"So what do you reckon?”
"Well it’s okay by me,” Con allowed.
"You reckon your rents’ll go for it?”
"Guess we’ll find out later.”

I'd been giving Pia’s statement some thought, with my racing more pressure has fallen on Con’s shoulders. Oh I know she says she’s okay with it but it’s not fair really, and the next few weeks I'll be away and racing quite a bit. I guess we’ll have to see what our financiers think.

 
"So if I work during the week and Con does the weekends with a couple of weekdays off we should be covered, of course if I'm about I'll work at the weekend too,” I proposed.
“Con?” Therese asked.
"It’s okay for me but we’ll need someone else if we open Sundays.”
"Nen might do it,” I volunteered.
"I'll talk to Thomas later, we do need to get something sorted,” she agreed.
"Sorry to cause so much trouble.”
"We talked about this before, Gaby, we can work around things,” Therese told us.

One thing we had agreed on was next Saturday, both Con and I will be off for the AniCon in Kӧln. Therese will do the kiosk with Kris that day but we do need to sort out something more permanent.

 
"We got you guys tickets anyhow,” Steff advised.
"Great,” I allowed, "So what’s the plan?”
"Brig suggested we do that Lolita thing, I'm sure you’ve got something?”
"Er probably,” I admitted, "How about you?”
"Sure I can find something that’s not denim.”

I chuckled, it’s a bit of joke with the Angels that Steff has more denim than the rest of us put together.

"I'd best let Con know.”
“’Kay, talk later.”
"Laters!”

It’ll be just like old times, all the Angels out on a trip, hark at me with the old times! I did ask Mand if she wanted to come but she mumbled something about meeting people from school. I guess it’s not everyone’s taste parading around in silly costumes.

 
"That everything?” Dad asked when I plonked my kit bag into the Hymer’s entrance.
"Yes Dad,” I sighed, anyone would think I forget stuff.
“Dave!” Mum called out from the kitchen door, "You might want this.”
"Oops,” I allowed as she came down with the box containing our supplies.
Dad just grunted.

Yeah, tonight is our first proper overnight using the camper, we pick up Ron and Angela then continue on to some place beyond Kassel for the night. In the morning we’ve still got a bit of a drive to some place called Naumburg for the Sachsen Anhalt Jungen Grand Prix – another round of the season long junior series. We’ll meet up with the others when we get there, Josh and Tali caught a train down earlier today to overnight with the Luchow’s.

"Gab. Gab?”
"Er eh?”
"Are you listening,” Mum huffed, "I said don’t fall off this week.”
"I won’t,” I replied, wincing as I subconsciously felt the pain of my road rash all over again.
"Have a good trip, guys,” Mum offered, "See you in a fortnight.”
"Yeah, enjoy California.”

The olds exchanged farewells – they really should do that in private, then with a toot of the horn we were off.

 
We trundled along the almost empty concrete of the A38, we’d had a bit of a crawl away from Kassel but once on the Leipzig autobahn we’d returned to a better rate of progress.

"Two more junctions,” I supplied peering at the road atlas, "About fifteen K.”
"Urgh,” Mand allowed before letting rip with a big yawn.
"Nearly there,” Dad supplied, "Half an hour.”
"I'll be glad to stretch my legs,” Angela mentioned.
"Sorry,” Dad allowed, "I should’ve stopped at Kassel.”
"Sure we’ll live.”
"The restaurant will be open?” I queried.
"They said so when I rang,” Dad confirmed.

At least we get out of wearing the team ‘uniform’ dresses.

 
We’ve not done the camping thing for a couple of years so it was a bit of a novelty, not just for me but for everyone on board. At least it’s a camper so once we were parked and Dad got the thing levelled we were able to head straight to the restaurant. The Vier Jahreszeiten is perhaps a little pretentious as a camp ground eatery but the menu offered a reasonable selection of food.

By the time we’d eaten – we all did some variety of Italian, it was dark outside. It was a bit weird being out in the German countryside like this without the ‘security’ of bricks and mortar to return to. The campsite, whilst pretty full was quiet, the faint murmur of TV’s and conversation occasionally breaking the silence as we made our way back to the Hymer.

"What time in the morning, Dave,” Angela asked.
"It’s about an hour and a half from here, we should leave about eight.”
"Best sort out the breakfast stuff tonight then.”
"No rest for the wicked,” I groaned.
"And you’re very wicked,” Mand supplied.
"Ooo, tell me more,” Ron requested.
"Er nothing to tell,” I almost hissed making chopping motions towards Mand, the last thing I need is my little indiscretion becoming parental knowledge.

 
We survived the night waking to a significant morning mist – well I guess we are parked less than a hundred metres from a pretty big lake.

"Up and at ‘em!” Dad encouraged.
"Time is it?” I queried cracking as eye open.
"Ten past six, come on, coffee’s brewing.”

I guess you could argue that a hotel might be more comfortable, that the facilities would be better which might be true sometimes but I think we all slept well and Angela’s breakfast was the equal or better than the majority of hotels I've stayed in. we did have something of a bathroom overload mind, Ron and myself used the site facilities instead. By the time we were ready to depart the mist was burning off, a clear blue sky promising a warm day ahead.

 
"Good night?” Dieter asked poking his head through the door.
"Not bad,” Dad allowed, "Good trip over?”
"An early start but the roads were clear,” he allowed.

Unusually we’d been first to arrive at the race HQ, a scrubby bit of ground just outside of the town centre. Apparently there are changing rooms and so on in some sort of school building about a kilometre away – the camper comes into its own on days like this. The others filed in and soon Dad was giving us the 101.

 
“Questions?” Dad concluded.
"So there’s only one climb?” Tali queried.
"Proper climb,” the Boss man confirmed, "The climb back up here into Naumburg might be more important, especially on the run to the finish.”

We’ve got two fifty kilometre laps to do today, Dad reckons it could be quite fast given the terrain.

"Service?” Josh asked.
"There is neutral but we’ll be in the convoy with the bus, feed here in town at the end of the lap. So everyone happy?”
"I wouldn’t say happy,” Gret opined.

 
"So what happened last week man?” Josh asked in his usual blunt manner.
"Hit some gravel,” I offered taking a swig of water.
“Maybe we should sweep the course like?”
“Volunteering?”

The hum of six turbo trainers tends to restrict any conversation to a minimum of course so that was as far as we got on that one.

 
"And the defending champion, Gabrielle Bond,” the MC announced from almost next to me, I grimaced and waved to the small crowd, "So, Gaby, a good season so far?”
"Not bad,” I agreed into the microphone, "A few podiums.”
"Six wins and that Roubaix podium.”
"Something like that,” I agreed.
"Well good luck today,” *he concluded, "So the riders will get their briefing and then we’ll ask Herr Janowitz, leader of Saale Unstrüt Regional Forum to start this, the tenth edition of the Sachsen Anhalt Jungen Grand Prix.”

Thankfully he moved off and the Chief Commissaire started the usual pre race lecture – follow directions, keep to the right, signals for service. Probably the only pertinent bits today were warnings about tram tracks here in Naumburg, several level crossings and a tricky decent into some place called Bad Kösen.

A minute or so later the national flag dropped and we set off through the assembled supporters, their cheers of encouragement to friends and family members emboldened by several klaxons and cow bells. A flood of sky blue jerseys headed the field through the neutral zone, the rest of the field content to let the ‘girls in blue’ lead the way out of town. It was only after clattering over the railway crossing that others came through and racing commenced.

Our plan is simple, attack going into lap two, if that fails we’ve got a couple of other tilts at escape pencilled in. That’s our plan, however the first attack went within metres of our first river crossing with over 95 kilometres left to race. I spotted Innerthausen the other side of the peloton, he shook his head, clearly agreeing with my reading of the move.

 
The escapee lasted all of two kilometres as the speed of the bunch punched above thirty on the almost level, slightly wind assisted opening kilometres. Of course being a League event Paul wasn’t the only familiar face in the almost hundred rider field. I recognised at least a dozen quite handy riders hovering around the front of the tadpole.

Another move went as we negotiated another railway crossing, this time a potentially more dangerous six rider group. Josh was under orders to hold back until lap two so it fell to his girlfriend to supply the Apollinaris reply. Most of the field however seemed content to let the ladies worry about things, our limited response maybe not what some expected.

The leaders stretched their advantage a little, whilst I'm our protected rider again, we’re not going to chase down a break that we have covered. Of course in this stupid series leader’s jersey it’s easy for anyone to keep an eye on my movements, to be honest I could do without it. I think it was the fourth level crossing when a clattering and cursing behind alerted me to a coming together behind.

What the heck, I dropped a sprocket and sprinted ahead, not to escape but to lift the pace a little. Josh, acting as my wingman, took over the effort and we accelerated away surprisingly easily. Not that we were alone for long, Paul brought the chasers up to us, a quick word and Josh swung off – someone else can do the work!

Short though the effort had been, the peloton was seriously depleted, clearly the crash had split the field but the acceleration meant anyone behind was now even further adrift. We negotiated Bad Bibra and another set of rails and then we started the rolling, twisty five kilometre climb of the Lindenberg. I checked for my team mates, Gret, Mand, Josh – damn, where’s Roni?

The bunch was driven along at a stiff pace, I held tenth wheel comfortably although I was soon sweating under my helmet. Maybe I should get a number one, it would certainly keep me cooler on days like this. I hooked my glances in the top of my jersey, at least I get a bit more airflow over my fevered brow.

There was next to no shelter on the climb, instead I managed to sit in beside bigger riders – not difficult for me, who provided some shade. We made the summit and as the road started falling away into some woodland we reconnected with Tali’s group. The drop lost the most of the height we gained in five K’s in half that, a fast but twisting descent ending in a wide run out onto an undulating but well surfaced stretch albeit with a noticeable cross wind.

I cursed as a handy looking trio took off, guess it’s time to unleash the Waugh!
Maddy Bell © 06.04.17