"Fine, still a bit bummed by the cramp, thanks for hanging back by the way.”
He gave a shrug, "Its what team mates do.”
"I know but manners don’t cost anything and I really did appreciate the pushes.”
"You’d do the same.”
"I guess.”
But would I? I know I would in theory but I didn’t even notice that Gret had punctured or that Tal was being blown out the back, I was just so wrapped up in getting me in a race winning position I hadn’t even thought about the others. What was it BC Dave kept saying, something about there being no I in Team?
"There it is,” the newest member of Team Apollinaris stated, changing trajectory slightly towards the pay station.
A lot of these camper parking places have sprung up in the last couple of years, basic amenities if you are lucky but cheap and legal. Of course, most newer campers are pretty self sufficient with toilets and stuff and for an overnight a bit of reasonably secure hard standing will do. It was five euros for twenty four hours, another couple covered the electric, put in the registration, feed in a ten et voila, all done.
"So you gonna be commuting from England for races then?”
"Your dad and George are sorting me out somewhere to stay in Ahrweiler and some part time work at the bottling plant.”
"A couple of the girls on the women’s squad do that.”
"Yeah, its not a free ride but on the plus side I can improve my Germlish.”
"Sounds cool.”
"I’m bunking at yours this week then I go home for a couple of weeks, then mum and dad are bringing me back with my stuff.”
"Excellent, at least you know a few people already.”
"I think know would be stretching things a bit.”
"We can always do with more lads at our social events.”
"I’ll be washing my hair.”
"Daz, you hardly have any, now this,” I lifted a shank of pink head covering, "Is an excuse.”
"So if I dye it pink I can stay at home and collect navel fluff?”
"Daz!”
"Only joking, I think blue would go better with my complexion!”
"Why you!”
"Gotcha!”
Maddy Bell © 27.02.2022
