27 Stages - a work in progress
Federico Renard is a rising champion in the world of road cycling. Lately, however, things are starting to go wrong: his fiancee has ceased all communication, he has unofficially lost his position as team captain, and his former team captain has returned to the sport after a brief retirement to a whirlwind of media attention.
All this before the start of the Tour d'Europa - the most famous, most difficult, and most rewarding cycling race in the world - has even gotten underway.
Abigail McGann-White is following the Tour on a speculative assignment for a small sports magazine. She hopes to capture photographs of the Tour for the publication of a book on the race, thus launching her photojournalism career. Unfortunately, her less-than-enthusiastic barrister husband has come along for the holiday, and is making it anything but the enjoyable project she'd hoped it would be.
What's more, he seems to be conducting a long-distance affair over the telephone in between stops on the Tour.
When Federico signs an autograph for Abigail, the fleeting encounter seems innocent enough on the surface. However, both individuals are stricken by a sense of something greater than themselves, and are drawn together in spite of the barriers between them.
As time passes and chance brings them together again and again, both Federico and Abigail find themselves struggling to resist the temptations each provides. The cost could be too great - his standing on the team and her marriage are both at risk - but it's difficult to hold back for the sake of coming out ahead.
All this before the start of the Tour d'Europa - the most famous, most difficult, and most rewarding cycling race in the world - has even gotten underway.
Abigail McGann-White is following the Tour on a speculative assignment for a small sports magazine. She hopes to capture photographs of the Tour for the publication of a book on the race, thus launching her photojournalism career. Unfortunately, her less-than-enthusiastic barrister husband has come along for the holiday, and is making it anything but the enjoyable project she'd hoped it would be.
What's more, he seems to be conducting a long-distance affair over the telephone in between stops on the Tour.
When Federico signs an autograph for Abigail, the fleeting encounter seems innocent enough on the surface. However, both individuals are stricken by a sense of something greater than themselves, and are drawn together in spite of the barriers between them.
As time passes and chance brings them together again and again, both Federico and Abigail find themselves struggling to resist the temptations each provides. The cost could be too great - his standing on the team and her marriage are both at risk - but it's difficult to hold back for the sake of coming out ahead.
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