Payson impatiently waited on the patio with her laptop on her lap. She was waiting for the national team practice conclusion to load, as well as she was waiting for Seth to roll up the ramp.
The National team practice conclusion would consist of the 5 girls competing in Tokyo in the following week, and the 3 girls that would be cut from the national team. Payson wasn't worried about Alexis getting cut or flying to Tokyo, yet she was worried about the image of the Rock. Since she, Kaylie and Lauren had retired the club had few stars, and a lot of girls that were "fillers". Although Alexis was the ultimate star, it was all they had, and Payson was pretty sure that Alexis would be the only representative from the rock on the national team.
"Hey there good lookin', watcha up to?" Seth surprised Payson as she tried clicking the link a few more times so it would load faster.
Seth took the computer from Payson and tried kissing her on the lips, but only made it to her cheeks since they were both in wheelchairs.
"hey, get on my lap, your cheek isn't enough," Seth joked.
"I can't," Payson said in her usual stoic voice. "Here, just let me check the results."
Payson clutched Seth's hand as he scrolled through the formalities (messages from different National team sponsors) and then read the results. As expected, Bethany and Alina were cut from the team, and Alexis would be in top spot for Tokyo the following week. Not only that, Payson was selected to be an assistant coach on the trip.
"that's great Pay," seth said in his cool voice. It was funny to think that he had a cool voice, because he was a tough coach, but Payson liked to call it "tough love". He loved Riley and really believed that she could make it as far as she wanted, and wasn't going to let bad coaching get in the way. Payson was always there for Riley when she needed to be ensured that Seth was doing the right thing, but Payson really admired Seth for his loyalty.
"Yeah," Payson looked into Seth's eyes. "I need to do something about the Rock. It's falling apart. Your sister is the only thing keeping it together right now, but I want the rock to have it's glory days." Payson winced as she changed her position slightly in the wheelchair. Seth stroked her hair. "Marty's barely around now that he moved to Denver with Kaylie's mom, and I'm not the one to promote transfers."
Seth and Payson sat on the patio for quite a while, thinking of ideas, Sharing their experiences from each side of the world, and then later retreating to the Keeler's living room to eat Kim's famous cookies.
It was when Seth's phone beeped, regarding an email, at 12:30AM, when the two of them were intrigued. It was either spam, or something really important. They both assumed it to be Spam, but when Seth opened it his facial expression changed.
"The new Belgian development team invited Riley to race for them. They want her to fly in next week, and tour Europe with them for a few weeks. They are bringing in all the top riders from all over the world, but they also want me to recommend another rider for their empty slots."
Seth put his head between his hands. The program would open Riley up to a whole other world. She would be treated like a professional, she would race in prestigious races—no charge, she would have great gear and a ton of attention from the press. That wasn't the issue. It was what Seth wanted for Riley. He just knew he had to recommend Mara and not Nicole, and he knew that Nicole's parents would not be happy when they heard that Mara and Riley were part of a prestigious development team, and Nicole was in New York state.
"Well, you'll just have to get over with it. Nicole didn't show much promise in Europe, and you'll still push for her to go to Worlds, but this is an opportunity that she can't have." Seth didn't even have to explain his trouble for Payson to give a strong reassurance.
Riley woke up the following morning, still a little jetlagged, but ready to go out for a light spin, and then stop off at Mara's house on her way home to see how she was feeling. Seth was already awake, in front of an open fridge.
"Seth, I'll do an hour and a half around town, and I'm gonna stop off at Mara's to see how she's feeling."
Seth fingered the water bottles in the fridge and though for a moment.
"Great! Ok, see you later. Also don't eat during the ride today. You need to lose 2 pounds. It should only take you a few days to lose, but you really don't need the food for an easy spin."
Riley nodded and walked out the door, oblivious to the fact that her life was going to change within the next few hours.
Seth only had to tell their mom of the situation, and then he would meet Riley at mara's house and share the news.
"Seth, what are you doing in front of the fridge? And why are you awake so early? You came home at 2."
"Mom, listen, I got an email from a new development team based in Belgium. They're impressed by Riley, and want her to ride for them, but also join them for a few weeks in Europe to meet the squad and race in a few races."
Jenifer just looked at Seth. She sometimes worried that he worked so hard for someone else. It was as if since he got hit by the car he was living vicariously through Riley.
"Seth, I don't have an issue with it, especially if this means that once she comes back to the US you don't have to worry about sponsors or anything. But I'm worried about Riley. She was coughing all night. According to Alexis she was coughing in Europe but was hiding it from you. That's a long time to be coughing like that. She almost coughed a lung up. I know that you know when to tell her it's enough, but I'm worried that the Belgian coaches won't, because she surely doesn't know when to stop." Jennifer let out her fears but knew it wasn't stopping Seth from sending riley to Europe for a few weeks. It actually gave him a motive—to teach her a lesson. She'd finally realize it on her own, and she would know when to give her body a rest.
"Ok mom, she's going. I think she'll be good."
Riley headed to the other side of town, pedaling fast but maintaining a comfortable pace. Her lungs felt gross, still gooey from when she was sick in Belgium. She had been coughing all night, and was glad she didn't have to do a hard ride.
The hour and a half was over before she knew it and she headed over to Mara's house. She was excited to be able to see her—and actually talk to her. Although they were on top of each other in Europe, they weren't very talkative because of the constant tension. Racing was very psychological and the two of them preferred to stay in their zones. Mara was hooked up to an IV drip for a while, since she had dehydrated, and was told to stay in bed for 24 hours before she got back on her bike. Mara's dad had obviously taken that very literally because he lead Riley up to her bedroom, and then put her bike in their hallway, since she wouldn't be there for long.
To her surprise, Seth was sitting in there, and Mara's dad followed Riley into the room shortly after.
"umm, hi?" Riley said, trying to figure out the scenario. It would be unlikely that Seth came to visit Mara because of her condition because she was merely dehydrated, unless her parents had complained that Seth had been "irresponsible", which was unlikely. They were very cool about everything—the sort of California Hippie type, just in Colorado.
"Hey, sit down. I have some things to tell you." Seth pointed to a chair, and Mara's dad sat down next to his wife.
"As I mentioned to you guys before, I received an email from a development team in Belgium, and they recruited Riley as a teammate." Riley nervously looked at Mara. Would this mean that after 6 years on the same team they would be separated? Riley wanted everything for her career, but couldn't bear to imagine racing on separate teams.
"They also asked me to suggest a rider, and without hesitation I suggested that Mara should be on the team. Even though Mara didn't showcase her potential in Europe I truly believe that she is a world class athlete and is deserving of the spot. I also think that with the professional set-up the team provides for its riders she'll be able to bring great results in Holland."
Mara's dad, Greg, patted her head.
"That's wonderful Seth, we really appreciate it. But what does this mean? I mean, for Mara of course." Seth nodded, and looked at Riley, who was obviously still in shock from the split second where she thought she was losing a teammate.
"First of all, the team replied and accepted Mara, but she is a conditional rider, meaning she has to perform really well if she wants that spot. There are 5 girls fighting over 2 spots, and Mara will be one of them for a few weeks. Not only will she have to race well, she'll also have to show a professional attitude. The girls will fly to Belgium next Wednesday, where they will get picked up by the team manager, who will take them to drop off their bags at the apartment. Then, they will get fitted on their new bikes, get team clothing, and will probably have to answer a few questions for the sponsors websites. By that evening, the whole team will have arrived, they'll meet each other, and the next morning they will go on a long training ride together." Mara's mom, Honey, stopped Seth.
"A new bike and new clothes? Isn't that expensive? How much is this going to cost us? You know we just spent a fortune on Belgium."
"Honey, I'll get to that." Seth resumed his explanation. "then, they will race in some races around Belgium, and maybe some in Italy, Germany and Holland, depending on the race plan. Afterward they'll go back home, and will race in the US, representing the development team. Occasionally they will get summoned to represent the team in international competition, and there will be a lot team training camps, and a lot of press coverage."
Seth looked at Honey, signaling that he hadn't forgotten her question.
"this team is fully sponsored. The girls won't have to pay for anything. Not even the flights, not even race participation here in the US. The bikes are team bikes, and the girls have to ride on them. This does mean that they will lose their amateur status, meaning they cannot receive scholarships to universities. But the girls will really go far with this team."
Seth smiled and said: "So, what do you think girls?"
Riley's mind was filled with crazy thoughts. It was what she had dreamed of, and never expected to get it so soon. It was normally only after the age 18 when cyclists could ride with such a professional team, and she was getting it at the age of 16. She would race in real races, and she would get stronger, and maybe she could, one day, become the world champion she had always dreamed of being.
But Mara had other thoughts.
"Wait, but Seth, will you still be coaching us?"
Riley had never thought of that. But it was a good point.
"Teams like this have what is called a director. The director decides who's going to win what race, and he calls all the shots—sort of like a football coach. When you are participating in races along with the whole development squad, he'll be the boss, but when you race here, I'm the director. I'll still write your training plans and I'll still take you girls on training rides when you are around, but I just won't be the one deciding how you'll race the important races."
The girls both knew exactly what they were going to do, and before they knew it, were on a flight to Belgium with nothing but a small luggage with some clothes, books, iPods, money, and their old team clothing for when the goings got tough.