LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Thanks Roger

Flight times:

Outbound: Air Berlin goes directly to Hannover, saving on mucking around with trams and trains and suchlike - 38 GBP

FLIGHT: LONDON (STN) - HANNOVER
STN - HAJ AB 8197 M 06.07.07 07:30 09:50
TIMES/ROUTINGS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
AB: Air Berlin

Return: Easyjet from Bremen on Sunday (to Luton) £20.16

Check in opens Sun 08 Jul 19:55
flight 2182; dep. Sun 08 Jul 21:55
arr. Sun 08 Jul 22:20

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Ray · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 806 Location: Dagenham

I'm flying BMI from Heathrow both ways.

I've registered for the race (not the Masters though) so only £30 + charges.

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

Can anyone who wants to take part in a joint payment transfer the following amounts to me:

Masters (50 Euro): 36.00 pounds
Other (30 Euro): 23.00 pounds

Rogers Bank Details

Could you also PM me and include any other relevant details (eg. entry no.)

I will then make the joint payment next Monday.

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Transfer made will PM you reg number tonight when I get home.

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

I have now transferred entry fees for Rick, Dan, Ray, Roger and Kay.

Ray · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 806 Location: Dagenham

Thanks Roger - that's great!

I can see us all listed on the starterliste except for Kay

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

Everyone is now listed as paid. Smile

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Has anyone lookeda t accommodation for this one yet? Last year we got a hostel in Hannover, but it was some distance (a car trip) from the start point

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

I'm booked into the Hostel again. It's not a long car trip and my car wil be there for the first few that want to book it too.

We did it on skates last year to collect our numbers but it rained on the way back and we had to stop for some beers until it cleared up Wink

Can easily carry extra gear in the car form the hostel to the start for others that want to skate there as part of their warm up.

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Roger and Kay. I will have your skin suits with me. You can have them at Engadin if you are there again or in Hannover.

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

Thanks Rick, see you in Hannover.

We are booked into the hotel 'Der Foehrenhof' which is where the race starts.

Ray · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 806 Location: Dagenham

Booked in Der Foehrenhof too Very Happy

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Oh, er, me too. Probably be there sometime Friday afternoon

[ Edit: if my passport arrives in time. If I'd known there was going to be a postal strike i'd not have sent it for renewal :-( ]

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Well that went well....sort of.

Mens M30 race had 40 starters I think. It had 39 official finishersbut that's another story coming later. I knew a lot of them and stood next to the other bloke with hairy legs. Good choice as it turned out as we were both looking to skate within our ability at the start and skated to the first 17km together before he sneakily hopped off cross drafting onto an M50 line while I was doing a shift at the front. Cheeky.

Anyway I digressed already. The start was rediculous the front of the group charged of over the mats without the gun the rest of us followed because they couldn't be bothered to call them back and just fired the gun once most of us were away. Score minus one to the officials.

So the race is now underway. Me and my early buddy are in the back five of the group and not charging the front lot down. I sit in his draft and the other three legged it off to try and join the others by the look of their times they failed miserably but they beat us to the probably hopped onto other age group lines too.

Mens M40 line one comes steaming past like a train. Official on a motorbike asks us nicely to stay on the side. We comply. My mate thinks he's hard enough to chase the 2nd M40 line with Del Rithcie on it. I let him as I know I'll be with him again in a short while. He falls off after 200m or so and looks round but skates on at the third bridge. I think he thinks about waiting. No point as I know the third bridge very well and the downhill off the other side is where I shoot past and then wait for him.

We pick up a couple of stragglers. One falls behind after a while then the other. Next comes Roger's line. We let them go. Then the M50s are on us. First lot go bay second lot has my partner make his successsful move. Whatever, I'm not cheating I am happy to be last. I skate on alone until km 25 and watch the lead ladies go by and the front "recreationals." The two ladies who made the solo break in Duisberg were at it again in the fun group. Powering their way off in front ot everyone else. A ladies line comes through. It has some recreational blokes on the back of it. I hop on for 4km. Okay I'm cross-drafting too but I don't use it to get an advantage and make up any places. I'm just resting through an upwind section. Then I let them go and grab a banana from a feeding station. It's pleaant enough to look around. I style it out past the crowds and feel pretty good. After another 6km on my own I meet a young chap who has been burned by his team. I ask him if he wants to join me for a social skate. We cruise on until there are only 4km left and he seems to just stop. Was was skating on the pavement because it was smoother than the road and met a bunch of pedestrians and didn't come back to the road. Some other stray bloke starts drafting me and won't go to the front so I slow down. Big mistake as another pack comes through in the last 500m. I hop on but can't take them back as I haven't had any rest despite them having a slow finish. I cross the line, stop my stopwatch and look at my time am surprised. It seems I may have pressed the start stop button a couple of times instead of the lap button when I Passed a couple of Km signs near the end. Once my head clears up and I have spoken to others this starts to make sense and I accept my official time of 1:30:55. Damn fast for a near solo effort. In fact only 5m44s down on the previous year in which I skated in a pack for the whole race. So I am happy with my performance just not with the organisation.

Looking at the results I am disappointed not to see myself on the M30 list. I wondered if they posted it when most were over the line. Then I see myself on the M40s. That was a bigger pack of much more mixed ability and I am certain I could have found a line there. I have a winge to the officials in a half hearted fashion. Because despite skating in a line for only about 4km I didn't come last in the M40s. Anyway I have checked the rulebook tonight and I am correct. The organisers categorised skaters according to german rules which use birth year only as your age group. However this was a European Championoship race and as such is subject to CERS rules not national ones and CEC rulebook states agoe on 1st January of the year of the competition. Minus 2 to the officials.