Page four about the bicycle race.

Dear M.
It is a wonderful day, and I am sitting in a park close to Behrenstrasse, watching the mallards in the pond and listening to their quacking, while writing in the diary, and since I have a lot to tell you that has happened to me, I thought I would tell you about an event in late May, the bicycle race. I had just bought a cheap bicycle and thought it was fun to just travel around Berlin on it when I heard that there would be a bicycle race. Everything was superbly arranged by Jo Yardley who had blocked the streets we weren't supposed to go and when the race started we were five competitors at the start line and a fairly large crowd in the stands - including my friend Bibiche Chant who shouted encouraging words before the race. The others who competed were the priest Cuthbert Helendale, the doctor Crispin Sturges, and a mustaschioed gentleman called Claytanic Kungler (who I never had met before but several times since). I was not the only girl in the race since I was joined by Taena Matova. Anyway, The race started and I had the best start, but I was not tactical enough when chosing the right and most energy- and time saving path, and soon both Kungler and Hellendale had passed me without much trouble. I almost lost control over my vehicle and barely managed to avoid crashing into the public lavatory at Alexanderplatz, which made me lose more time and speed. Matova passed me rather easily and I fought with Sturges to take the forth place up until the last hundred metres of the last lap but I'm afraid I finished in last position. After the prize ceremony some of us wanted to do one more race - now more for fun - and this time I was more tactical and finished in third place ... and some of the others weren't giving their best. Helendale even decided to go the wrong way and when I crossed the finish line Jo Yardley had fainted there ... but everybody managed to avoid hitting her with our bikes. She was fine though and afterwards we had a lovely time at der Keller, drank hot chocolate and chatted for ages .... all in all a wonderful day. I hope you will have a wonderful day too. Love Rosie XXX. PS. I inserted a photograph taken before the race. I am at the far left, in the middle you see Herr Sturges and to the right Father Helendale. DS.