*Chapter 37*

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We spent another couple of hours practising starts and making adjustments, from time to time a group of riders would hurtle past pursued by a car or two. Our bikes were back on the roof of the Merc when a shout of ‘testers!’ attracted our attention – our teamies along with Mum, Lizzie and a couple of other women – I’m guessing Sarah but I’ve no idea who the others are. We shouted back and watched them pass, Steve riding moped in the rear.

“Come on you lot, let’s get back and look at your numbers,” Rod prompted.

Well at least with two cars the drive back to Hedehusene was a bit more comfortable; just as well, four sweaty bodies in one car on a warm day would be a bit much.

“We’ll see you back at the hotel.” Caro called as she joined Rod and Geth in the BC car.

Rod took off in a cloud of dust, clearly a demon driver or maybe just a bit too enthusiastic.
 
 

“So, girls, what do you think?” Dad enquired.

I seemed to be included in the question, Dad seems to have come to terms with having a second daughter better than I am being said daughter. I don’t want this weekend to be my last boy time, I don’t want being a boy to end – I never wanted girl time to start but clearly I’ve got no say where my body is concerned.

“He can be a bit intense,” Sal offered.

“Yeah, he had me do that start seven times,” Manda added.

“He’s been getting results on the boards,” Dad noted, “Drew?”

Perhaps he wasn’t including me before.

“I suppose I do stick my elbows out a bit.”

The drive back was really the first chance I’ve had to take in the countryside, there might not be any big hills but the rolling nature reminded me a bit of the north Midlands back in Blighty. The biggest difference really is that the roads are straighter and the hedges tidier, I guess they might grow different stuff but it feels ‘comfortable’. It only took about ten minutes to return to the Svalen where Darren was waiting to take over custard of the bikes – I’ve no doubt they’ll be polished and tweaked to perfection for tomorrow.

“Okay, get yourselves cleaned up, lounge in thirty minutes.” Rod instructed as we disembarked.

“Bring your dirty kit down,” Caro added as we headed inside.

The others weren’t back yet so at least we’d get first dibs on the facilities.

 
 
The room I’m sharing with the rents isn’t exactly spacious – swinging a cat might be out but the bathroom is quite generous so I grabbed a towel before using that space to strip off. It seems a bit weird showering in a room I’ve not yet slept in – okay it’s me, there isn’t really anything odd about it but it always seems a bit odd to me. I was somewhere in the middle of the hair wash cycle when I heard the outer door open and voices – I guess Mum’s back.

I finished up and suitably covered up; don’t want to expose myself to Dad again, left the bathroom.

“Good ride?”

“Cleared the cobwebs,” Mum allowed, “you?”

“Okay I guess, we’ve been using power meters which is a bit weird.”

“I think some of the men’s teams have been playing with them, bit pricey for Apollinaris.”

“They expensive then?” I queried as I absently plaited my still damp hair.

“Something like a thousand euro each plus you need all the computer stuff.”

“And us juniors get to use them?”

“It’s the future I guess, it shows how committed BC are to the development programme.”

“Sugar, that the time?”

“Looks like it.”

“I’m gonna be late,” I whined as I dug through my bag for clean knickers.

“Calm down kiddo, more haste less speed.”

I’ve never worked that out really, however a slightly more ordered search quickly found some pants and a bra, add a loose t shirt and cargo’s et voila.

“See you later.” I called to Mum who was now herself in the shower.

“Shut the door!”

 
 
I skidded into the lounge and whilst the last to arrive I wasn’t late, quite.

“Right everyone,” Rod started, “we’ve downloaded your results, quite interesting, we’ve only used them on the track before so the interpretation needs to take into consideration the road conditions which we’ve not had to do before.”

The five of us were huddled around a table away in a corner, the laptop working overtime as it generated the data. It wasn’t as I expected Rod telling us what it meant but a two way thing, our input helping to interpret the numbers. It sort of seemed logical that you needed more power on the up hills but that didn’t explain the spike on Mand’s graph on the last climb.

“That must be where I caught you.” I noted.

“That right, Amanda?” Rod enquired.

“Well I know it was on the climb.”

“Interesting,” he made a note.

“Geth came past me there too,” Sal observed.

Rods fingers briefly skated over the keyboard resulting in both the girls’ data being shown on the screen.

“Hmm, not as much as Amanda but still an increase which you then hold to the finish.”

“So we need a string of people passing us to go faster.” Mand sighed.

“Not at all, when we look at Drew’s graph he has a similar issue,” he clicked a key and my data replaced Sal’s, “whilst he starts off fairly low, you can see his effort goes up on each of the climbs but doesn’t drop all the way back so he’s getting an incremental increase throughout but on the last climb it goes up a lot more.”

“‘Cos I was catching Mand?”

“Very likely, so you push harder when you catch someone and they in turn push harder when they are caught.”

“I thought I was going flat out all the way,” Geth observed.

“So what’s this all mean,” Sal enquired, “and how come Drew’s figures are lower than Gethin's?”

“It means we need to reassess some of our figures, as to why Drew’s figures are lower, that’s to do with his power to weight ratio and aero dynamics. I’m not sure I understand it all myself but a smaller, lighter rider uses less energy for the same speed.”

“So I have to try harder because I’m bigger?” Geth asked.

“Pretty much,” Rod agreed.

“No fair!”

“It’s not quite that simple, you should have more endurance for example, not so important this week but very much so when you join the senior ranks.”

“So how’s it coming on?” Director Brailsford asked when he joined us a little later.

“We’ve new stuff to consider and I think we’ve all learnt something.”

“Good, good, worth using tomorrow?”

“I reckon so,” Rod allowed, “anything we can get, it’s a more reliable measurement of effort than watching a speedo.”

“Let’s do it then!”

Decision made, meeting over the four of us were released to join the others – hope dinner isn’t long, I’m starving!

 
 
“Sugar, I forgot my dirty kit,” I observed as I spotted the laundry basket as we headed out of the lounge, “I’d best fetch it now I guess.”

“I think your mum might’ve put it in.” Mand suggested, “I saw her drop some kit in while we were with Rod.”

“Hers, she wouldn’t’ve brought mine.”

“If you say so.”

So of course I went all the way up to our room to find my kit wasn’t there, for once she had picked up after me – it’s usually the other way around.
 
 

“So?” Mand queried passing me a glass of something that looked a bit like iced tea.

“Okay, you win.”

“Ha!”

“Tha girls were just telling us aboot the power meetas,” Josh mentioned.

“Sounds a bit Star Trek to me,” Darren told us.

“Mum reckons they cost like a thousand euros.”

“Each?” Laura asked.

“Yup.” I agreed.

Jamie let out a low whistle; “you could get an engine for that.”

“Not much of one,” Mark snorted.

“Never guess, Drew,” Claire put in.

“Guess what?”

“Your mum…”

“Your mum beat me in a sprint,” Mark sighed, “I had at least a length at fifty.”

“Yeah but Jenny wins a lot of sprints.”

She does? Hmm I guess she does, I’m usually going on about my latest race all she ever tells me is the result, I never even thought whether there was a sprint or a break or whatever involved. Maybe I should talk to her more, everyone else seems to know more about her racing than I do!

“You ever beaten her, Drew?” Geth asked.

“Once or twice,” I allowed.

“Probably let you.” Darren suggested.

“No I don’t,” Mum’s voice chimed in from behind him, “if Drew beats me it’s on merit.”

“I er,” Daz started.

“I put your kit in the laundry, Drew.”

“Um thanks, Mum,” I allowed with some embarrassment.

“Dinner’s in twenty minutes everyone.” She advised before heading back inside.

 
 
“Reminds me of Como, this, sat out in the sun chillin’,” Laura sighed.

“Yeah, you could get used to it.” Sal agreed.

“Heard from Italy lately, Drew?” Mand queried.

I saw Josh’s eyebrow go up some.

“Er not since we got back.”

“Ooo, gossip,” Mark grinned, “I bet it was that Maria from the beach.”

“She was quite a looker,” Jamie noted.

“Let’s go eat,” I suggested as a diversionary tactic, “I’m starved.”

“Last one in cleans the bikes!” Daz threw out having already assured it wouldn’t be him by already being at the door.

“Why you!” I let out having got wedged behind the table.

Maddy Bell © 21.05.2014