Whichever lead rider completes three full laps after the signal wins.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
“Yeah, they’re very straightforward solo events. However, individuals sometimes work together as a team to improve their odds.”
“Why did you call it a
twilight
criterium?” I asked. “They don’t actually race at night, do they?”
Peter nodded. “They sure do. It’s not as bad as you might be thinking. There are streetlights. I’ve raced in a few twilight criteriums before. They’re a lot of fun.”
“What about prizes?” Hú Dié asked.
Jake’s ears perked up. “Prizes?”
“Most crits have stage prizes, or primes,” Peter explained. “During certain laps, riders have the opportunity to win a prize if they win that particular lap. This race is special, so there won’t be any stage prizes. However, there will be one whopper of a prize for the rider who crosses the finish line first—a professional cycling sponsorship!”
Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Do you think any of us have a shot at winning it?”
“Honestly?” Peter replied. “It’s a very long shot. Therace promoter is an old friend of mine and I told him as much, but he said that he didn’t care. Your participation would help the event get more attention, and that’s a priority for any promoter. I’ve already spoken with all of your folks, except yours, Hú Dié, and they support your participation and don’t mind you staying out here longer. Additionally, Ryan’s mother has finished her business in Indiana and has offered to fly out and help, which would be invaluable. While she doesn’t ride, she has a deep knowledge of cycling strategy. She was instrumental in several of my victories in the past, particularly in criteriums. What do you say? Are you guys interested?”
“Yeah, baby!” Jake shouted.
“I’m in!” I said.
“Me too!” Hú Dié said. “I have plenty of time left on my travel visa.”
We all turned to Phoenix. His face was somber, but then he broke into a huge grin. “I’m in, too.”
“Yes!” Jake said, and he began to dance around.
Peter groaned. “You need a theme song to go along with that dance, Jake.”
“How about ‘Eye of the Tiger’?”
Phoenix, Hú Dié, and I replied as one: “No!”
We spent the rest of the morning making plans for the race. The fact that we would be competing against adults beneath streetlights began to wear on my mind, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me want to back out. Plus, Peter promised to begin training us at night, which helped put me somewhat at ease.
Once I was able to push the night-racing concerns out of my mind, I realized I had a bigger problem—I was going to need more dragon bone. I didn’t have enough to get me through the extra days. I thought my mom could bring me some, but she was worried about trying to get it through airport security.
Fortunately, Uncle Tí had me covered. He made a phone call to PawPaw, an apothecary friend of his in Beijing. It turned out she had a friend in San Francisco’s Chinatown who could be trusted. Her name was YeeYee, which means “Auntie” in Chinese. Uncle Tí made arrangements to ship out a small amount of dragon bone via courier airplane as a medical necessity—which it was—and YeeYee was going to be able to pick it up at San Francisco International Airport, and we could get it from her. Sending it to her instead of Peter directly seemed best because she often received medicine from doctors. Additionally, she could check it over to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. Uncle Tí didn’t want to take any chances.
I was also happy that my mom was coming to help us. She seemed more excited than I was, and I looked forward to learning all she knew about racing strategy. I’d had no idea her background was that extensive, and I felt closer to her than ever before.
Peter called the race promoter to confirm our participation, and almost immediately the cycling forums and blogs began to
“Sounds simple enough.”
“Yeah, they’re very straightforward solo events. However, individuals sometimes work together as a team to improve their odds.”
“Why did you call it a
twilight
criterium?” I asked. “They don’t actually race at night, do they?”
Peter nodded. “They sure do. It’s not as bad as you might be thinking. There are streetlights. I’ve raced in a few twilight criteriums before. They’re a lot of fun.”
“What about prizes?” Hú Dié asked.
Jake’s ears perked up. “Prizes?”
“Most crits have stage prizes, or primes,” Peter explained. “During certain laps, riders have the opportunity to win a prize if they win that particular lap. This race is special, so there won’t be any stage prizes. However, there will be one whopper of a prize for the rider who crosses the finish line first—a professional cycling sponsorship!”
Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Do you think any of us have a shot at winning it?”
“Honestly?” Peter replied. “It’s a very long shot. Therace promoter is an old friend of mine and I told him as much, but he said that he didn’t care. Your participation would help the event get more attention, and that’s a priority for any promoter. I’ve already spoken with all of your folks, except yours, Hú Dié, and they support your participation and don’t mind you staying out here longer. Additionally, Ryan’s mother has finished her business in Indiana and has offered to fly out and help, which would be invaluable. While she doesn’t ride, she has a deep knowledge of cycling strategy. She was instrumental in several of my victories in the past, particularly in criteriums. What do you say? Are you guys interested?”
“Yeah, baby!” Jake shouted.
“I’m in!” I said.
“Me too!” Hú Dié said. “I have plenty of time left on my travel visa.”
We all turned to Phoenix. His face was somber, but then he broke into a huge grin. “I’m in, too.”
“Yes!” Jake said, and he began to dance around.
Peter groaned. “You need a theme song to go along with that dance, Jake.”
“How about ‘Eye of the Tiger’?”
Phoenix, Hú Dié, and I replied as one: “No!”
We spent the rest of the morning making plans for the race. The fact that we would be competing against adults beneath streetlights began to wear on my mind, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me want to back out. Plus, Peter promised to begin training us at night, which helped put me somewhat at ease.
Once I was able to push the night-racing concerns out of my mind, I realized I had a bigger problem—I was going to need more dragon bone. I didn’t have enough to get me through the extra days. I thought my mom could bring me some, but she was worried about trying to get it through airport security.
Fortunately, Uncle Tí had me covered. He made a phone call to PawPaw, an apothecary friend of his in Beijing. It turned out she had a friend in San Francisco’s Chinatown who could be trusted. Her name was YeeYee, which means “Auntie” in Chinese. Uncle Tí made arrangements to ship out a small amount of dragon bone via courier airplane as a medical necessity—which it was—and YeeYee was going to be able to pick it up at San Francisco International Airport, and we could get it from her. Sending it to her instead of Peter directly seemed best because she often received medicine from doctors. Additionally, she could check it over to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. Uncle Tí didn’t want to take any chances.
I was also happy that my mom was coming to help us. She seemed more excited than I was, and I looked forward to learning all she knew about racing strategy. I’d had no idea her background was that extensive, and I felt closer to her than ever before.
Peter called the race promoter to confirm our participation, and almost immediately the cycling forums and blogs began to
Similar Books
