Shifting Priorities

"Good morning!" he said and they greeted him.

"Alfred seems intent on riding hard today. I will join you to keep an eye on your group," Jules said.

"That would be welcome. I think he's being a little too intense about this. He's forgotten this is supposed to be fun!" Kyle said with a smile and Jules nodded and shrugged. "That said I don't intend on losing if I can help it." That brought bigger smiles from the guides.

He thought of something. "David didn't look very good at breakfast. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to suggest he take a rest day."

Dita nodded and smiled. He returned it but kept it casual.

Kyle went to his bike and did his inspection. Everything was good. He did his stretches and felt his muscles respond smoothly. Vivian came by and filled his water bottles with an electrolyte drink as the day would be another hot one and they would be riding hard.

As the others came outside he rode around the courtyard getting the feel of his bike and letting his muscles prepare.

"You ready to go?" Alfred said as he rode up next to him.

"When Jules says it's time," he responded calmly. Alfred clucked his tongue at Kyle and turned to ride back to the group. Kyle did the same and they listened to Jules give the day's itinerary. The man had a lovely French accent and he could read an accounting manual and make it sound exotic and exciting.

"We are aware there is a group that will be racing today but again I say, safety is priority number one. OK? Please, do not take any unnecessary chances. Let's have fun and enjoy the day," Jules said firmly.

Kimberly rode up beside Kyle. "Did you ask Dita to ask David to ride in the van?"

Kyle saw she wasn't angry so he nodded.

She relaxed and smiled at him. "Thank you! I could tell he wasn't up to riding but I couldn't tell him that. He'd just call me a nag." She frowned. "It was a mistake bringing him on this trip."

"He's not enjoying himself?" Kyle asked.

She shook her head. "He hasn't enjoyed doing anything pleasurable with me for a long time," she mumbled then her eyes flew wide and her mouth dropped open as she heard her own words. Her face matched the red of her pony tail.

"It's ok, I get what you mean-"

"Hey Dr. Phil! Are we going to race or whine about our feelings?" Alfred barked.

Kyle gave him an annoyed look. Kimberly apologized to Kyle but he just shook his head firmly. "Jules is still talking with Vivian. When he's ready, we go."

Helen, Skye, and Fiona rode by with Carl and Larissa close behind. They all smiled at Kyle and Kimberly, wishing them success and Fiona cheered the loudest. They mostly ignored Alfred who was riding in circles, seething with anger and frustration.

Vivian and Jules joined the pack and Kyle picked up the wheel of Jules with Kimberly right behind him. Alfred shot past them mashing on his pedals. Sighing, Kyle swung out and gave chase. Alfred was too strong to let him get too far ahead. He put Kimberly and Jules out of his mind. They'd either catch up or be left behind but he seriously doubted the latter would happen.

He heard whoops of support as he shot past the group and they saw he was already eating into Alfred's lead. The man had used too high a gear when he launched his attack and his mashing was tiring him out. He'd sunk back to the saddle and was trying to get back to a proper cadence. Kyle eased himself into position behind Alfred and Jules rode up beside him to give him a questioning look. He just shrugged to the man so the guide faded back to ride in Kimberly's slipstream.

After about twenty minutes of cruising along at a fast clip, Alfred finally pulled to the left and let Kyle move up to the front to face the wind while he slipped back to ride behind Jules.

Kyle allowed the pace to drop a little as there was along way to go and he had no desire to use all of his energy on the lowlands when there was a climb ahead. Besides, he was in France and there was scenery to enjoy. He pulled the group for fifteen minutes before he pulled to the left and let Kimberly take a turn at the front.

As he dropped behind Alfred, the man looked over at him. "Are we here to sightsee or race?"

Kyle just smiled and got in behind Alfred who veered left and attacked once more, passing Jules and Kimberly.

She and Jules had fresh legs so they immediately leapt forward to follow. Kyle fell back a length or two before he was able to catch the back of the group.

Once more Alfred set a brutal pace for twenty minutes but Kyle kept pace, much to the older rider's annoyance. Alfred moved to the back again.

From the front, Kyle allowed the pace to slow slightly once more to give them all a little rest and to enjoy the beauty of the forest canopy they were now riding under. They were getting closer to the base of the day's climb. He stayed at the front for twenty minutes this time.

As Kyle let himself move to the back, Alfred once more sprung out of his saddle to drop the others as they raced along the roads in the rolling foothills but they reeled him back in.

Alfred scowled but from the previous day's experience knew he was a stronger climber than Kyle so he decided to bide his time. While he wouldn't show it, he was using more energy than he'd expected and right now, he needed to reserve it for the climb.

"We are approaching the turnoff for the alternate route," Jules eventually called out from the front.

"I'm getting a stitch in my side. I won't be going with you," Kimberly answered.

"You ok?" Kyle asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm just not up to a race uphill. I'll go on and wait to meet you on the other side where the route merges again," she said. She pulled out to the left and let Kyle and Alfred pass on her right. "Good luck boys!" she called out.

Kyle grinned his thanks but Alfred just nodded tersely.

They saw the mountain road veering right and turning uphill just ahead. The road they were on continued through the forest and Kyle thought that would have been a lovely route to do today. But it was not to be.

The moment they took the slight right turn onto the upwards slope Alfred was out of the saddle and surging forward.

Kyle had been anticipating the move and was right there on his wheel, matching his pace. He knew he was in for a tough climb. The top of the pass was around 10 kilometers away with an average grade of 6.5%, though some sections had a grade of 11%. He knew Albert would try to lose him on those steeper sections.

Alfred dropped back into the saddle and Kyle did the same. It was much too early for him to attack against such a strong climber.

Jules was hanging on to their tail. Kyle knew he wasn't going to do anything to increase the pace or help as he was just an observer now.

He took another drink as he watched Alfred for tells for his next attack. He'd been sipping along the route and had maybe half a bottle left.

They ground their way up the mountain road with the sun beating down on them and Kyle was grateful he'd kept hydrated during the ride.

As they rounded yet another switchback Kyle felt the grade suddenly increase and downshifted to maintain his cadence. Just as he shifted gears Alfred was out of his saddle and mashing on the pedals to pull away. Kyle responded but Alfred was giving it everything he had. They were getting closer to the top and the doctor wanted a serious lead on Kyle as they crested. The gap grew to three lengths then four. Kyle kept an eye on his opponent ahead of him as he pushed himself to increase his cadence just enough to slow the loss. Jules pulled up beside him but Kyle ignored the man's curious look. Jules leapt out of the saddle and pushed to catch up with Alfred as he could see the man was wobbling just a little with the effort he was making to break Kyle and get his lead.

As they approached the final switchback before the last climb to the pass Alfred allowed himself to glance back. He saw Jules was on his wheel but he ignored him and looked further back to see Kyle at least fifteen lengths back. Not as far as he'd wanted but the punk had his head down and his legs were pumping at a pace he couldn't possibly maintain for long. He smiled. He'd done it! He broken the fucker! Now for the sweet descent and the dash across the rolling foothills to the chalet!

He was feeling his 56 years as he struggled to maintain his brutal pace up the last climb. As he crested he glanced back once more expecting to see Kyle on the previous section of road. He was surprised to see Kyle was now much closer and his legs were still rapidly spinning the cranks.

The descent on the other side of the mountain was a little more forgiving. There were less switchbacks than the climb had but they were still tight. Also, there were longer straight sections as the road wound back to join the main road at the base of the mountain before moving on to the next village. Alfred pedaled as fast as he could and took the corners at speeds that raised the hairs on the back of his neck but Kyle suddenly shot past him and accelerated away.

Stunned at the display of reckless speed, Alfred tried to keep up but Kyle's seemingly fearless cornering and minimal braking was too much for Alfred to match. He saw Kyle's lead increase after each bend in the road. After one particularly hairy corner, Alfred heard Jules quickly suck in a breath and swear softly as they watched Kyle narrowly skirt disaster once more then surge further ahead of them.

Soon Kyle was several corners ahead of them and was entering the longer straight descents close to the base. The young man stayed in the saddle but his legs were almost a blur as he pushed his biggest gear to fly down the slopes.

When Alfred passed the final turn, reaching the longest straight stretch, he shifted up and poured it on to try to catch up with Kyle.

That's when he felt it.

The fatigue. The strain of his muscles complaining he'd abused them too much on the climb. He forced that pain aside as he couldn't afford it. It didn't matter how much he hurt. He couldn't allow Kyle to win. Fiona told him that should he lose to Kyle he'd have to apologize to her in front of the group. That wasn't happening.

Groaning in pain, Alfred pulled himself out of the saddle and hammered as hard as he could to shrink the gap between himself and that cocky shit ahead of him. Ten minutes later he looked ahead and the red and white jersey was nowhere to be seen. Desperate he looked back at Jules.

"Help me, dammit!" he growled.

"I cannot! It is a race between you and Monsieur MacDenny. I did not help him on the climb."

"Fucking useless," Alfred grumbled as he tried to push himself harder still.

As they approached the intersection of the main road and the end of the mountain road they spotted a cyclist waiting for them. They got closer and Alfred saw it was Kimberly. Didn't she meet up with Kyle? Maybe he went off the road somewhere between the last time they saw him and here? He felt almost giddy with relief. As they swept out onto the road Kimberly accelerated to catch up and rode beside Alfred.

"You haven't seen Kyle yet?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh! Yes, I saw him but there was no way for me to match his pace so I just waited for you two," she said happily.

"SHIT! GOD DAMMIT!" Alfred yelled as he leapt up out of the saddle and dropped right back down onto it as his legs cramped in protest. "FUCK!"

He pedaled as hard as he could but his legs were wobbling with the effort. He gritted his teeth and pushed onwards.

Kimberly looked to Jules who just smiled at her so she slipped in behind him. This wasn't her race either.

Too soon they came upon a sign for the chateau on their right and pulled off the main road onto a lovely treed lane that wound its way back to the large building.

There was Kyle, enjoying a glass of champagne as he stood next to the support van. Alfred saw the fucker didn't even look winded.

Alfred ground his teeth together as he took in the smiling face of the punk as he rode closer. He popped his shoe's cleat from the right pedal and put his foot down. His leg suddenly wouldn't support him and he began to topple over on his right side, his left foot still trapped by the pedal. He went down on the hard packed crushed gravel with a heavy thump. A brilliantly sharp pain exploded across his chest.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!" he screamed.

Jules was immediately off his bike and kneeling next to him. "Call an ambulance!" he called out to Dita who rushed back to the van to get her phone. Kyle knelt down next to him and got his left foot loose of the pedal and eased the bicycle out from between the man's legs. David hustled over from the van to see what the screaming was about.

"Monsieur Hollings, I believe you may have broken your clavicle. Please hold still," Jules said calmly.

He wouldn't lie back so they helped ease Alfred to a seated position to make him as comfortable as possible as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Carl and Larissa rolled up the lane and looked on in shock at the scene. The man leaned over to speak to Kimberly. "Did Kyle lose and knock Alfred down?" he asked quietly.

"No!" the petite redhead exclaimed loudly causing the others to look her way. She blushed and turned to the banker. "No, Kyle won the race by a large margin. Alfred just fell over when he got here. We think he broke his collar bone," she said with a quieter voice.

Vivian guided the remaining three from their group up the lane.

"What happened?" Fiona called out as she rode up.

Kyle responded. "Alfred pushed himself too hard. His right leg gave out when he stepped down from the bike and he fell over. He may have broken his collar bone."

"Fuck you!" Alfred barked from his position on the ground then moaned quietly.

Fiona walked up to stand in front of her husband and put her hands on her hips. "Kyle won?"

Alfred looked up at the satisfied smile on her face and his expression twisted into something ugly. "Fuck you too," he growled quietly.

Kyle scowled at him but Fiona's smile just got wider.

"What happened to your precious sportsmanship? You lost. You're the loser. You have promises to make good on." Fiona said calmly.

The bitterness in Alfred's face was ugly.

"Are you going to uphold your side of the bargain?" Kyle said using Alfred's own words against him. The man's eyes shot to his as he heard them. Kyle could see he was trying to think of a way out but dropped his eyes and nodded with a wince.

"Oh, I'll make sure he pays his debts to you in full," Fiona said firmly.

"And his promise to you?" Kyle asked as he looked to the woman.

She cocked her head to the side as she faced her husband. "How about it Alfred?" Fiona asked.

His eyes came up and there was nothing in them but bitter contempt.

Fiona's smile slipped away. "I see." She pulled her shoulders back. "Then there's nothing left to say. You'll hear from my lawyer tomorrow. Goodbye... little man."

She turned and walked towards the front doors to the chateau as Kyle watched in surprise.

He was stunned to have witnessed a marriage just dissolve before his eyes. Obviously there was a lot of back history that led to this moment but it was still disturbing to see happen.

Alfred turned his face away.

Kyle looked to Jules. "Do you need any help?"

"No thank you, Monsieur MacDenny. I do have a question though? Your descent down that mountain road was terrifying! How much control did you have?" Alfred couldn't stop himself from looking to hear the answer as well.

Kyle grinned broadly as his eyes lit up with excitement. "I love descending! It makes me feel so alive! That's how I ride at home all the time. I've had a lot of practice on much less forgiving mountain roads. This one was simple!"

Alfred's expression showed his shocked disbelief. "He's insane," he mumbled.

Jules frowned at Alfred's comment but his eyes were troubled as he recalled how close Kyle had come to the edge of the road after whipping through the corners at breakneck speed.

Kyle walked over to join the others who were handing off their bikes to Dita and Vivian. He received many smiles.

"So, just how much of a lead did you have when you got here?" Carl asked.

Kyle thought about that. "I don't know. I didn't really time it. Maybe seven or eight minutes."

"Minutes?!? Wow!" Carl exclaimed in surprise. "I was thinking it would be in seconds!"

"I decided not to ride to the top and was waiting at the end of the mountain road where the alternate route ended. When Kyle came down he flew by so fast I knew there was no point in trying to catch up. I was surprised to see how far behind Alfred was when he and Jules finally showed up. By that point, Alfred had nothing left in his legs," Kimberly gushed.

The ambulance finally arrived and the group watched the paramedics load the doctor onto a stretcher and get him into the vehicle. As it left, Jules walked over to join them with a frown.

"I suppose this means Alfred is done riding?" Kyle asked the man.

Jules nodded and his frown became an uncomfortable look. "Yes, he said as much. In very colorful terms. He indicated that he would say some very damaging things, about me specifically, in his complaint to the tour company."

"Anything he says to them will be negated by statements we'll make on your behalf. Alfred's a bully and a thoroughly unpleasant blowhard!" Kyle growled.

Jules smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I would appreciate that!"

They nodded and gave him smiles. He returned them and made his way over to help the other guides.

Kyle was still pissed off at Albert. "What a prick!"

"We could stand around complaining about the departed member of our group or we could get ready for our wine tour this afternoon," David suggested. Kyle let his anger go and nodded.

They made their way inside. There was a fun evening ahead to get ready for.

Chapter 6

The chateau was gorgeous inside and out. Inside, the appointments had an 'over-the-top' elegance that took their breath away. The grounds were vast, with beautifully manicured gardens and mazes. A feature of this particular property was its vineyard. The owners made a truly lovely wine and the group would be getting a tour of the facilities before dinner.

Kyle had showered and dressed in a pair of khaki pants, a white dress shirt, open at the neck and with the sleeves rolled back, and brown leather shoes and a matching belt. It was casual but neat and fit his hard body very well. He hadn't packed anything much fancier than this as it was his vacation and he wasn't going to be uncomfortable on his vacation!

Larissa and Carl joined him in the salon where they were told to gather to begin the tour.

"Such a beautiful home!" Larissa gushed.

"Did you get the big fancy room again?" Carl asked.

Kyle grinned self-consciously and nodded. "Yeah. I was going to offer it to Fiona as her husband is paying for it but I can't find her. Do you know if she left?"

"Who left?" Skye asked as she walked into the room with Helen at her heel.

Kyle turned to face them. "Fiona."

Helen answered Kyle's question. "She went to the hospital to drop off Albert's suitcase. She said she'd be back by dinner."

"Any chance they'll reconcile?" Kyle asked.

"No. Fiona was still pretty upset with her husband, or I should say soon-to-be ex-husband," Helen suggested.

David and Kimberly arrived and greeted the group. There was a stiffness between the couple that was easy to detect.

"How are you feeling?" Kyle asked the big man.

"Much better! Being chauffeured around the French countryside in an air-conditioned van is definitely more my speed than forcing my body up and down those bloody hills on a bicycle," he moaned.

"If you rode more it wouldn't feel like such a chore to ride the hills," Kimberly offered gently with a smile.