Chapter 16

 

Burke expected that day’s stage of the Vuelta would end in another bunch sprint and he was right. And when several riders collided at high speed near the finish line, Burke wasn’t entirely surprised by that either. The sprinters in the Vuelta had too often been overly aggressive in their desire for victory. And, quick and vigilant as ever, Jules Tessier provided a statistic which said this was already the most crash-marred Vuelta in a decade.

As he and Nico Menard reviewed the carnage near the finish line, Burke couldn’t help thinking this was a Vuelta that a lot of people were going to remember for a long time – and not for the best of reasons.

When they signed off, Menard sat back and sighed heavily.

“Tired, Nico?” Burke asked.

“The older I get, the tougher it gets to cover these big races. I’m glad tomorrow is a rest day and we don’t have to do anything except get to Girona.”

They were interrupted by Monique Chan entering the booth.

“We’ve got a change of plans,” she said. “Madame Godard and I will be taking the Mercedes SUV that brought you. The three of you will go by a rental car, but don’t worry, it’s a nice vehicle and there’ll be a rack for your bike, Paul. You can pick it up at your hotel here. The keys are at the front desk.”

Burke glanced at Menard who shrugged.

“You know this region, Paul, so you can drive,” Chan said. “After that, everything’s the same. You’ll stay in your downtown Girona hotel and the following day cover the race. After that, Nico and Jules will continue to the next stage where they’d be working with a new guest commentator while Paul returns home to Villeneuve-Loubet. Everything sound good?”

Although curious as to why the switch in vehicles, Burke was fine with the plan. He knew the route which took in a series of resort communities before skirting Barcelona and going inland to Girona. It would be a busy drive, but also a pretty one. And it would end in one of Burke’s favourite cities.

Split by the River Onyar, Girona was an appealing blend of the modern and the ancient. Burke especially loved the Old Town with its narrow, twisting lanes, its majestic cathedral and its fortress walls. If he had to live in Spain, Girona would be the place, even though these days it was caught in the middle of the Catalan political turmoil with demonstrations for both independence and loyalty to Spain.

“Since we don’t have to be there until late afternoon, let’s sleep in,” Menard said.

Burke studied his colleague and saw the bags under the older man’s eyes. Menard was late 50s and fit looking, but Burke knew the toll the Vuelta took on everyone associated with it, not just the riders. There were long days and short nights. And the pressure of always being prepared never stopped.

When he looked at Tessier, the young man shrugged. “I’m fine with that,” Tessier said. “I have a little homework to do to get ready for the Girona stage.”

It was the most Burke had ever heard the statistician say in one burst.

Burke agreed to a late-morning start, but he didn’t intend to sleep in. He had something he wanted to check out first.

With their departure time settled, they trooped off to Suzanne Godard’s standard post-race meeting to review how coverage of the race had gone. She didn’t use much time, complimenting Burke and Menard for their work. She also praised Tessier for producing some informative numbers which made the young man blush. Burke thought Tessier wasn’t someone used to hearing compliments.

The meeting ended and Godard and Monique Chan disappeared with Menard, who said he wanted an early night, right on their heels. When Tessier started to leave, Burke stopped him.

“Jules, can I borrow you for a few minutes?” Burke asked.

Tessier met Burke’s gaze and shrugged. “Sure.”

“You’re the whiz with stats, Jules, and I’m hoping you can check something for me,” Burke said.

“For the Girona stage?”

“No, nothing to do with cycling. Which means you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“What do you want?”

Burke told him. Tessier didn’t say anything for several seconds and then he nodded. “I can do that,” he said. “I might need an hour, but no more. I have one question, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Why?”

Burke told him.

“OK, I’m fine with that,” Tessier said. “One hour back here?”

“Let’s meet at the café across the street.”

Tessier smiled. “I understand. Just co-workers sharing a drink.”

Burke thought Tessier was catching on.