LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

Gav · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:05 am Subject: Sursee report

What a beautiful weekend in Switzerland... Flying into Friedrichshafen was probably not the right idea since it took 4 hours to get to Sursee, but luckily that has got to be some of the most beautiful scenery in germany/switzerland. Lake Constanz which separates Fr. from Switzerland is absolutely stunning. Catching the ferry across and then the train to Sursee was not too bad a trip at all. Coming back on Sunday was also manageable even though it was a 10 hour trip all in all (train, train, train, ferry, lift to airport*, fly, bus home)

* imagine my suprise walking off the ferry at Fr. along the promenade, looking up, and seeing Duracell and Kate walking along!!! SO random. They were visiting friends there, and were on the same flight back to Stansted.

The race itself was awesome. All the top WIC teams were there, and it was rather intimidating before the start. Wondering about whether I'd be able to keep the pace. It's 2 laps around a big lake... fairly flat, but enough rolling up/downs to make place for some hill attacks that hurt, and some SUPER fast slight downhill stretches. The 1km through the village was designated a neutral zone because of the tightness of the course (so no attacks/overtaking).

Once we were out of the village the pace picked up, and people started crashing... The pack was about 100 strong, and 3 or 4 lines wide at most places. A lot of moving around, and people making mistakes or skating like idiots. I had someone fall a bit in front of me and literally hat to put my hand on his helmet (which was waist high at the time) and push him out of the way so I never went down. Think I managed to shout a 'sorry' but I doubt he heard it since we were doing 40-45km/h.

I kept with the pack for a long way, racing by myself, as none of the german guys could make this one, and was pretty happy with myself. The speed was fast, and it was a bit hair raising at times (like the road construction that no one bothered to warn us about that cut off half the road on a downhill), but manageable for me.

Unfortunately, at about 30km, one of the Italians who races for a german team decided to come into the pace line in front of me. Well, when I say 'in front of me', it wasn't quite. It was actually that he decided he wanted to come in exactly where I was, and didn't bother to ask. He pushed his way in, and literally pushed my skates out from underneath me. A bit unnecessary! I had no chance, and went down. This was on one of the long downhill gradients and we were doing about 45km/h. Luckily I was going so fast I just rolled when I hit the ground. And about 4 guys went over me. I have some road rash all over, my skinsuit is ripped on all sides, and my neck hurts from whiplash, but besides that am ok.

Skated the last 10km with just 10 of us. Going a lot slower than the rest of the race... just a cruising speed really, and the incredible thing is, we still did 1:08!!! I came 3rd in the sprint, with a final position of 83. The main pack came in at 1:04... which I think I might just've been able to hang on to if I hadn't been taken out. Results here (I would just like to mention I beat Arnaud Gicquel Wink

) And came 22nd out of the non-WIC skaters. Not too bad all in all I guess. Still would've loved to have 1:04 on my CV.

Roger Scheider won the race in 1:02 - 8 of them made a breakaway very early into the race, and kept out in front doing ridiculous speeds the entire way. Roger then broke away from the break away, and finished a good 500M in front of the others!!

My female teammates did well, Jelena finishing 10th, Sabrina 17th (first german), and Mayke in 38 a little behind them.

And the saturday evening party was good fun ... but everyone was talking about the upcoming birthday party after Engadine Wink

Finished off the evening drinking beer & tequila with Bill, Koni and Alexis, the girl who has kissed almost every top WIC skater out there (she does the podiums Wink

)

Gav · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:11 am Subject:

OMG! According to the press release, Roger went off the front of the breakaway EIGHT kilometers from the finish! That is INCREDIBLE... at a 1:02 pace!!

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:26 am Subject:

awesome stuff Gav Smile

looks like it was very fast, sorry about the fall though Confused

you're doing really good Smile

Gav · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:50 am Subject:

I'll be fine Wink

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

Kay and Roger also took part in this fine event, and we both really enjoyed it.

The course must be one of the best in the world; certainly one of the best I have ever skated - and we had great weather. Some good things about the course were - wide, smooth roads, great views, not flat but not too hilly either, few sharp corners.

I was quite pleased with my 1:27, as I am still coming back from injury. I was a little too aggressive on the first lap of the course, and paid for overdoing things when I got dropped off my paceline on the last hill of the course. I sat in on the paceline behind and took it nice and easy on the second, and final, lap. The hill that was so hard on the first lap was nothing on the second lap, as I had managed to completely recover by then. The finish was quite exciting as my slow paceline was joined from behind by a giant paceline. The last kilometre was pretty crazy as 100 skaters all wanted to cross the finish line first.

After the race we spent a couple of days skating on the wide and smooth cycle tracks around Lake Constance, skating between beer gardens - very nice in the glorious sunshine - before getting a late flight home from Friedrichshafen.

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

Well done Gav - I've seen the damage the fall did yet you still did an amazing time!

And well done Roger and Kay - more successful preparation for the Berlin double Very Happy

Christophe · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 1652

Sounds like a bit of a hairy race! Super well done still!