“So what am I supposed to do?” Mand demanded.
“Soz,” I allowed, okay I forgot that we were supposed to be riding this morning, I checked the time, “tell you what, get yourself ready if we leave in like the next fifteen minutes we can do a quick couple of hours, I’ll drop off at the cabin, job done.”

Mand hustled back upstairs allowing me to make a deep sigh.

“You okay kiddo?” Dad enquired arriving from the garage level.
“Yeah, suppose so, sort of doublebooked myself.”
He raised a brow,” oh?”
“Well Con’s going to some college thing and I said I’d do the kiosk, I forgot all about going out with Mand, I feel like a right card.”
“Sorted?”
“Yeah, think so, gonna go up over Rammersbach then I’ll drop off at work.”
“You got clothes up there?”
“Sugar! Er Da-ad?”
“Gabee.”
“You think you could take my stuff up for me, maybe take the bread in?”
“Go on, put your bag on the table before you go.”
“Yes!”

It was one of those mornings, you know the ones, verging on miserable but you know that later its gonna be a right scorcher. The last few days haven’t been cold but nor have they been silly warm like it was in Spain, rather a comfortable low to mid twenties with a light breeze. But today, well the pressure’s up and the breeze has dropped to nearly nothing and although its not too warm it is quite humid.

We slipped down Marienthaler without seeing any traffic at all, going as far as the Roman villa before turning off to go past my old school. A quick flick through the lanes of the Altstadt and we were across the river and on Ramersbacher Straße, climbing almost immediately out of Ahrweiler. We hadn’t said more than a couple of words from setting off, me deep in thought, Mand I think trying to get her head around being out on the bike before seven o’clock.

“So what time did you get home last night?” my riding partner queried as we settled into a steady rhythm.
“Not late.”
“You weren’t in when I went to bed at ten.”
“Must’ve been just after,” I suggested,
“Just after what, twelve?”
“No,” I replied quite sharply.
“Touchy.”
“It was just after eleven I think, Dad was still up.”
“You think he’d go to bed with you still out?”
“Why not?”
“Really? Sometimes Bond,” she allowed with a shake of the head.

Conversation ceased as we rode up the steeper bit through the last few houses.

“We got a plan for tomorrow then?”
“Hmm?”
“The race, this river race thing.”
“Oh that.”
“There's something else going on?”
“No, no.”
“You were thinking about Max again, you had that wet sloppy look on your face.”
“Actually clever clogs, I was thinking about the look on Steve and Chris’s faces when their plans fall to bits.”
“That’ll be a bundle of laughs,” Mand mirthlessly replied, “and what if they don’t, what if Cav wins in Canada?”
“Not a chance,” I boldly predicted.
“He won last year,” she pointed out.
“With Josh doing most of the work and everyone’ll be watching him this time,” I smirked.
“I guess.”
“And after tomorrow they’ll have egg on their faces.”
“How so?”
“You’ll see.”
“What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” I airily allowed.

We took it steady up to Ramersbach, its just a leg stretch after all, only turning the screws up a bit on the last stretch up to the top. Mand matched me pedal stoke to pedal stroke up through the hairpins and past the Blasweiler turn. Instead of watching de Vreen I just played to my own plan which is how she got the drop on me and left me trailing over the summit.

“Gotcha!” she crowed.
“Wasn’t trying,” I puffed as we started the descent.
“Doesn’t look like it much,” she noted pulling her bidon free for a drink.
“Believe what you want,” I suggested before taking a glug from my own bottle.

“What’re you gonna do if BC stick to their plan?” I asked as we rolled lazily towards Niederheckenbach.
“Dunno,” Mand admitted, “I suppose the worlds aren’t everything.”
“Yeah but they won’t select you or any of the others for anything.”
“Its alright making a stand while we’re here in Germany Gab but I reckon the others will sign up with BC when they go back.”
“What about you?”
“Got to be kidding, the track’s okay for a bit of fun but its not really for me.”
“You aren’t gonna stop riding?”
“’Be daft girl! Your dad says I can stay on if I want.”
“I thought BC have been sponsoring you?”
“They have, it runs out in December, there’s time to sort stuff,” she shrugged.

We got caught behind a horsebox in Staffel which reminded me.

“Bernie’s coming next week.”
“Your friend from where you used to live?”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “can’t wait to see Drea again, bet she’s grown.”
“Babies do.”
“I know, guess I’ll get to see a lot more of her now though.”
“How comes?”
“They’re coming to stay.”
“For how long, where’re they staying?”
“For ever.”
“They’re coming to stay for good?”
“Uh huh, they’re gonna live with Marty and his parents up here at the farm.”
“That's brave, not sure I could do that.”
“Says the girl who’s been here for nearly a year.”
“Yeah but I can go back.”
“So can Bern, its not like she’s been thrown out or anything – and she was here for a few months last year.”
“Even so, its a big thing with a baby as well.”

Of course Mand doesn’t know all the back story and I’m not gonna tell her.

“Think her and Mart are pretty tight and she likes it here.”

We dropped through Kesseling, thankfully the sawmill doesn’t work weekends so we didn’t have to dodge the timber trucks down to Ahrbrück, just a tractor or two and Herr Preiser in his battered pickup. Once back into the Ahrtal we wound things up a bit, it might be a steady ride but you have to have a bash at the end. Oh and I need revenge for the summit.

We had a good head of steam going by the time we turned into Altenburg where we hit a goodly breeze blowing across from the campsite. I was more attentive this time, you can’t sprint for the name board as its at the level crossing so its the departure sign from Altenburg just before the campground turn in. As we came towards the garage I checked behind for traffic before flicking left to get the jump on Manda.

It was a bit of a drag race into the wind then with about fifty to go the crossing bells started clanging, lights flashing and gates dropping. The distraction was enough to have me ease off a tiny bit, but not distract de Vreen who drew level. I pushed harder again but I’d lost the momentum and the sprint with it, I sat up with ten to go already well beaten, bum!

Or not, if it comes to a sprint tomorrow it won’t look too obvious if I throw it, go a bit early then ‘run out of steam’ before the line. But that's a last resort, hopefully things will be settled before that, just need to have a word with Josh in the morning. Yeah BC, you don’t know who you’re up against, a Bond scorned is a Bond annoyed or something like that – look I’m not brilliant at English.

The crossing reopened and we led the bit of traffic across the line and around to the Bahnhof.

“You stopping for a coffee?” I offered as we waited to cross to the kiosk.
“Go on then, thought you were opening up?”
“Dad brought the keys up so Kris could get in if we were late.”
“Talking of which, hi Kristin, boss, good ride?”
“Not bad,” I shrugged, “where’s Dad?”
“Towing Con and her mum to the garage.”
“Didn’t see them,” I noted, “the one past the camping?”
“No the tyre place up on Roßberg, you know, next to the Shell.”
“He coming back?”
“Dunno,” Kris shrugged, “you getting changed?”

In fact it was only a few minutes later that Dad returned.

“You get them sorted out?” I enquired.
“Well I got them to the garage, the handbrake was stuck on.”
“How’s that happen?”
“No idea, I do bikes not cars.”
"I hope Con gets to Mayen okay.”
“I did offer to take them,” Dad advised, “Therese was hoping her brother would take them, he only lives up the road a bit.”

“You riding home?” Dad asked forty minutes later as Mand set off back down to Dernau.
“I guess so, I’m not cooking tonight am I?”
You could see the cogs working, “okay, we’ll eat at The Anker then.”
“I can’t go in these,” I wailed.
He sighed, “I’ll get Mand to bring you something up.”
“I’ll ring her later.”
“Whatever, I’ll take your bike now, have a good day, thanks for the coffee Kristin.”
“No problem Herr Bond.”

I rolled my eyes, its coming to something when your girl friends start flirting with your Father.

“He is, literally, old enough to be your father.”
“What?”
“Dad, he is like old and married to my Mum.”
“What’re you on about Gab?”

I was going to explain but to be honest, life’s too short.

“Nothing, you want to put the condiments out?”

Maddy Bell © 16.07.2018