Free Speed Times Five by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

beyond. They kept Kelly Hawk in sight for a while, but she was fresher than the brothers and soon pulled away from them.
    The afternoon wore on slowly and the air grew hot and muggy.
    Much of the pack had caught up with the Hardys by the time they reached the final rappelling challenge. The brothers weren’t the only ones running out of energy, though. Robert Frid fell behind the Hardys once more, and Roger Baldwin was just completing his rappelling when the brothers arrived.
    The race trail came to an abrupt halt atop a hundred-and-fifty-foot cliff. Race officials waited to assure the safety of the contestants as they rappelled down the cliff face to the path at the bottom. Severalracers sat at the top of the cliff, working up the energy to continue.
    Joe and Frank had done similar events in X-games competitions before, and they breezed down the cliff face with no difficulty.
    â€œWhew!” Joe said as they reached the bottom. “A nice change from hiking.”
    â€œBut not a very long change,” Frank said, indicating the dirt trail before them. The rolling hills were past them now and the path wound through the green forests toward their next checkpoint—St. Esprit.
    The Hardys passed Baldwin in the woods and, as the sun sank toward evening, had their sights on Kelly Hawk once more.
    â€œI’m glad we’re not the only ones getting tired,” Frank gasped.
    Joe nodded, too winded to say anything.
    A small tent city in a campground on the outskirts of St. Esprit slowly came into view. Kelly Hawk jogged wearily ahead of the brothers.
    â€œLet’s see if we can catch her,” Joe suggested.
    Frank nodded, and the two of them began to trot. Soon the trot turned into an all-out sprint as the brothers poured every ounce of their energy into a big finish.
    Kelly Hawk glanced back when she heard the pounding of their footsteps behind her. She began to run as the brothers drew near. Soon the three of them were racing neck and neck for the checkpoint. Sweat drenched the bodies of all threecompetitors and their breathing came in short gasps.
    With a final lean, Frank crossed the finish line first, followed by Hawk and then Joe. All three of them staggered to the checkpoint desk to register their times.
    Kelly Hawk’s support crew came racing in from the sidelines, bringing her a water bottle and letting her lean on them as she left the registration table. Chet and Jamal came right behind, pressing water into the Hardys’ hands.
    â€œBoy, you look beat!” Chet said.
    â€œYou don’t know the half of it,” Joe replied. He sipped his water and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
    â€œWe’ve got the tent set up and the bikes all ready for tomorrow’s leg,” Jamal said.
    Frank nodded his approval and puffed out air.
    â€œWe’ve even got hot food,” Chet added.
    Joe put his arm around Chet’s shoulder. “Now, that is the best news I’ve heard all day.” Together, the four friends walked to where Chet and Jamal had set up camp.
    â€œHow far back in the pack are we?” Frank asked as Jamal served him some stew.
    â€œYou’re in good shape,” Jamal said. “Even the leaders didn’t come in too much before you. Victoria Clemenceau and Michael Lupin are in that bunch. Then you guys and Hawk.”
    â€œI saw the college group and that triathlon guy coming in as we walked over here,” Chet added.
    Joe munched a mouthful of stew. “I guess surfing that rockslide saved us as much time as it cost us helping the camera crew,” he said between chews.
    â€œI wouldn’t recommend it as a race tactic, though,” Frank said, rubbing his bruises.
    â€œThe rappelling points served as bottlenecks, which helped you out, too,” Jamal said. “They had safety crews for only a couple of lines at a time, which gave the slower racers a chance to catch up.”
    â€œA clever tactic to keep things interesting for