Mountain Bike Mania (4 page)

“He’s some piece of work, all right,” Julian said. “Tell you the truth, I don’t think his dad wants him riding the new bikes.
Ace rides them kind of hard. Don’t get me wrong — he’s a great biker. He does stuff on a bike nobody else around here can
do.”

“Not even you?” Will asked.

“Me? Nah, I’m not that good. I’m more into fixing them up, you know? Getting them in perfect running condition.” Julian wiped
his hands with a greasy rag, then motioned for them all to gather around him.

“Okay, now I’m going to give you your first lesson in mountain bikery. This” — he pointed solemnly at the bike — “is a mountain
bike. It’s different from a regular bike because it goes anywhere. Look at these big, fat tires. Good traction, good padding,
takes a pounding. Look at this frame. Strong but lightweight, for when you need to carry it. Shock absorbers to keep you from
feeling the pain.

“These are the derailleurs. They help shift the gears. The idea of shifting is so you can keep a steady pace. That way you
don’t tire out. So you want to find the most comfortable gear for flat riding and then adjust from there.”

He went on to show Will and his parents how to shift gears with his thumbs as he rode. Then he taught them how to brake. Twenty
minutes had gone by when Mr. Diamond came in, scowling.

“Julian,” he said. “There are four customers out there waiting for help. I don’t mean to rush you, but…” He gestured frantically,
gave Will and his parents a little smile, and ducked back out.

“I’d better wrap this up,” Julian said, not seeming too worried or the least bit hurried.

“If you need to help someone else, go ahead,” Will’s mom offered.

“Yes, you’ve been more than kind to take so much time with Will — and with us. I feel like I got an education!”

“Me, too,” Will’s mom agreed.

Julian grinned. “Well, Gail sent him. So I had to treat him right.” He gave Will fist fives and ruffled his hair. “Look, man,
you already wear glasses, and
that’s actually an advantage here, since you won’t need goggles.”

“Cool!” Will said, smiling. “I’m not used to thinking of them as a plus.”

“Yeah, and I assume you’ve already got a helmet, yes?”

“Yes,” Will said.

“Good.”

“What about biking clothes?” Will asked.

“Will, we’re already spending enough for today,” his father counseled.

“But I’m gonna look like a dork on this great new bike with my regular clothes!”

“You’re wrong about that one,” Julian said, shaking his head. “Mountain biking’s not about what you wear. It’s about how you
ride. Don’t worry, not all the kids in the club at Hopgood wear cycling gear.”

“They don’t?” Will didn’t quite believe this. Anytime he’d watched bikers on TV, they’d been wearing skintight, shiny outfits,
and so had the bikers who’d nearly run him and Danny down.

“Nope. Gail doesn’t, for one, and she’s the club president. Look, forget about it for now. Trust me. On the other hand, you
are gonna want knee and
elbow pads, and good gloves, too. Trust me on this one, folks. He needs protective gloves.”

“We’ll pick them out while you ring us up,” Will’s dad said as they went back into the main showroom. “And thanks again, Julian.
You’ve been great.”

“Yes, indeed,” Will’s mom agreed.

“Thanks, Julian,” Will said.

“Hey, come on in anytime for some free pointers,” Julian said. “Don’t worry — Mr. Diamond won’t fire me for being slow. He
knows I’m good at what I do.”

He gave Will a wink and a big, gap-toothed grin.

The hours flew by until two-thirty the following afternoon. Will went and got his bike from the rack by the school athletic
field. It was easy to spot — the shiniest, coolest-looking one, as far as he was concerned.

He walked it over to the gym doors, and there was Gail Chen, waiting with two other girls for the rest of the club to show
up.

“Hi!” She waved, motioning him to hurry over. “This is Will, everybody. He’s our newest member. Will, this is Juliette Travis,
and this is Candy McGeachie.”

“Hi,” Juliette said, nodding to Will. She was already sitting on her bike, her blond hair tied back, and her helmet tilted
back on her head, unfastened for now. Neither she nor Gail were wearing biking outfits, just jeans tied up at the ankles and
old sneakers.

“Hiya, Will,” Candy said with a wave and a grin. “We know each other from French class,” she explained to Gail and Juliette.
“Isn’t Mrs. Dumont fun?”

Will was a little surprised at her friendliness. Candy and her twin brother Mitch were really popular kids. Everyone always
wanted to sit with them at lunch. Come to think of it, Juliette was head cheerleader, and her boyfriend was the quarterback
of the school’s football team. This was much more of an “in-crowd” than Will was used to hanging out with. When Will had heard
they were in the bike club, he wasn’t sure what to expect. But Candy was making him feel like one of them already, and he
relaxed.

“I like when Mrs. Dumont goes like this.” He pursed his lips, like he was a fish, the way Mrs. Dumont did when she was teaching
them how to
pronounce certain French words. Candy giggled, and Gail and Juliette joined her.

“Where’s Mitch?” Will asked Candy.

“Mitch? He’s probably hanging out with Ace, as usual,” Juliette said.

“Mitch, like, worships Ace,” Gail said with a sigh.

“So does Candy,” Juliette added.

“I do not!” Candy said, blushing and giving Juliette an elbow. But Will could see from the way they all giggled that it must
be true.

Just then, Mitch and Ace, along with another boy, came down the path, walking their bikes. Ace was wearing dark blue and silver
biking gear from head to toe. His leather jacket was slung over both shoulders. He looked totally cool, and confidence oozed
from his every pore.

The other two boys’ outfits didn’t suit them quite so well, but they still strutted as if they were on top of the world. One
was a very tall boy with a buzz cut, and the other, with blond hair down to his shoulders, was Candy’s twin brother Mitch.

“It’s the three stooges,” Juliette quipped, her eyes twinkling. “About time, you guys.”

“Hey, we had to get changed, right?” Ace said.

“Right,” the tall boy agreed. “Gotta look good out there. All new outfits for the new season.”

“Steve Barrad, this is Will Matthews,” Gail introduced them. “And Ace Diamond. Mitch you already know. Will’s the newest member
of our club, everyone, so help him get used to everything, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Steve said, giving Will a nod and a smile.

“Hey!” Ace said, suddenly recognizing Will. “You’re the kid who bought my bike!”

“Well, technically, it wasn’t exactly
your
bike….” Will fumbled, suddenly feeling a little panicky.

“Ha, ha! Hey, just kidding,” Ace said, grinning and throwing an arm around Will’s shoulder. “No hard feelings. I’ll get over
it. In fact, check out the replacement!” He showed off his new bike — a gleaming green “Mean Machine,” as the decal read.
It was a hot bike, all right. “Right off my dad’s rack. I’m testing this baby out for him. Oh, yeah — and welcome to the club,
Will.” He showed Will a complicated handshake. “That’s how we do it, okay?”

“Sure,” Will said, happy Ace wasn’t still sore about the bike.

“And if you need any help on the trail, I’m there — anytime, all the time.”

“Thanks, Ace.”

“Okay,” Gail said. “Now that everyone’s here and acquainted, let me go over our schedule for the week. Today we’re going out
to Shepard Lake Trail —”

“Aw, come on,” Ace interrupted her. “Forget that — it’s too easy. Flat as a pancake. Why can’t we do some hills?”

Gail shot him a look. “We have a beginner with us today,” she said pointedly. “So I thought we’d start him off easy, till
he’s used to his new bike and understands how we do things.”

Ace clicked his tongue and shook his head, but he didn’t argue any further.

Gail ignored him and continued. “Then on Friday, we’ll do the ski trails on Slide Mountain.”

“Yeah, that’s more like it!” Ace commented, satisfied.

Will could barely contain his excitement. He was glad they were starting slow. But a large part of him, like Ace, couldn’t
wait to barrel down a steep slope with the wind in his face and his bike in full flight.

“Well, let’s get going,” Ace said. “I can at least get some speed practice.”

“You’d better not,” Gail warned him. “You know Shepard Lake Trail is full of hikers and horses.” Ace didn’t reply, so she
turned to the rest of the club. “Okay, bike check,” Gail said, and they all dismounted to begin looking over their bikes.

“This is a routine we do every time before we go out,” Gail explained to Will. “We have a safety checklist: skewers must be
tight, quick release levers pointed to the rear, so they don’t snag on anything. Tires pumped up, brakes working properly.
Helmets fitted snugly. Kit on board… who’s going to carry the kit today?” she asked, hoisting a small day pack.

“What’s in the kit?” Will asked.

“First aid,” Gail told him. “Along with tools, spare inner tubes in case one of us gets a flat, loose change in case we need
to make an emergency phone call. Stuff like that.”

“I didn’t know you had to be that prepared,” Will said.

“Well, not so much for today,” she explained. “But when we go farther from town, like to Slide
Mountain or the reservation, it could be crucial.” She gave the kit to Mitch, who had raised his hand, volunteering to carry
it. Then she looked up at the sky. “Last minute check of the weather… looks good… and we’re ready to go!”

She threw a leg over the bike and hauled off across the athletic field, heading for the road that led to Shepard Lake. Ace
turned his bike around to follow her. “I don’t know why she always has to lead,” he grumbled. “It’s like having a scoutmaster
watching over you.”

“Yeah,” Mitch said, nodding. And Steve seemed to agree as well, although he didn’t say anything. They all took off, one after
the other, following Gail. Juliette and Candy came after, and Will brought up the rear.

“Don’t worry,” Juliette called out to Will over her shoulder. “If you fall too far behind, we’ll stop until you catch up!”

Will waved to signal that he’d heard. Soon, he fell into a comfortable rhythm behind the other bikers. As they rode, through
the heart of town and out into the hills, he began getting used to his new bike. Remembering
Julian’s advice, he practiced shifting gears and braking.

Soon they came to the dirt road that wound around the lake. The road snaked in and out, following the curves of the land.
The leaves were falling all around them as they rode. The sun, low in the sky, glinted through the trees at them. Will squinted
into the brightness and felt a rush of warmth and happiness flow through him.

This was it. He had found the answer to all of his after-school problems! Nothing could ruin his happiness now!

T
he next twenty-four hours flew by the way the scenery had on Shepard Lake Trail. Today Will had eaten lunch with Candy and
Mitch. He could sense other kids wondering how he’d managed to get so tight with them so quickly.

The same thing had happened a couple of times when he’d passed Ace Diamond in the hall and the older boy had given him the
special handshake. Every eye in the hall had been on Will then, and he liked it. He felt like one of the really popular kids
for the first time in his life. It was a heady, wonderful feeling.

After school, Will made his way across the street to the town library. He figured he could get onto a mountain biking Web
site or chat room on the Internet, or maybe look at some books about it.

But as he came into the big reading area, with its old wooden tables lined up one after the other, he saw Danny sitting there,
doing his homework.

They hadn’t talked all week. Since last Saturday, Will had just been too busy with his newfound hobby.

But Danny was still in the world of the lonely latchkey child, the brainiac who spent his afternoons studying alone. Will
suddenly felt sorry for him. Danny would have loved mountain biking, too, if he ever tried it — Will was sure of that. But
he wasn’t so sure he could convince Danny. He plopped his book bag down on the table and sat down across from his old friend.

“Danny,” he began, “how’s it going?”

“Okay, I guess,” Danny replied with a shrug. “Everybody’s been talking about you today, you know.”

“Really?” Will shifted in his seat. The idea that he was the subject of people’s conversations made him a little uncomfortable.
“What are they saying?”

“They’re saying you’re a poser and a wannabe. Some of them, anyway.”

“Who?” Will wanted to know, hurt that anyone would think that way about him.

“Oh, no,” Danny said, shaking his head. “I’m not gonna get into the middle of this. You asked me what people were saying.”
He peered at Will through his thick glasses. “A few people also said you were okay.”

“Who! Who?” Will had to know.

Danny drummed his fingers on the table. “No one. I made the whole thing up,” Danny said. “What do you care what people think,
anyway?”

“You made the whole thing up?” Will repeated, stunned.

“Maybe yes, maybe no,” Danny said cryptically. “So what is all this about, anyway? Are you ‘acting out’ or something?”

“What do you mean?” Will asked. “I don’t get you.”

“I mean,” Danny said, rolling his eyes, “on Saturday afternoon the two of us are nearly killed by a marauding pack of maniacs
on mountain bikes, and instead of fighting back or swearing revenge or at least being mildly annoyed, you go out and spend
hundreds of dollars on a murder weapon of your
own and join the Ace Diamond Fan Club. Does that strike you as weird, or is it just me?”

“Whew,” Will said, blowing out a deep breath. “Jeez, Danny, chill out. I thought you would have gotten over it by now.”

“Oh, okay, so
I’m
the one who’s acting strangely.” Danny’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I should have realized.”

“Look,” Will said, trying to get through to his friend, “it’s just that I knew, when those bikes came flying down the trail
— I knew I wanted to do that.”