That Winning Feeling

• Lachlan Prider, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2010

Alex’s alarm clock roared at 5:30 like a wounded lion. He didn’t want to get up but he new he had to otherwise his team manager Liam Eyles would get pretty cranky with him.

He put his Belgrave team jersey and knicks on got his Pinarello Dogma 6.1 and joined his team outside the apartment block he and his team were staying at. The first person to come up to Alex was the team mechanic Mike Anderson. He was a little bit strange but everybody in the team liked him and put a lot of trust into him with their bikes. While Mike was checking Alex’s bike for any punctures or any other little niggles like that he didn’t say a word probably because he was listening to some weird music on his iPod but mike always said hello or good morning or something like that to Alex. Something was a little strange thought Alex.

In five days it was going to be the Le Tour De France and Alex was starting to feel the nerves. But he stuck to his training regime even though some days he doesn’t want to get up to go for a ride. While he was riding with his team mates from Belgrave he was talking to their big sprinter Johan he was big and as strong as an ox. They were talking about Mike and how he was acting strange. “I reckon we should get a new mechanic”, said Johan confidently.

Alex thought it through and said just as they were pulling up to their magnificent, old apartment “Yeah I reckon we should get another mechanic to”.

Well some how the strange Mike Anderson overheard them talking about it so the next day he resigned.

It was the big day the opening day of the Le Tour De France. Alex was so pumped up that he could hardly wait to get out on the time trial course.

On the course Alex felt his Cervelo P4 seat slightly wobbling and then out of nowhere it dropped straight down causing Alex to pull on his brakes and then stop which was costing him many valuable seconds. He ended up finishing the time trial but he had a very bad time and had not given his rivals the impression that he had wanted to give them.

Meanwhile on the sidelines Mike Anderson was laughing at what he had done to the person that was going to fire him and jeopardise his career. But behind him was Liam Eyles the Belgrave team manager and he was prepared to take it to court.

He obviously did because a couple of months later Mike was behind bars and Alex had persevered and won Le Tour De France.