_Author's POV_
Gabriel registered for the race on Wednesday morning.
He did it through the official channel, under his full name and title, with his credentials attached and his ranking verified. He was not hiding anything. That was deliberate, Gabriel had decided that whatever else was happening around this competition, his participation would be clean and visible and above question.
He sat in his office afterward and looked at the confirmation on his screen.
His reasons for entering were straightforward enough when he kept them at the surface level. The race was important to the region. His presence gave it official weight. He was qualified and had competed before, years ago, when the event was last held in its full format.
Those were all true.
They were also not the
