Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

“I’m not a flippin’ taxi service!” Jules complained.
I couldn’t hear the other end of the call but a moment later my sister replied, “Alright then, bye,” she ended the call, “get your coat on, squirt, looks like I’m your transport of choice.”

I know I was thinking of asking if I could get a Mofa permit but riding pillion isn’t my favourite thing. Not that a Mofa with two passengers can actually get much more than a walking pace. Whatever, I coated and grabbed my bag, locking the house up before joining my sister on the whiny machine.

On a bike it’s maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes, the Mofa complained the distance in about five minutes less.
“Heya,” Mand greeted as we pulled up.
“Hi,”

I fiddled with the helmets chinstrap.

“Come on, Gab,” Jules chivvied.
“Yeah, yeah,” I got the catch to release, “got it.”
I passed the helm to Mand and grabbed my bag from the seat.
“They’re in the team room,” Mand advised as she pulled the head protection on.
“’Kay, see you later.”
“Ciao!”

I headed toward the office, the drone of the Mofa punctuating Mand and Jules’ departure. Inside the shed seemed very quiet, no one about but I could hear voices in the office so I headed that way.

I knocked on the door before poking my head around the jamb, “Er hi, I’m here.” well duh!
“Ah, Gaby gut,” George mentioned, “gentlemen, this is our other Weltmeisterin, Gaby Bond, Gaby this is Herr Bugno from Pinarello and Herr Aru from Campagnolo.”
Cool! “Er hi,” I grinned.
“Nice to meet you, Miss,” Herr Aru said, offering a hand.
“Bon giorno,” Herr Bugno added.
I shook hands with the snappily dressed pair.
“They’re waiting for you in the team room,” George prompted.
“Er yes, on my way, nice to meet you,” I directed the latter to the visitors, “tschuss!”

I went around to the team room where I found Dad and Mike going through a pile of shiny new bikes.

“Wow!”
“Hi, kiddo.”
“Hi, Gaby,” Mike concurred.
“These our bikes?”
“Some of them.”
My eyes goggled.
“Kit tonight – bikes tomorrow,” Dad instructed.
“Aw!”
“Go, they want to get done so we can go eat.”
“’Kay,” I sighed.

“There you are,” Mum observed when I went through into the team room.
“Where is everyone? I thought Josh and the girls would be here.”
“Petra’s taken them to the hotel, you’ll see them later at dinner.”

I became aware of another couple of people in the room, a room with a couple of clothing rails with jerseys and stuff hanging.

“These are Lorna and Francesca from Sintani,” Mum offered.
“Er hi.”
“Bon giorno,” Francesca smiled back, “so please to trya these.”

Thees, I mean this, was a skinsuit, white with the rainbow bands that I get to wear for time trials this year, wow, I mean WOW! I dropped my coat and bag on a chair and took the garment, this is so cool!

I couldn’t work out how to put the Lycra speed suit at first, they’ve always had a front zip before but this didn’t. Instead it had short zips along each shoulder, which meant it was like sliding into a sausage skin. You want a skin suit to be close fitting, but this takes things to a new level, it fits where it touches and it touches everywhere.

“On the seat please,” Lorna, requested.
I climbed onto the suggested chair with a bit of help from Mum.

The Sintani women, plucked and smoothed, checked and discussed the garment and me inside.
“Theesa Reggiseno, isa the same for riding?” Lorna enquired.
“Er?”
“For the bust, Reggiseno um,” Lorna looked perplexed.
“Bra?” Mum suggested.
“Ah yes, bra, isa these the bra you-a race with?”
“No, no,” I offered, “sports bra?”
“Ah si,” Francesca nodded, “remove these Reggiseno please.”

Oh-kay!
A couple of minutes later I was bra less, the girls squidged by the firm material, I really did feel like a sausage now, it felt like I was naked. Well apart from the seat pad, there was no way for the smallest pimple to hide. It seemed to meet with the approval of the Sintani team so I was sent back to the changing room with bib shorts and a road jersey.

I couldn’t resist admiring myself in the mirror before I stripped the suit off, I felt a stirring, like when I snog Max, er right, less of that Gabrielle Bond! I changed kit, my BH back in place; road jerseys have a close fit but not tight like the skinsuit. I returned to the team room for a repeat of the checking.

Of course, you don’t need to try every garment on, all the jerseys will have the same fit, shorts and so on, we were quickly done and I redressed in my civvies while Mum and the Sintani people cleared up.

“Right then, young lady, let’s get you home and changed, we need to get a move on, the restaurant’s booked for seven.
I checked my watch, flip, it’s gone six now!

We got to the restaurant about ten past seven, we being the Bond clan plus Mand; it wasn’t me who made us late, Dad!

“Gab!”
“Hi, Josh!”

Of course everyone was here, riders, parents, offspring, partners and of course the sponsors representatives. It was a bit of a bear garden, a party atmosphere, everyone talking, relaxed and happy. Yeah I had a dress on but neither I nor anyone else was done up to the nines – tonight is all about bonding.

The ‘El Greco’, as the name suggests is a Greek restaurant and we had it to ourselves. Just as well, Team Apollinaris can party hard; I must’ve got through about five glasses – of Sprite™! Of course there was lots of catching up to do, Josh and Tali’s love life, Gret’s success at the Leipzig track league.

“So what about you, Gab, man in your life?” Tali asked before digging into her kebab.
“Me, get off, not likely!”
Mand, sitting opposite me, raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t believe that,” Gret stated, “you done something to your hair?”
“Had it brown for a Cosplay, it’s washing out now thankfully.”
“Looks okay,” Gret allowed.

I thought the hard colour had all gone, oh well.

“So what do you think of the kit,” Tali asked.
“Certainly nicer than last year’s,” Ron stated.
“Not sure about those shorts like,” Josh mentioned.
“Yeah,” Mand agreed.
“What’s wrong with them?” I queried.
“Gab, they’re a bit, you know?” Gret suggested.

Just to explain, the design of the shorts sort of emphasise, not intentionally, the er crotch area. It’s all in the mind really, the shorts are mostly sky blue but Sintani have put in a black ‘modesty’ panel, well you can guess where.

“Gonna take some getting used to,” Ron put in.
“I thought it would stay the same,” Gret observed.

So did I, the senior squad keep the cream but the juniors will now be in the light blue Apollinaris has adopted for its new flavoured waters. It looks quite nice but like Ron said, it’s gonna take a while to get used to.

“The skinsuits are a bit tight,” Mand opined.
“I needed help getting it on like,” Josh told us.
“You only have to ask,” Tali teased.
“You seen the bikes?” I queried.
“Aye, reet bobby dazzlers man,” Josh stated.
“Not sure I’m on with the Campagnolo,” Gret mentioned, “I’ve only ever had Shimano gears.”
“They’re easy to use,” Mand informed the table, “we had them in Japan.”

Which moved the conversation in another direction altogether.

So there we were, shivering a bit on the makeshift stage in the courtyard of Schloss Rech, the seniors lined up on one side, juniors the other. The reason for the shivering was largely what we were wearing, no not the new bike strip but for the initial announcement our new posh off bike outfits. Tell me about it, both teams have the same, a simple knee length sheath dress with matching heels in our respective team colours – well Josh has a smart navy suit.

If they’ve gone to this expense I’m guessing they are expecting to get some wear out of them, more off bike stuff for the sponsors I guess. The audience was primarily journalists, everyone from Gertie Schmidt and her cameraman from Rhein Abend to a guy from Cycling Weekly who’d arrived with Dave Brailsford. No one was holding back on this.

Dad was gonna act as MC, he was just sorting his notes when there was a bit of a shuffle further along the line.

“Scuse me, hi, Mand.”

I looked past Tali; we are arranged height wise, me the shortest in the middle of the stage to Josh at the edge. The newcomer was in a suit, I sort of recognise the voice, nah, can’t be.

“Cav?”
“‘S me, hi, Gaby.”
“What’re you doing here?” I hissed.
“Joining my new team.”
“You’re riding for Apollinaris?”
“Yup,” he grinned back from his spot next to Amanda.
Urgh, why me?

We posed as demure and prettily as any group of adolescent cyclists – well that’s maybe doing us a disservice, but models we are not. Dad got the show on the road, the lighting was dimmed and a video started up on the wall behind us. Of course we couldn’t see it, we were facing the wrong way, I’ll get it off Dad later for a look-see.

“You moving out here then Mark?” I queried in a whisper across Tali.
“Nah, I’ll commute most of the time.”
“Shush!” Mand suggested.
Well I guess we can talk later.

The film went on for several minutes; my feet were already getting sore from being stood in the not entirely comfortable 10cm heels.

“Welcome to you all,” Dad started, “thank you all for travelling to our little presentation for the revamped, 2006 Apollinaris road cycling team. Welcome too to our team supporters, Lak, Deutsche Post, Ahrtal Mercedes, Sintani, Campagnolo and Pinarello.
In a moment we’ll introduce you to the 2006 roster but first I’d like to introduce Dave Brailsford of British Cycling, Dave?”

Maddy Bell 11.06.16