Catalyst

fiction by michael werneburg

I blinked in surprise. It was beautiful. Much better than my route, actually. With the reduced traffic, I could take Garland for once in my life. I zipped into the left lane, and watched for a hole in the traffic. Given the conditions, it wasn't hard. I just cut off the next motorist, and was on Thomas. Just two blocks to Garland, and no more motor vehicles emerging from side-streets, no more speed bumps, and no more traffic signals to ignore.

"Well! It looks like you called that one right, Doctor."

"Yes, Dan. Like I say, he is a local boy," the Doctor responded dryly.

Approaching Garland, I had to wonder. Was the Doctor—and by extension, the city planning department, or perhaps even the Mayor or the Prince himself tipping me off? I braked hard to avoid some asshole who ignored a stop sign, and turned right onto Garland. I caught a glimpse of the camera crew following me on their platform half a block back.

"Now, back to the second marker. We'd hoped to have someone at the marker, but with things moving as quickly as they have, that won't be an option. So let's review what's happened; Dan?"

"Right, Jim. We've just witnessed what has to be the sloppiest turn-point in the history of cycle racing. As you'll see, a large pile-up occurred when the pack reached the second marker. Security personnel on site are clearly having difficulty containing the crowd, which has gone wild with the day's events. The first cyclist managed to find a path into the intersection, but the next few riders weren't as lucky. Watch here, as we slow it down, as no fewer than eight of the cyclists slam into the crowd after the first cyclist passes."

"That's terrible; what happened?"

"Well, it just looks like the crowd—mostly young men, as you'll note from the casualty report -"

"Right."

"Well, the crowd just seemed to be pushing and shoving, and they simply failed to make way for the cyclists."

"Bad news for the crowd, but good news for the leader, Cyrus Tilescu?"

"Not entirely, Jim. It seems that during the long climb to the second marker, a number of experienced riders managed to make up for lost time and then some. They actually gained a kilometer or so on the leader. Now, as we saw, with his clearly obsolete bicycle and evident lack of conditioning, Tilescu is actually no match for some of these riders in speed or endurance."

"Right. But I believe that even after the crowd parted and let the remaining field of forty-odd competitors through, there were some significant delays?"

"That's right. It seems that the first rider to make it through, #50 from the Coign team, can't find the marker. He's circled the area, but spectators are actually covering the marker."

"What's this, is the crowd delaying the pack?"