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*Chapter 30*

Kassel Bound

We were somehow ready about ten minutes before Dad’s planned departure, no point in hanging about, we’ve got road to cover! I’ve told you about the drive up to Roni’s place numerous times, at silly on a Sunday morning you can do the journey in about an hour and a half. Once we got onto the motorway at Ahrweiler Dad didn’t spare the horses and we were soon flashing through the Rhein hinterland at close to one forty kph!

Yesterday’s travelling had clearly tired Mand out; we hadn’t reached Bonn before she was dozing across the back seat.

“You could get a few zee’s too, kiddo,” Dad suggested.

“Yeah maybe.”

I looked out over the fields, the weather has been pretty mixed up this week and whilst dry today is looking like we might get some wet.

“What’s the forecast?” Dad always checks the weather.

“Cloudy this morning with a chance of rain, brightening up after lunch.”

“That’s what they reckoned at Roskilde and look how that turned out,” I noted.

“Why all the doom and gloom?”

“It’s been a week I’d rather not repeat.”

“Claudia?”

“Claudia,” I agreed.

“These things happen kiddo; you had some warning at least.”

“I know but it’s so unfair.”

“Whoever said life was fair was lying.”

“I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want everyone moping about, I only met her at that shindig of yours but she seemed like a really positive person.”

“She is… was but that sort of makes it worse.”

Sleep couldn’t find me and Mand woke up as we turned off the autobahn to head to Mettmann.

 
 
“We there yet?” she asked around a yawn.

“Bout five minutes from Ron’s,” I supplied.

“What time is it?”

“Ten past seven.”

“You’ll have to ride in the back when we pick the Grönbergs up, Gab,” Dad advised.

Which means as littlest I’ll get to sit in the middle.

“Give ‘em a call with an eta, kiddo?”

“Yes, Dad.”

 
 
Ron and Angela were waiting outside when we arrived, Ron and her Mum loaded stuff in the back while Dad put the bike on top; I was still trying to find my seatbelt when Ron crowded in beside me.

“Morning, guys!”

How come she’s so chipper?

“Morning,” we both chorused.

“So, you decided to race today, Amanda?”

“Mr Bond can be quite persuasive,” Mand offered.

“Alle ist gut?” Dad enquired once Angela was in.

“Er Manda?” I suggested.

“Sorry, Amanda, I’m so used to using German, I forgot you don’t speak it.”

“Guess I need to learn.” She observed.

Dad stuck the car in gear and we were on the move again.

 
 
“Sorry, introductions, Amanda, this is Roni’s mum Angela.”

“Hello, Amanda, welcome to Germany,” Angela managed in her best English, a language she’s not too comfortable with.

“Nice to meet you,” Mand replied.

“Angela helps out with feeds and race mechanic stuff, you’ll meet Sonja and Dieter, Greta’s parents later, on a big race like today the ladies do the feeds and Dieter rides with me as mechanic,” Dad explained.

We weren’t going the way I’d expected instead picking up the eastbound 46 – I guess Dad knows where he’s going.

 
 
“Recovered from last week?” Ron queried.

“Last week?” Mand asked.

“Yeah, we did a sportive, hundred and fifty kilometres.”

“That’s far,” Manda opined.

“It’s worse than that,” Ron babbled on, “we got lost so we ended up doing like one seven five.”

“Ouch! My bum’s hurting just thinking of it,” Mand supplied.

“I certainly slept Sunday night.” I put in.

So instead of catching forty winks, Mand and Roni had a full catch up session around me as we changed to the One just past Wuppertal, picking up signs for Dortmund and Unna. Dad and Angela were chatting away in the front, it’s not polite to listen in so I pretty much zoned out watching the road out through the windscreen.

 
 
“Toilets anyone?” Dad asked after we swapped to the forty four at Unna.

“Please,” I replied, just mention of the word had set my bladder into burst mode.

“Couple of minutes then.”

True to his word we were pulling off into Am Haarstrang services in under five minutes and quickly parked up.

“I need a coffee,” Dad decided, can’t say as I blame him, he was up before me this morning and we’ve been driving for like two and a half hours.

 
 
I led the way to the facilities, my need seemingly greater than the others, fortunately they were free or I might have wet myself! I’m guessing the others followed; leastways they weren’t outside when I got there.

“Gab!” Angela called over from the café, “Frühstück?”

“Bitte.”

The others were still chatting in Germlish when they appeared a moment later, the three of us then headed to where Dad and Angela were manhandling a couple of trays.

“Food?” Mand stated the obvious.

“Hey, don’t look a gift horse,” I opined.

“Gab, grab the bread basket,” Dad instructed.

 
 
We were, at eight thirty, the only customers so there was plenty of room to spread out across a couple of tables.

“Dig in or Gab’ll eat it all,” Ron advised Mand.

“Tell me about it, there was this one time in Italy…” I tuned out, the two of them didn’t need my input, but while they are otherwise occupied that slice of Tilsiter is going begging!

I know we’ve been up for several hours but it was really only with the coffee here that I woke up properly. We didn’t rush but neither did we tarry too long, it’s still a fair drive to Kassel and the start is at eleven.

“Can we swap places?” I asked Mand as we walked back to the Mercedes.

“I guess.”

“I wanna try to get a bit of sleep if I can.”

“Sure,” she agreed.

Ha, ha, my evil plan is working! I might not have any extra space but at least I won’t be sat in the middle of a conversation. The countryside around here isn’t exactly exciting so although I hadn’t really intended to go to sleep I found myself nodding off anyhow.

 
 
A change in engine tone woke me, cracking an eye to look out of the window revealed a hedge but with distinct overtones of sunshine. There was more tilt to the countryside than when I dropped off, today is not gonna be easy. I stretched, nearly punching Mand in the ear as I did so.

“Sorry.”

“Ha, sleeping beauty awakes!” Roni mentioned.

“Which would actually be funnier if she wasn’t actually so cute.” Mand added.

“Give over; if one more person calls me cute I’ll…ooooh!”

This caused my seatmates to dissolve into near hysterics.

“Everything okay back there?”

“Fine, Mr Bond,” Mand giggled.

Just you wait Manda de Vreen!

 
 
You get to some weird places with this cycling lark and today was as weird as any, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been to a golf course, the ‘Golf Club Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe’ the sign said but for today at least golf sticks were outnumbered by bicycle wheels. Dieter was waiting for us by the car park entrance.

“Morning, Dave, ladies,” he greeted us.

“Morning, everything okay last night?” Dad enquired.

“Took a bit of finding, went round the village twice but it’s a nice place, comfy beds,” he allowed.

“Where are we?”

“I managed to get a spot at the far corner, the awning’s up, the girls have just gone to sign on, they’re a bit disorganised this morning.”

Dad drove to where Dieter had our shelter set up next to the Vita bus he’d hired for the weekend.
 
 

Amanda’s eyes were on stalks, we had this sort of set up with BC in Switzerland but back in England, well this was the stuff of dreams. Of course our Apollinaris shelter wasn’t the only one, I could see at least three more in this bit of car park.

“Flippin ‘eck!”

“Welcome to racing Euro style!” I grinned.

“You three want to go and get signed on?”

“Sure, Dad, you got Mand’s paperwork?”

He fished in his race folder and handed Mand her new German race permit along with her international licence.

 
 
“I can’t believe this is real,” Mand mumbled as we headed to the clubhouse to sign on.

“As real as it gets.” I allowed.

“At the beginning of the summer the nearest to a foreign race I’d ridden was the track in Cardiff.”

“I’ve raced there,” I observed.

“And now,” she went on, “I’ve done a stage race in Switzerland, the Worlds in Denmark and I’m about to race in Germany.”

“Don’t forget we’re going to Japan next week,” I added.

“Racing’s racing!” Ron espoused.
 
 

Maddy Bell © 26.11.2014