Speed Times Five Read Online Free Page A

fencing at the edge of the course looked flimsy and inadequate. Joe doubted it would stop him from a nasty spill.
    Desperate, he leaned the bike sideways while he continued to try to turn. If he tipped too far, the controlled slide he was aiming for would turn into abruising skid. The bike’s wide tires bit into the rough dirt, spraying pebbles and dust into the air.
    Nearly digging the bike’s right pedal into the dirt, Joe veered away from the ski fence and the tall trees. He tried to turn the bike back uphill, to use the lower gear as a breaking mechanism, but his momentum was too great. He’d avoided an initial crash but kept hurtling down the hill at frightening speed.
    He and the bike went airborne as the ground dipped on the next straightaway. Joe held his breath and braced for the landing, concentrating on maintaining control of the bike. The impact made his bones ache, but he held on tight and the bike stayed under him.
    As he landed, Joe caught sight of Frank ahead of him, gliding into the next big turn. Joe snaked back and forth across the course, trying to slow his descent. When he reached the turn, though, he had to abandon that strategy or risk a bad spill.
    The course turned to the left now and cut back quickly several times from right to left and back. Joe careened from one side of the course to the other, trying to burn up some of the bike’s momentum. He swung perilously close to ski fences and obstacles on both sides as he went.
    Once, his tires skidded out from under him and he had to touch his foot down to keep from falling. A sharp pain shot up from his ankle to his knee. Joe gritted his teeth and held on for dear life.
    He went airborne again near the bottom of the hill and was surprised to spot Frank right in front ofhim. The elder Hardy had steered a far more conservative course and looked in full control of his bike.
    Joe swerved to avoid hitting Frank and could only imagine the look on his older brother’s face as he shot past. A checkpoint loomed at the bottom of the hill as the slope flattened out, but Joe couldn’t stop. Collins, Frid, and Curtis stood waiting to be cleared through the checkpoint as Joe plummeted toward them.
    The course turned ninety degrees to the left at the checkpoint. Joe knew he’d never make the turn. He zipped past the startled college students and plummeted into the forest. The calls of the race officials echoed after him for a moment before being drowned out by the sound of his mountain bike crashing through the light underbrush.
    The younger Hardy wove his crippled bike between the trees, barely missing the wide trunks. Fortunately, the rough terrain and brush beneath the pines soon diminished the bike’s speed. Joe put his feet down and slid to a stop just short of a huge spruce. He whistled a long, slow sigh of relief.
    Joe got off the bike and looked back to see Frank sprinting through the forest toward him. “Joe!” the older Hardy called. “Are you all right?”
    â€œFine,” Joe called back. “Just a bit shook up.”
    Frank skidded to a halt next to his brother. “What’s wrong?” the older Hardy asked. “Why didn’t you stop at the checkpoint?”
    â€œI couldn’t,” Joe said. “Something’s wrong with my brakes.” He knelt down by the front wheel; Frank did the same at the back.
    Frank frowned. “The cable’s come loose from the brake mechanism,” he said.
    â€œUp here, too,” Joe said. “I know we checked the connections last night. They were working fine when I took the bike out of the shed this morning, too.”
    â€œIt wouldn’t take someone too long to loosen the nuts holding the cables,” Frank said.
    â€œBut the bike’s been with me the whole time,” Joe said.
    â€œNot when we did the final paperwork and communications check,” Frank said. “We racked the bikes then.”
    â€œBut who would want to