This story is a work of fiction. A figment of the author's imagination. It is not meant to be big on realism. It's a fantasy. The culture around world-class women's cycling probably isn't a hotbed of lesbian lust, but wouldn't it be fun if it were?
All characters are fictitious. At the same time, they are all over 18.
***
Riding With Dirty Girls.
9. Porto
I opened my eyes to pale dawn light, filtering through thin curtains, and I recognised the ceiling of my bedroom. There was a pleasant feeling of familiarity as I gradually awakened and realised I was at home. Then, I became aware of a warm presence lying beside me. Licia.
I smiled to myself and stretched luxuriously, then I turned towards her, put my arm around her waist, and snuggled up to her. She was lying with her back to me and I moulded my body to hers, like the proverbial two spoons in a drawer.
She stirred slightly and murmured as she emerged slowly from a fathomless sleep, a murmur that changed to a giggle as I kissed the downy hair on the nape of her neck.
'Mmmm,' she breathed, 'Morning lovely.'
We stayed, just like that, spooned blissfully together, for long, precious minutes. Then she wriggled and turned over to face me. I slipped my knee between her legs and she squeezed my thigh with hers as we shared little affectionate pecks on the lips, then lay dreamily, dozing slightly with our foreheads pressed together.
I was relishing these magical dawn moments especially, because we would soon have to get up and get busy. We had a flight to Portugal to catch that day, plunging us back into the racing routine of elite cyclists and, after that, we'd return to our separate lives and the past two days would be just a memory. A priceless memory.
I was surprised that, after our sexual excesses of the previous day, I didn't feel exhausted. It was nothing like waking up after that wild night with Helen, and I lay and wondered why. Perhaps it was to do with the number of orgasms in a short time? The night with Helen had been intense, the day with Licia much longer and more luxurious. One thrilling, one fulfilling.
Whatever, I felt good that morning, as I eventually tore myself away from her and rolled out of bed. I tottered to the bathroom, had a massive wee, showered, and then peered through to the bedroom, where she was still languishing. 'Come on lazybones, we have to be at the airport in two hours. Breakfast in 20 minutes... downstairs.'
I heard her grousing to herself as I descended the stairs, and presently heard the shower running, followed by the usual crashing about that seems to accompany Licia as she gets herself disorganised for the day.
I smiled and hummed to myself as I pottered about, making coffee, and preparing what I hoped was a delicious and nutritious breakfast.
She appeared, bumping her suitcase down the stairs, and we sat and ate, chatting just like any regular lesbian couple. It was a kind of domestic idyll, something I found comforting and scary in almost equal measure.
Licia would make a perfect partner, and it was telling that I was spending so much time thinking about that, and imagining it, but could I choose her in preference to any of my other equally dear girlfriends? It wasn't a question I wanted to answer. I wondered what was going on in HER head when she inevitably thought about this.
Anyway, Porto beckoned and we started getting ready to depart. 'Passport, tickets, money,' I chanted, in a mantra that had become so tediously familiar to me. 'Passport, tickets, money.
In her typical style, Licia joined in, and she danced around my kitchen, repeating the chant and flourishing the required items in her hands, though in lieu of the last two items she just waved her phone. Swankbot.
At 1pm we were on the plane and fastening our seatbelts. We smiled at each other. Not for any particular reason, I think it was just that we made each other smile.
It had been novel, travelling to and through the airport with her. Usually, I'd be on my own, but this time I had a companion, which made everything feel different. It was nice. Coupling.
The logistics of travel to Porto had been a bit of a talking point. Not for Licia and me -- we had the luxury of a direct flight from Edinburgh - but for Molly and co. We had discussed the possibility of flying my three race bikes there from Brussels, but Molly was favouring just driving there in the Lyonmobile, a journey of almost 2000km (around 1200 miles). This caused a certain amount of dismay to Fanny and Marianne, who didn't relish the prospect of two long days in the car -- and yes, Molly did propose to do it in two days.
Luckily for them, a knight in shining armour stepped in. The knight was Molly's pet mechanic, Joss, and the shining armour was his van, which was a fully-equipped mobile workshop with room for three bikes. It even had an on-board jet-wash, which I'm sure made Fanny very happy.
Joss and his wife Sanne decided it would be an opportunity to escape the dank northern winter for a few days, and enjoy (hopefully) some Portuguese sunshine for a while. The only possible downside was that my bikes wouldn't arrive back in Belgium until 8 or 9 days later, but since there was a three-week gap before the next round it worked out perfectly. Plus, Joss had promised that the bikes would come back 'Immaculate and ready to win again.'
They actually set off on the 28th, and were driving through France while Licia and I were enjoying our day of amorous abandon. What a great team I have.
***
Round 8: Porto
The Portugese round promised to be something very different. Portugal does have a winter, of course, but it's not like the winter in Belgium, let alone Scotland.
Licia and I emerged from the Oporto airport terminal building blinking in the unaccustomed brightness of brilliant sunshine and a temperature of 18-degrees Celsius. The people where I live would think it was an unusually fine summer's day.
Our team hotels were not far apart, in Mindelo, a 15 minute taxi ride away, and we got dropped off at a point close to both and unloaded our bags onto the pavement.
We embraced and kissed, and somehow it felt like a significant parting. It shouldn't have -- we would still be close by for the next two days -- but our little interlude as a... there's no other way to say it...a couple, was over. My feelings were more than mixed.
We picked up our bags and set off to our hotels.
The organisers had taken a gamble, scheduling this race for New Year's Eve and, as I expected, a proportion of the peloton simply decided to skip it all together. Obviously, those of us with the ambition of taking the overall title were all here, but there were notable absences; Pekka, Olga, MΓ€rta, Carmen, the French girls, and my team mates Mari and Sandi, to name a few.
Of the rest of us, some were determined to fly home immediately after the race, and only a minority had chosen to stay and celebrate the new year in Portugal. Happily for me, those who were staying included Licia, Lucy, Annike, Maisie, Sabina, and the lovely Helen.
Despite the wondrous weather, the ability to sit outside in the sunshine, and the proximity of New Year celebrations, the atmosphere seemed a little subdued, certainly compared to Willingen, or Dublin. The absent faces at dinner were missed, and the talk about the course was quite muted really. I think we were perhaps all ready for the three week break.
Ingrid, Annike, and Helen had been out and had a look at the course, which was laid out among the dunes of Novo Paraiso, a kilometre up the coast, and they had pronounced it, 'just a big sand party.'
'It's not ALL on sand, is it? I asked, alarmed.
'No, not all,' Ingrid replied, 'there's some fast tracks, a little bit of concrete, and two fabricated bridges where the course crosses itself. One of them has ramps but the other has stairs on one side. And there is a triple set of barriers to jump over too. It's very artificial... and very nearly flat.'
'There is lots of sand though,' Helen said, 'too much for my liking.'
Well I don't really like sand, either. It's amazingly tricky to ride on, or through -- way worse than most kinds of snow, and worse than all but the most "peanut butter" types of mud. I wasn't really fancying it much.
After dinner, a group of us set off to check out what we were told was the best bar/club on the coast. It was apparently THE place to be, and the place where the biggest celebrations would be the following night. To be honest, even without all that, the name alone would probably have lured me in. It was called "Sumoqueda," which can be translated as "Hot Juice." Oo... nice.
The place was a trip, with a great bunch of people, a lively bar and a separate room with music playing, where people were dancing.
I spotted Licia at the bar, and I made sure I took Helen with me when I went over to talk to her. There was never going to be a better opportunity to get both of them in the sack with me...
At this point, Helen and Licia only knew each other enough to say 'hi' in passing, but, if I got my way, I would make sure they would get to know each other much more intimately before the night was done.
We stood at the bar chatting, and I noticed that Licia and Helen were checking each other out, a little archly. Licia was obviously thinking about the threesome I'd suggested, and Helen knew that Licia had been staying at my house because I'd told Maisie and, well, Maisie and Helen are incorrigible gossips.
I was enjoying it, to be honest. I was loving watching them checking each other out, and I was loving seeing them together. My excitometer was starting to rise up the scale as I realised the chances of the threesome coming true were getting higher.
'Let's sit down and talk,' said Licia, and we found seats nearby. It didn't take long for a certain sexual undercurrent to enter the conversation.
'So, I hear you were staying with Chloe in Scotland, Licia,' said Helen. 'Did you enjoy it?'
Lìcia glanced at me with a little smirk. 'Erm, yeh, it was good. We had a great bike ride...'