Rough Waters 16 - 'Poured from the same mold'

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Notes of a Journey Trilogy
Book 2
Rough Waters

Chapter 16 - 'Poured from the same mold'

A Gaby FanFic by PB


 

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Photo Credit: Provided by PB.
 


 
Chapter 16
 

“British Airways, Flight 657 … gate 25B … 1835 hours … Thursday evening … that right, Kris? Good, that’s settled! Now … Dad’s coming with us so he’ll be setting up your bike. What? … No way! Just bring yourself and your riding kit … no … you’ve got a new mount … one of the new ‘Specialized’ carbon fiber jobs … you’ll see it when you get here. Yeah, the whole team’s got ‘em! Dad’s already got your’s all set up like your other bike … Kewel! I’ll be at the airport to pick you up … see you then. OH, KRIS? Mum sez you’ll need something nice for some kind of a reception they’re throwing on the Friday evening … no, nothing that fancy. I’m not sure how casual this is so I’m taking the extremes … flared jeans, a blouse and some heels and as well as my LBD … (sigh) yes … I’ll take my feathers! Okay, see you Thursday ... Tschüss.”

Gaby hung up her phone and proceeded to join her parents and Jules, downstairs.

“This is going to be ‘fun’. Nina’s arriving at 5:30 and Kris, an hour later … I know I can do this.” Gaby mulled over Kristen and Nina’s arrival schedule as she descended the stairs.

“Kris is taking Thursday and Friday off, then flying home directly from Hamburg on the Monday. I’ve got everything written down. Jules and I will go into Bonn after I get home from school on Thursday and meet Nina and Kristen.” Gaby informed all present.

”Did you ask me to go with you?” Jules asked.

“Do you wanna come?” Gaby officially asked her sister.

“Sure … why not?” Jules smugly replied as she walked out of the room.

“All your homework done, Gaby?” Jenny asked.

“All done … just had a little math and some reading for history,” Gaby replied as she headed for the kitchen.

“Oh! ... Mum should like this ... Kris said that she’s bringing some homework to cover the classes she misses,” Gaby smirked as she reappeared with a couple of cookies.

With Gaby taking Friday off, it meant that Thursday, June 12 was officially her last day of school. It was also the earliest she’s ever begun her summer vacation.

“It just hit me when I looked at the calendar in the kitchen ... but you guys realize that my last day of ‘Sekundarstufe 2’ is Thursday?” a gobsmacked Gaby asked.

“I mean … since I don’t have to write any final exams … I don’t have to go back to school next week.”

“My little girl graduating from high school! Now that makes me feel old!” Dave quipped.

“Daddy! You’re not old!” Gaby playfully rebuked her father. As she was about to say something else, she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Brrriiiing, Brrriing

Gaby! I think you’ll want to get this!” Jules called down from the top of the stairs after she noticed the ‘call display’ on her phone.

Brrriiiing, Brrriing

Gaby quickly ran to the phone in the lounge and noticed that ‘call display’ was showing “Peters” and Carol’s phone number. After a quick breath, she picked up the receiver.
“Hello, Bond residence… (click) … hello? … Maddy? … Hello?”

“This is the second time … why does she call if she won’t talk?” Not really expecting an answer, Gaby asked no one in particular.

“Probably for much the same reason that you haven’t returned any of the calls I’ve told you about. You’ve told me you want to talk to her but you can’t bring yourself to actually do it … put yourself in her shoes,” Jenny quietly reasoned.

“It’s been so long … you’re both probably scared. Next time she calls … let one of us talk to her first. It may ease things a bit,” Jenny added as a suggestion.

“Maybe you’re right…” Gaby agreed then turned to go up the stairs to her room. “I’m turning in … morning comes too early an’ Judith’s gonna be here at 6:30 … g’nite all.”

The next few days seemed to fly by. Since both girls engineered their timetables to have a double spare first thing in the morning; Monday and Tuesday both started off with a long training ride. A double spare the last two classes on Wednesday afternoon gave the girls the opportunity to take the long way back home. Jenny had both girls back out on the road Thursday morning with the pro team, ensuring they got in an intensive ‘last-minute’ training ride.

That afternoon when the girls got home after school, Judith got to go to her home and relax, then meet Gaby and Jules back at their place after they returned from picking up the other two girls. She had agreed to host Nina for the night, while Gaby took Kristen.

Later that evening, Jenny laid out the plans for the next morning.

“Judith? … Nina? I want you two here by 6:00 tomorrow morning. Dave will pick up Kat Pinger and then take us all to the training facility where we’ll get the bikes. After that, it’s off to the airport. Apollinaris have lent us one of their corporate planes for the weekend.”

“Speaking of Dad … where is he, Mum?” Gaby asked, suddenly noticing her father’s absence.

“He’s at the facility with Jules and Kat, getting the bikes and the spares onto the trailer, so it’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

Following a quick glance at each of the girls, Jenny continued, “For our team support, Dave’s going to be our chief mechanic and Kat will be helping him. I’ve also been told the sponsor has secured the services of a local doctor in Hamburg to act as our team doctor for the weekend, since Dieter is off with the pro team.” After a brief pause, she resumed her talk.

“Okay! After we get to Hamburg and check into the "Erhorns Gasthaus", the remainder of the morning will mainly be taken up with registration, but we'll get a chance to inspect the course. After that, we’ll then get together for the usual short meeting to discuss tactics ... then after that, you can all relax for a few hours … until you have to get ready for the reception at the city hall. Speaking of which … I hope Gaby warned all you girls to bring something appropriate to wear.”

“She did,” the girls chorused.

“Okay then ... any questions?”

“Yeah. How’d we manage to get our own plane for the weekend?” The other girls looked at Gaby, then at Jenny in anticipation of the answer.

“Seems George convinced Corporate that flying was the best way to get to the Championships. He told them that if we drove, it would add 1or 2 days of lost class time and that would be unacceptable considering you’re all in your final year. I think that when he pointed out that three of you still have school or exams next week, they agreed to his request.”

Gaby knew both Nina and Kristen went to school’s that began their summer holidays later than her school and Judith only had one exam to write.

As Judith and Nina stirred to head back to Judith’s for the night, Jenny made a request.

“Before you two leave … I’d like to remind both Nina and Kris to please make sure you have everything you need for your return flights on Sunday evening … okay? See you tomorrow then … Gute Nacht, Mädchen”

“Gute Nacht, Jenny,” both girls replied. They were joined by Kristen and Gaby as they headed out to Judith’s car.

“See you guys tomorrow,” Gaby voiced as the girls were getting into Judith's family car.

“Gabi? Make sure you take your feathers for the reception,” Judith remarked as the car came to life.

“You too?” Gaby asked, not believing Judith was in on the alleged conspiracy.

“Oh, c’mon! You’re always seen in them when with the team,” Judith pleaded.

“I’m not…”

“Okay … name one time you weren’t wearing them with your team jacket!” Nina challenged.

“Umm ... I dunno,” Gaby sheepishly admitted.

“In that case … bring ‘em!” Ninia playfully ordered.

“Besides … you know you want to wear them!” Judith quipped. “...‘Til tomorrow, guys … Gute Nacht,” Following a couple of hugs through the open windows, she put the car in gear and departed for her house along with Nina.

“That settles it, dunnit? (sigh) I guess I haveta bring ‘em,” Gaby mumbled to herself, as their teammates drove away.

“Like Judith says...” Kris smugly confirmed with a grin, as she linked arms with Gaby before they headed back to the house.

Shortly after the girls went back inside, Dave and Jules pulled up beside the family's van and shut the car off.

“Everything set?” Jenny inquired when Dave entered the house.

“Just dropped Kat at home. The trailer’s loaded with extra bikes and spares, all ready to go and secured in the garage. All we have to do is hook it up to the van in the morning.”

Next morning, things went smoothly. After entrusting the house to Jules for the weekend, Dave took everyone in the van to the team’s training facility where he and Kat hooked up the trailer. Even with the morning traffic, he still had all his charges at the Apollinaris corporate hangers by 8:00 AM. After they had the equipment loaded on the Beech 99 ‘Airliner’, Dave secured the van and trailer inside the hanger. Everyone then boarded for the short flight.

Later when the plane touched down at Hamburg, they were directed to a spot in front of a hanger where they were met by a van and trailer arrangement much like the one Dave drove earlier that morning. As everyone got off the plane, a young man stepped out of the van and approached Dave and Jenny.

“Guten Morgen. Herr Bond … Frau Bond? Ich bin Steffen. Ich wurde von Apollinaris bestellt, um Sie und die Mannschaft zu treffen.”

Gaby turned to Kristen and quietly translated what was spoken.

“His name is Steffen and apparently … he’s the one joining us for the weekend.”

“He’s our doctor? Saaayy … he’s cute … an’ no ring!” Kris whispered as she leaned towards Gaby while standing on the tarmac with the others.

“Down girl! … Sit! … Stay!” Gaby hissed.

“Girls? Steffen here, usually works with trauma cases at Hamburg’s hospital, but this weekend … he’s donated his time to be our team doctor,” Jenny casually mentioned.

Following team introductions and the securing of their luggage and equipment, Steffen drove them directly to the Hamburg Sportstadt where registration for all the championship races was being held. Once inside, Jenny quickly got down to the registration process, producing the necessary registration forms already filled out, for each member of the team.

”Mädchen …Ihre Lizenzen, bitte?” The registration official asked, indicating that she required the girl’s competition license ID cards that all cyclists needed before they could compeditively ride.

As each girl surrendered her card to Jenny, she then handed it to the official for recording and verification before being returned to the owner. While the other girls were preoccupied with the registration process, Gaby scanned the crowded room and noticed some unfamiliar strip.

“Mum, those girls over there with the white and yellow strip … I’ve never seen them before. New competition?”

“Note really dear. Same team … new sponsor.”

“Huh?” Gaby was confused.

“When T-Mobile announced they were pulling out, their cycling teams got a new corporate sponsor … High Road … and that’s the new look for their U19 team … Junior Women’s Team High Road,” Jenny explained.

While the girls were being looked after inside, Dave and Kat were outside with another official as he verified the ‘legality’ of each of the bikes and spares according to UCI rules.

“Hold on girls. Before you go … they need a sample from each of you,” Jenny stated, before smugly adding, “Welcome to the world of competitive cycling.”

She then pointed the girls to the testing area that was set up and administered by NADA (Nationale Anti-Doping Agentur).

Later, when the girls finally rejoined Jenny and Steffen at the registration table, they went outside to find Dave. As they approached the van, he was loading the last of the spare wheels back into the trailer.

“Any problems, dear?” Jenny asked as she walked up to her husband.

“Nope! Now, we just have to drop this off over in the team compound with the others and then we can head for the Gasthaus, get settled into our rooms and relax for a few hours,” Dave replied.

“Mum … what time’s this reception?” Gaby asked.

“1900 hours … and before you ask … it’s casual,” Jenny replied.

“Okay, everybody … jump in! Steffen … could we drive the course on the way to the Gasthaus?”

As Steffen drove along Triftstraße, he pointed out various places of interest. When he passed the Heisenberg Gymnasium, he mentioned it would be used for participant parking and change rooms on race days. He then made a left onto Gellersenweg and stopped just before he turned right onto Ehestorfer Weg. Jenny started to read from the ‘race profile’ as they started driving the course.

“Ehestorfer Weg, which is just in front of us, is the start/finish line. This whole 300m stretch is an ascent with a 4% gradient. The clearing to your right is your feed station. I want you girls to notice all you can about the road conditions, surroundings, landmarks, etc. … Okay, let’s go.”

Steffen eased out into traffic, turning right onto Ehestorfer Weg. He continued a short distance then turned left back onto Triftstraße, a 400m descent with a wide right turn onto Große Straße. From there, he followed a 1.5km ascent that Jenny point out, increased from a 2% to 12% gradient over its length. It ended with very sharp left onto Hainholzweg.

“What goes up … must come down,” Jenny joked as they began a gentle 1.5km descent that terminated with a sweeping right onto Strucksborg. When the entered the turn. The girls felt the road abruptly drop away at a much steeper gradient. “You girls better remember this bit, or you may be seeing Steffen professionally,” Jenny cautioned.

As Strucksborg turned into Beerentatweg, the course became a relatively flat, winding road. With a sharp right onto Göhlbachtal, the topography of the course changed back to a gentle 500m climb. At a sharp left onto In der Schlucht at the 6 kilometre mark, the ascent increased to a steeper 9% gradient only to decrease slightly to a modest 4% once they turned another very sharp right, back onto Weusthoffstraße and a short 100m ascent with a maximum 6% gradient. A final sharp left onto Ehestorfer Weg and its straight run-in for the finish line, completed the single lap of the course.

“Cries out for a sprint, doesn’t it?” Jenny exclaimed to no one in particular.

She went on to casually mention, “Given the overall profile of this course, I think we should come up with a strategy that suits our two mountain-goats … right girls?”

As she said this, she turned around in her front passenger seat to look directly at Gaby and Judith. The other two girls knew those two trained in country that well-suited this course. Finally, Jenny reminded the girls that this was to be 19 laps for a grand total of 133 kilometres.

Once at the Gasthaus, Dave and Jenny handled the check-in while the others stood back.

“Right! … Rooms,” Jenny announced as they returned from the front desk. “Steffen … you get your own room … Nina and Judith, share … Kristen, Gaby and Kat … you three get the other room. Don’t worry … the couch folds out for third bed ... and Dave and I naturally get the last room."

"Meet back in my room in about an hour … that should give everyone time to settle in. I’ll try to keep it short,” Jenny mentioned while they walked down the corridor, looking for their rooms.

Having located their room, Kat volunteered to take the day bed while claiming the other two would need a good night’s sleep.

“You ever sleep on these? Trust me … I do you a favour,” Kat joked.

With the sleeping arrangements out of the way, the three unpacked, while playfully fighting for drawer space and prime real-estate on the bathroom counter for their make-up. Thinking that they’d finally get to just sit and relax, Kristen casually glanced at her watch as she prepared to claim the comphy chair as her own.

“Hate to say this, ladies … but our presence is expected in our leader’s room.”

“I have got one pass,” Kat piped up as they started out of the room.

“I’ve got the other one!” Gaby added.

“Gut! I didn’t exactly feel like getting locked out.”

In Dave and Jenny’s room, Jenny wasted no time getting the meeting to order with one simple question.

“Anyone got some thoughts on what you saw of the course?”

One simple question and some 90 minutes later, Jenny told the girls that they’d have to cut the meeting short in order to get ready for the evening’s festivities.

“Remember … it’s casual!” Jenny reaffirmed for the departing teens.

“Here, Mum. If I have to, so do you…” Gaby offered with a grin as she held out the dream-catcher earrings her mother always borrowed. As she started for the door to catch up to the others, Jenny reached out and gently grabbed her daughter’s arm.

“You know your ol’ mum too well … thank you, dear,” Jenny softly replied with a smile after she gave her daughter an appreciative peck on the cheek.

Once back in the room, Gaby found herself last in line for the shower. To occupy her time, she rummaged through her clothes pulling out what she planned on wearing and laying it out on her bed. When she pulled out her wide-bottom jeans, she let out a laugh.

“What’s so funny, Gabs?” Kristen asked as she emerged from the bathroom after her shower.

“Just thinking … I can still hear Dad when he saw these on me for the first time,” Gaby related while sitting on the side of her bed, holding the jeans in her lap.

“When did bell-bottoms come back? … Ummm … a little tight, aren’t they?” Gaby added, doing her best ‘Dave’ imitation but sounding more like a young Drew. “He said that he lived in them when he was in university.”

“He wore girl’s jeans?” Kristen wondered.

“Bell-bottoms were the style for both men an’ women, back then…” Gaby casually mentioned.

When she heard Kat turning off the water, Gaby quickly added a rust-coloured long sleeve cotton blouse to what she had already laid out on her bed before getting ready to take to the shower. As she stripped to her bra and panties, Kat emerged wrapped in a towel.

“Your turn!”

The room took on the feel of an assembly line. Kristen was dressed and had started to apply her make-up, while Kat began to get dressed and Gaby headed for the shower. When she came back into the room, both girls let her start to get dressed then pounced on her, directing her to a straight-backed chair and where they quickly brushed and dried her hair.

As Gaby stood up, she put on her blouse leaving the top two buttons undone and under the watchful eye of her roommates, proceeded to put on her Aboriginal jewellery. Re-checking her make-up, she declared herself presentable after slipping her feet into her dress pumps.

“Shall we … Ladies?” Gaby inquired as she picked up her bag and gestured to the door.

“Gabs … do us a favour?” Kat started to say.

“I promise … I’ll leave the boys for you two,” Gaby playfully replied.

“Thank you! That makes me feel a whole lot better. Now, I almost feel like I have half a chance...” Kristen sighed.

The three of them were giggling like schoolgirls as they exited the room. Once in the corridor, Kristen promptly wrapped herself around Gaby’s left arm as Kat held her other hand while the three walked to the stairs. The other two were waiting at the staircase as they approached.

“Hurry up! Your Mama und Papa are already downstairs waiting,” Judith urged Gaby.

When the five girls came down the stairs, Jenny met them in the lobby and then ushered them to the waiting van. Steffen was patiently standing by the van’s open sliding door waiting to assist them into the vehicle.

“Meine Damen, darf ich ihnen sagen, wie reizend Sie alle heute Abend aussehen?” Steffen commented as he gestured for them to enter.

Each one acknowledged him as they took their turn getting in. Kristen smiled and nodded like the others as she sat down beside Gaby.

“Psst … Gabs! What’d he say?”

“He complimented us on how pretty we looked,” Gaby quietly replied.

“Oh!” Kris replied, with a look of surprise on her face.

The drive to the civic reception at the Hamburg city hall was relatively uneventful, as was the reception itself – from a teenager’s point of view.

If one removed all the dry speeches from the gathered dignitaries and the other formalities, it was enjoyable to the extent that the girls were able to socialize with the other competitors and form the bases of new friendships while renewing old ones. Dave took the opportunity to introduce the four older girls to some of the younger cyclists in the Youth Program, who were competing in the various classes with their local clubs. The normally quiet Gaby also learned that Judith’s earlier comment about Gaby’s ‘feathers’ proved to be very true. Thanks to the publicity the team had received up to this point, Gaby was undoubtably the most recognized – if not by name, certainly by her ‘look’. Whether it was a solitary pose or one together with either her mum or the team, Gaby found herself in front of a camera lens more often than she would’ve liked.

The next day wasn’t much different. Following a short continuation of the previous day’s meeting, the team adjourned to watch some of the racing activity and enjoy some limited mingling with fellow competitors as they prepared for their events. Eventually, the team made their way to Ehestorfer Weg to join the other spectators at the start/finish line.

Since they weren’t riding that day, all the girls were dressed casually in jeans, t-shirts or a tank top, trainers and their sun-glasses. Due to the unexpected mid-June temperatures, they all elected to unzip their team jackets. At the insistence of the other girls, Gaby was again wearing her feathers and choker.

After they took up their final viewing positions, Jenny and the girls were soon busy analyzing the riders as they rode past.

“You guys notice how everyone seems to be looking at us?” Kat asked during one of the lulls in the action.

“Mostly the boys,” Kristen calmly observed.

“Not us! … Her!” Judith pointed directly at Gaby.

“Not me,” Gaby protested.

“Judith ist right, Gabi. They are all looking at you,” Kat confirmed.

“S’not fair,” Gaby jokingly whined. “It’s like being allergic to cats and having hundreds rub up against you.”

“I could always stay on your arm and put my head on your shoulder … if you think that would help,” Kristen softly suggested she hugged Gaby’s arm and playfully cuddled up to her teammate.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Gaby seductively offered as she gently took hold of her friend’s free hand. Her response sparked a few chuckles from the other girls.

When the lead break-away group approached for the last time, Jenny and the girls quickly became all business and directed their attention to the 200m straight prior to the finish in the hopes of witnessing a final sprint. They all agreed there was exceptional talent in this class of juniors and it would be a hard fought finish.

As the riders were seen to be making the final turn onto Ehestorfer Weg, the thoughts of each girl in the team momentarily drifted to their own race the next day and the level of competition they would be facing. Just as quickly as minds wandered, they snapped back to reality as each of the four girls, along with Jenny, scrutinized the moves of each cyclist in the lead group. At the conclusion of the race and with the crowd slowly dispersing, the Junior Team Apollinaris made their way back to the van, with everyone offering their take on the inspired sprint finish they just had witnessed. Each girl was also anticipating an early night in preparation for a busy day.

The next morning, as they wheeled their bikes to the start area, the girls looked to the sky with apprehension. The forecast was for possible showers during the afternoon and cooler temperatures than the previous day. So far, the day’s rain had held off under grey skies, although it had rained through the night and roads were still slick in places. There was no need for sunglasses, however.

Gaby, Judith, Nina and Kristen joined the other cyclists at the far end of Ehestorfer way for the 1330hrs rolling start, where they were met by Jenny.

“Dave and Kat are waiting for me in the car … now you girls know what you have to do?”

“Yeah … win!” Gaby flippantly replied.

“Well, at least someone’s in a good mood. We’ll be right behind you,” Jenny responded. “Just remember … you voted Gaby team captain for this race … so … keep your options open and follow her lead. Have a good ride!”

With that, Jenny walked back to the line of support vehicles and joined Dave and Kat in their assigned car.

Ready for the start signal, Gaby took one last look around before focusing on the task at hand. She noted the strips from powerhouse teams like Vita Classica and RG Team Rügenfisch, intermixed with the competitors immediately around them. Although she didn’t initially see them, Gaby knew Team High Road and the local favourite, Team SRM & Chaka were among the field of 160 riders.

At precisely 1330hrs, the field moved off toward the start line like a controlled mob with the sound of the starting gun. The girls were comfortably sitting in the front third of the pack as they turned off Ehestorfer Weg onto Triftstraße for the first time and its 400m long descent.

A 9% gradient wasn’t overly steep, but Gaby still noted her computer was climbing past 43.5kph as she powered down the hill with the rest of the peloton. She was also acutely aware of the sweeping right turn onto Große Straße at the base of the hill and if she or her team continued to pick up speed, they might not make it. While still keeping control of her bike during their descent, Gaby made a subtle downward wave of one hand that was picked up by the other three girls and together they started to gradually brake. They figured that any lost ground could be made up on the long ascent that awaited them after the turn. As she surmised, a gap did materialize between them and a lead group of ten or twenty. Intent on using the descent to widen the gap, a couple of the leaders misjudged the road conditions on the corner. The resulting pile-up removed the immediate hopes of at least ten cyclists and caused the others to slowly thread their way through a bottleneck of downed bikes.

The girls successfully rounded the corner onto Große Straße, still within the main peloton, but as their situation became apparent after completing the turn, Gaby decided to take advantage of their unexpectedly improved position. She was keenly aware of the of the ‘hilly’ nature of the course as well as the strengths of both Nina and Kris and based upon that, decided that this would be the best time to make a move while the ascent on Große Straße was still negligible and they still had the element of surprise. Gaby was also gambling on the abilities of “Jenny’s mountain goats” once they successfully broke away from the main body.

She then discretely took stock of those around her. It was the first of 19 laps and the leaders seemed content to bide their time at a lazy 31kph, while they started the long and deceptively gentle ascent.

As the peloton was passing the 1 kilometre mark on the course, Gaby saw an opening and released Nina and Judith. Using her speed, Nina startled others around her with her sudden break from the main body, pulling Judith with her. The hope was that at least one of the ‘mountain goats’ would be free if the other two became bottled up. Except for picking up a girl from each, Vita Classica and RG Team Rügenfisch, Nina remained unchallenged on her break-out. Instead of the peloton chasing her down and ‘returning’ her to the main body, the small group of four was allowed to remain out in front. Gaby revised her plans to take advantage of this development.

As the field passed the 2 kilometer marker for the course, the gradient of the ascent had markedly increased, with the result that the peloton was becoming strung out and the pace had slowed by a few kilometres. In the distance, Gaby could see the ‘break-away four’ starting to slow as they entered the long bend in the road that signaled the beginning of a dog-leg in the road and a drastic increase to a 12% gradient. This was the time to go!

Kristen’s long friendship with Jenny’s youngest, paid off. She was able to see what Gaby saw as did the other leaders in the field, but she had the added advantage to knowing how her teammate thought. In one fluid synchronized move, both girls dropped down into a higher gear and powered their way out of the main body. Only a single rider from the new Junior Women’s Team High Road, was quick enough to take up gauntlet that had been thrown down.

With both girls now out of the saddles, Gaby and Kristen soon passed the cyclist from RG Team Rügenfisch in the steep dog-leg as they approached the sharp left at the crest of the hill. Once they made the turn onto the tree-lined Hainholzweg, they began the 1 kilometre downhill that would become significantly steeper once they turned onto Strucksborg. The two girls powered down the entire length of the descent, not as much to lose their fellow competitor as to join with Judith and Nina before they got too far ahead.

As Jenny sped past them in the car to overtake their teammates in the lead group, Kat held up a hastily written makeshift sign in the rear window showing Gaby’s small group to be just over three minutes in front of the main body.

Team Apollinaris was finally reunited as they passed the 4 kilometre course marker during the downhill run on Strucksborg. The small group of six cyclists was now a full four minutes in front of the peloton and 2.5 minutes in front of the solitary rider from RG Team Rügenfisch.

After 1 lap, the remaining climbs had often slowed the progress of the lead break-away group enough that they now numbered seven. The lone cyclist from RG Team Rügenfisch had finally caught the lead group as they entered the second lap. During much of the race, Gaby and her six shadows were able to maintain a fairly respectable lead on the peloton despite the one or two downbursts.

From a safety aspect, the showers did soak the roads and temporarily slow the average speed of the bikes, as well as make cornering more treacherous. Although the majority of the road surfaces dried fairly quickly, large sheltered sections remained slick resulting in two more multi-bike spills that saw another 15 riders go down for one reason or another. On a positive note, it provided some relief for the cyclists still on the gruelling course. The peloton, once a single entity was now strung out like a long snake over the course and at one point, even divided into three distinct groups as a result of the prolonged and difficult climbs, the duration of the race and several separate attempts to break-away from the main field.

By lap 18, Team Apollinaris had managed to stay together along with several other cyclists from Vita Classica, RG Team Rügenfisch, RV Concordia Reute and their nemesis, Team High Road. The time gap from the peloton had now grown to a full seven minutes. As they turned onto Ehestorfer Weg to get the bell signifying the final lap, the skies opened up yet again and Gaby had one thought shoot through her mind. “Thank God!”

During the downhill run on Triftstraße, Gaby decided she’d allow status quo until the long descent sections on the back-half of the course. It was her plan to open up a gap before getting back into the hills that the team could maintain until the finish. “Now, if the others would only co-operate!”

Due to the weather, Gaby and the others in her group collectively slowed their pace. This was not the time to wipe out at the turn at the bottom of the hill. As they went through the intersection single file back onto Große Straße for the last time, the group instinctively started doing piano and working together to make it up the hill. When each member of Team Apollinaris had been relieved of her position as leader and they drifted past Gaby on their way to the end of the line, she was able to give a subtle nod to each as a sign follow her lead when the time came.

As the group started the second kilometre of the climb on Große Straße, the two riders from RV Concordia Reute decided to attack as the climb grew steeper. Gaby decided she couldn’t afford to let those two go, so she ramped up the speed in an effort to chase them down. A a few of the others were quick to respond with her, effectively splitting the group and leaving four of their number behind. Unfortunately, Kristen was one of the four who got caught ‘in traffic’ by a couple of the other riders and couldn’t respond to her leader’s burst of speed. However, when the smaller group entered the dogleg, Kristen took the opportunity to stage her own one-woman breakout in an attempt to ride across to the lead group before they reached the upcoming long descent. Being forced to play catch-up while in the descent, she was left with no choice but to take a few calculated risks pedaling down the often slick Hainholzweg. She managed to glide up to the last cyclist in the group as they neared the turn onto Strucksborg. A quick glance over her right shoulder as they made the sweeping turn revealed the smaller chase group was well back, but still within sight.

Turning onto Beerentaltwiete, the race leaders found themselves entering the hilly portion of the course. The momentum they gained from the combined previous descents and the flat stretch on Beerentatweg started to bleed off, at first ever so slightly but more noticeably as the climb grew more difficult. By the time they turned onto Göhlbachtal with its steep climb, the outrider motorbikes that patrolled the course, were informing the lead group via signs, their lead had been cut to 3.8 minutes. Gaby’s plan didn’t quite work out as hoped for so out of desperation, while the climb was still relatively easy, she notched her gears up and rose out of the saddle in an attempt to break away from the others during the climb. She instinctively knew Judith would come with her as well as one or two of the others. If successful, her bold move would increase the chances of Judith and herself if it came down to a sprint by eliminating the other girls in the group Gaby considered as potential threats. As the gradient increased after the turn onto In der Schlucht, so did the success of her strategy.

At the point In der Schlucht merged with Kitchenhang at the steepest portion of the climb, Gaby and Judith only had to worry about Jessika and Riana of Vita Classica and RG Team Rügenfisch. From past races, she knew and respected both girls and their capabilities on the bike. Of the two, she considered Riana the better sprinter and it would be too close to call if it was an all-out sprint between Riana and Judith. On Weusthoffstraße the girls felt they could return to the saddle but they didn’t let off as they powered up to the final turn onto Ehestorfer Weg.

As soon as all four made the turn, the nervous glances began. Jessika made an attempt to escape the other three but Gaby and Riana were quick to take up the chase allowing Judith to launch into an all-out effort for the finish line by speeding up the opposite side of the road.

Hearing the faint ‘click’ of a gear-change behind her, Gaby immediately dropped to a larger gear and rose from the saddle a fraction of a second before Riana. Despite her intuition, Riana’s power got the jump on Gaby by a full bike length. The four-way sprint was on!

As Jenny pulled the car off into the cut-off for the support vehicles, she quickly pulled up in front of an outdoor screen set up in the car-park. Dave looked over from the passenger seat and he noticed that she was looking intently at the screen and mouthing instructions to Gaby while living every pedal revolution of the final hundred metres.

There must have been a telepathic link between mother and daughter because at the same instant as she silently mouthed the word ‘now!’, Dave noticed that Gaby veered sharply right and came up on the inside track of Riana’s back tire, catching her by surprise. It was pure adrenaline that allowed Gaby to dig in for those final few metres and squeak past her opponent to take the Championship.

The top three positions fell to Gaby, Riana and Judith, in that order. The winning time was 03:19:22 with only a second separating first and third place. Six seconds separated the top four cyclists. When the four girls finally got off their bikes, there were hugs and congratulations all around for a well fought race. Once Jenny caught up with her daughter, she ushered her off to the mandatory drug testing and the change facilities back at the Heisenberg Gymnasium where she later joined the others in a quick shower and making themselves presentable before the award ceremonies.

While Gaby was brushing her hair out, Kat walked up sporting a wide grin and presented her with a familiar wooden jewellery box. “You left these back in the room. Wouldn’t want to look undressed for your fans, would you?”

Gaby simply looked at her and with a tired smile, silently opened the box and took out the rawhide strip and her feather. After putting on the rest of the Aboriginal jewellery, she changed into her Apollinaris team jacket, warm-up pants and trainers. Following the application of a little make-up, she joined her parents and teammates, waiting for word the ceremonies would soon begin.

Back home later that evening, Gaby took the phone from her sister only to hear Kat’s cheery voice.

“Hey, beautiful … ya gonna come out mit us this Friday night? Liesl und Suse are finished writing on the twentieth, so we thought we’d all go out und properly celebrate your graduations.”

A few minutes of silence passed before Kat distinctly heard a loud sigh at the other end, followed by, “I assume you mean ‘we’ … as in couples? … You know how I feel about being the odd girl.”

More silence passed before Kat calmly but quietly, spoke into the phone.

“C’mon Gabi … we’ve been through this before! Besides, it might be the last time we will all be together … what mit your upcoming ‘Tour’ und everyone else scattering for summer jobs … not to mention the different universities in the Fall. C’mon … bitte, Gabi?” Kat desperately wanted Gaby to join them.

“Gabi? … bitte?” Kat’s voice was now openly pleading with Gaby.

“Well … (sigh) okay … I guess. Where’re we going?”

In the days following Gaby’s win at the German National Championships, Jenny allowed the girls to take some time off before resuming training. She was waiting for the Pro team to take advantage of a short break in their schedule and return to Bad Neuenahr later that month. As a final bit of training for the inaugural Junior Women’s U19 World Cup Tour, Jenny had the girl’s back on their bikes during the last week of June and out training right along side of the Apollinaris Elite team.

The entire Team Apollinaris camp was riding on a high. Tina was having a good year with her two recent podium finishes. Earlier in the month, she had placed second overall in the Montreal World Cup and first in the second annual Prince Edward Island Tour. She was also happy with her fourth place finish in France’s Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale.  Plans called for the team to resume the World Cup Tour with the ‘Giro d'Italia Femminile’, in Italy, early July.

In addition, the mood of both teams was justifiably buoyed when Gaby wore her new team skins or team jacket as they now sported the German flag trim signifying her as the Junioren U19 German National Champion. This made her the first German National Champion in the Team Apollinaris organization. Something George and the sponsor were very proud of.

 
 
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To Be Continued...
 

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Another Gaby Fanatic

PB; No matter how many times I have read this story on Maddy's site I read them here and then usually go back to Maddy's to read the next chapter again. You have written this series so well I just don't seem to tyre of it. Richard

Richard

Have to agree

I think I've read this whole thing twice on Maddy's site but I can't help but get caught up in it again. Great job.

The Joy of ADD

Thats the true joy of ADD, as many times as I read these stories its all shiney and new each time I read them. I retain the feelings and emotions so they get stronger each time. I'll be a blubbering mess by the time they finally make up :)

Maddy

Well another great chapeter with only one to go it has to be a dilly. Unlike others I did not read this on Maddy Bells site. So I wait to see the out come, how will Maddy tell her how much she loves her, how will Gaby react to her and were will this all happen, we wait we wait we wait, it will be soon Thursday, wait Thrusday did I say, wow only five more days, then what it will be over? No i know there is a third part. But I wait.

Hugs and Kisses
Melissa Ann

Hugs and Kisses
Melissa Ann

Have a Q, PB and Karen, PLOT SPOLIER MAYBE

I quote:

>>
“This is the second time … why does she call if she won’t talk?” Not really expecting an answer, Gaby asked no one in particular.

“Probably for much the same reason you haven’t returned any of the calls I’ve told you about. You’ve told me you want to talk to her but you can’t bring yourself to actually do it … put yourself in her shoes,” Jenny quietly suggested. “It’s been so long … you’re both probably scared.”

“Next time she calls … let one of us talk to her first. It may ease things a bit,” Jenny suggested. Gaby nodded her agreement before going up to her room.
>>

I remember how hard it is to call someone you are attracted to so the calling then chickening out is understandable to a point. But what is this about calls Jenny got? Did Maddy actually talk to her aunt and ask about Gaby?

Or was it Maddy's mom asking her sister to get Gaby to call? I'm a bit confused.

Still think Gaby should dump the selfish/self-absorbed bitch. So she mouths “I love you” and blows kisses to Gaby's photo? Big FD in my opinion. She has yet to admit to anyone, not even her own mother that she loves a woman and that she did Gaby wrong.

PLOT SPOPILER BIT

In the end it is Gaby who breaks down and calls, NOT Maddy. Maddy does fly to Germany but that is only because Gaby had to leave England for her own safety and sanity after Maddy outed her. Maddy has yet to prove to me she is worth forgiving. How can she make up for the US trip which was Gaby's living hell? She didn’t want to go and Maddy was one of the key people in guilting her into coming, even knowing Gaby’s mom might be dying. What a sweet girl, my fun and my friend’s fun comes before any consideration for my boyfriend’s feelings. At best she could argue it was to get Gaby/Drew’s mind of it but then why the cold shoulder bit?

How can she make up for the over four years in exile Gaby and her family have had to endure, the year of school she had to do over, all the times with her friends in Warsop and with her love Maddy, all lost?. Oh they've made a good life and Gaby has friends but everywhere she gets a hint of happiness, the memory of her callous, backstabbing love ruins it. She refuses to go out with others because she feels like “a fifth wheel” on dates and because she loves Maddy this creep who has let her suffer all these years. Maddy could and has gone out but has pretty much withdrawn from close friendships and dating. But that info from Ally and Maddy’s mom is three years old. What is Maddy waiting for? Either fess up, apologize and see if the love is still there or say “I LOVE YOU, Gaby, but I can’t love a woman, it’s wrong to me, . Sorry.” Maddy won’t let Gaby go,. She won’t apologize; she won’t and hasn’t done anything to say she’s sorry. Gaby is a masochist. If she truly loves she would let Gaby go and try to win her back later once she gets her head together but Maddy is too selfish to think of others.

If she had let Gaby go all those years back maybe Gaby would have found a nice German girl or even found she could be attracted to men. No, Maddy must keep her hold on Gaby even when she claims she doesn’t like girls.

It turns out all happy and Disney ending eventually but somehow I, Mr Disney Loving Ending Guy feels unhappy about it. Maybe if Gaby made her squirm a bit or if Maddy told everyone she is a lesbian and was in denial? Where is Maddy’s act/acts of contrition? Where is Gaby’s anger at being treated so badly? A few kisses and all is well? And what of a family? Gaby values family far more than Miss Spoiled single brat Maddy. Where will they get children from? Will Maddy have some via sperm donation, does she have the guts and love to do this for Gaby? Will Gaby prove fertile? The doctors thought she’d probably never have a child but were not certain. After her cycling career peaks Gaby will miss having children, maybe even while in her peak years of her 20s and early 30s. What will they do? Will science by then permit one to be the other’s ersatz male, reproduction wise?

Great story. Me, if I was Gaby, I’d dream of meeting in an airport, tears streaming down our faces then I’d remember the Hell Maddy put my family through and throw nitric acid in Maddy’s face. The mob liked sulfuric acid back in the 1920’s and 30’s but nitric is nastier and should scar her far more severely. Maddy deserves a face to match her mind.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Stay tuned, John

We are coming up on major rewrite territory. Hopefully you'll find the events coming up more to your liking. And the phone calls topic will be explained. Through Aunt Carol Gaby is up-to-date on happenings in Warsop; after all, Aunt Carol visited for Gaby's 18th birthday.

The move to Germany, as scripted in canon, was a way to reunite the family. I've been there, and having a parent on another continent continually sucks, big time. As a bonus in this story, the move allows Gaby to come out with a minimum of fuss. Even if the events of Grottoes had not occurred and Gaby had the full support of her friends, it would have been hard on everybody when she replaced Drew.

I admit I was, and still am, more of a "screw you" type of gal. As you well know, I don't generally give somebody a second chance to f**k around with me or my head. But I can live with how things turn out in the revised version.

In all fairness, the 'gang' didn't know about Jenny's cancer, tho I believe in canon Drew broke down and told Maddy. Otherwise it was just the immediate family and Maddy's parents. Even Jules and Drew/Gaby were not supposed to know the true extent of jenny's condition, but Dave would not lie to his children. I think it was wrong for Jenny to still hide things, but I guess that's the way some people are.

Now, I don't know about children. I never really got the idea that Gaby was into kids, just that she loves her family. Not the same thing, IMHO. As for who does what to who, you are getting your authors mixed up! :-)

Karen J.

BTW, you have any idea how hard it is to get any really good laboratory-grade acid since 9/11? And getting it into the airport, sheesh!

"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Thanks for the quick feedback, Karen and

you still can get crystal Draino or other sodium hydroxide pellets in stores. I think they mix some aluminum or magnesium chips in to protect the drain pipes. That still makes for a pretty nasty caustic solution and as a solid might get thru security easier ... hypothetically speaking

My nitric acid experiences are mostly from chem lab experience. Dad has some for mineral testing and sample prep. The right acid at the right dilution will dissolve the matrix and expose the metal or crystals you want to see plus acids are useful for ID purposes. Dilute HCl was no problem if you didn’t have cuts on your hands, but if you had any – YEOW!!!!!! -- Similar for sulfuric though it was a little nastier but nitric, nasty, nasty stuff. Never dealt with hydrofluoric or aqua rega. Phosphoric and glacial acetic or it’s stronger version, acetic anhydride, are amateurs by comparison.

As to our suffering heroine Gaby, I am torn. She loves Maddy without question but is severely hurt by her treatment of both Drew and Gaby. Maddy needs to grow up and own up, and frankly four plus years to get close in terms of emotional maturity to where Gaby was long before they broke up, Maddy belongs in relationship Special Ed class. And as to the long gone Rhod/Em, acid is too good for him, um her.

At a minimum Maddy has a lot of explaining to do and not all in private, she needs to face the same risks she callously subjected Gaby/Drew to. I’d love to she her go back to Grottoes, find the people from that class and admit she’s a lesbian. Maybe after those *nice boys* beat her up and gang raped her like they intended to do to Drew, not knowing he/she was intersexed and wasn’t externally a girl yet, she’d understand what she, Brit and Em had done.

I am surprised Aunt Carol and her husband were so ... *not anything* when it came to their daughter. No punishment, no loss of privilege for the harm she deliberately did and the harm she did in the *name * of *fun* even after having been warned by school? Oh, right, she *lost* her love, Drew/Gaby. Boo hoo! She publicly said she can’t/doesn’t like girls so what’s the BIG deal? Her three week suspension, redoing the year because she couldn’t catch up – and I thought she was so bright -- and own sadness/borderline depression is sufficient punishment for all the harm she did?

Oh, she got no cards or presents on her birthdays from Gaby. To bad, so sad. Well, you have to give to get, where were her’s to Gaby? And those tickets at the party where she destroyed any chance the Drew could finish out the school year in Warsop was a selfish present at best as half of it was to herself. Or did she expect Drew to take someone else to the concert? Or was she implying she’d let Drew have sex with her or at least a good snog after the concert? Nah, I’d bet she intended to trick Drew into dressing up as Gaby again so she could tease her all night about hot boys. Mind you she didn’t know Drew was permanently Gaby at that point but that was mostly her fault for never giving Drew/Gaby a decent chance to tell her.

I still feel Gaby is too quick to forgive. I understand her desperate desire for Maddy to return her love but she needs that love on a reasonable basis. So far it’s nearly all give by her and take by Maddy. There is often a stronger partner in a relationship but that may not be the same in all aspects. One may rule in the bed chamber and in most public settings but the other may be the superior in financial and child rearing matters and so on. And in some things they might be equals. My mom and dad’s relationship was complex like that as are many couples. The problem is as it stands now, Maddy and Gaby's relationship seems headed towards sadomasochism with Gaby as the willing victim. I can’t see Gaby as being that subservient. She has her mom’s powerful competitive spirit. I can’t see her as being totally at the mercy of Maddy the self-indulgent/impetuous woman/child.

John in Wauwatosa

P.S. Aaaaah! This stuff is so good it brings out the demons in the back of my mind, PB, Karen.

John in Wauwatosa

I agree with many of your points...

However, I do understand Jenny's thoughts to "protect" her family, and not tell her kids... I considered this myself a few months ago... And, it was REALLY tempting. I mean, why make them worry, when there's nothing they can do? I admit to being Very against Jenny's refraining from telling, when I read it originally... But, NOW, I have a better understanding of what Maddy had this character go through, and I can understand where she was comming from.

Is it selfish to NOT tell? Is it selfish to Tell? I don't know. But, I understand it now.

Annette

I've been on the other end

I have Cystic Fibrosis, and at the time I was born, the likelihood of my dying before my 18th birthday was roughly 94%. My parents knew, as did my oldest two brothers. I did not, nor did my other brothers. I found out by accident, reading things I shouldn't have been reading, when I found the doctor's report before we moved to Belgium. This was the first of some bitter fights between me and my parents, over that and my "oddness". So I'm outside the "norm" in a couple of areas, I shouldn't even be alive by now, and I'm transsexual. I know my father wanted to blame the genetic defects for my transsexualism, but we know that just ain't so.

These days, I've talked to CF children who have grown up knowing their time might very well be limited. This allows them to make best use of what they have, and those kids are doing things I never would have dreamed of.

So I can do better than imagine how the girls would have felt had their mom died while they were in Grottoes. I wonder if they would have ever forgiven their father? Probably, but who knows?

Karen J.

"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

I enjoyed the race...

Personally, I'd have enjoyed seeing some more interaction between the four girls, but I recognize that it wouldn't necessarily "move" the story forward. The race scene itself was nice to see. And, we see Maddy slowly turning around. Ever so Sloooooly.

Thanks,
Annette

Well, Maddy And Gaby Are

Paired for Life, but as we see in this chapter, Gaby is no longer pining for Maddy. We will see Gaby become the dominant one in their pairing because she will no longer be the wishy-washy Drew that Maddy manipulated.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine