LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE TM
& SUNDAY STROLL TM

From: Week on Wheels <wow /at/ lfns.co.uk>
Subject: [wow] Week on One-Way Wheels: Greenwich
Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:53:53 +0100

This week, on wheels

* This week: South Park II LFNS and one-way Stroll to Greenwich
* Last week: Both skates called off
* London Online Marathon almost inline
* Internet beggary: caveat emptor
* Skater diary: next two weeks
* What say our lawyers

== THIS WEEK ==

Screw you, guys! This FRIDAY we're off to South Park, to sample Chef's
Salty Balls. Don't believe us? Then check out this week's route. Sol
will be leading us on a tour of the parklands of south central London,
with half time at Parsons Green. Please try to keep to the left of the
white line and let your marshals past, as unlike Kenny, none of us
can be resurrected from a head on collision with a Chelsea Tractor in
time for next week's skate.

http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070706

On this week's SUNDAY STROLL, lead marshal Markus is taking us one-way
to Greenwich - on the coat tails of the Tour de France! (although we
expect them all to be gone by the time we arrive). The route has some
amazing views, and takes in a variety of surfaces (mostly paved, but
there's also some polished marble, and a top secret section with code
name 'shake rattle & roll'). Look out for the Brunel Museum, the
buried Russia Dock, Stave Hill, and the world's ugliest monument!

We'll be making two stops along the route and we'll end up skating
past the remains of the Cutty Sark to finish at the Royal
Observatory. As this is a one-way skate, we won't be coming back to
Hyde Park afterwards, so bring some shoes, water and a travelcard to
get you home again.

We're also CHANGING THE START POINT - for one week only - to avoid
getting tangled up in the Tour de France. We set off at 2pm from
Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner (the usual LFNS start point).

http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20070708

TONIGHT, the LondonSkate are running their Clapham route which was
rained off last week. Look out for the lovely downhill on the 2nd
half. Meet up opposite the bandstand on Serpentine Road at 7:30 for an
8pm departure. For more information, visit the thread on the Serp Rd
forum.

http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25798


== LAST WEEK ==

The rain let up briefly on Friday and all was set for a pleasant
ramble on the LFNS when someone who apparently does not have the
interests of the skate community at heart tried to set off a bomb in
Haymarket. (You probably HEard about it.) By the time Lead Marshal
Bren was making his call on whether or not to run the skate, Park Lane
had been closed, people were being moved out of the park and the
traffic was looking ... interesting.

We felt that the last thing the police needed was two hundred skaters
assembling in the area they were trying to clear. We also thought that
drivers would be irritated enough already (especially with Critical
Mass out on the streets) and we didn't want to add to the general
unpleasantness of life on London's roads.

We're sorry, but it seemed the best call in the circumstances.

And then after Friday, we tried our hardest to do a Sunday
Stroll. Having found a window of dry skies, Lead Marshal Christian did
his route check at lunchtime and had already called a Go...when the
skies opened up at around 1.30pm. Unfortunately it was just too wet
for us to be able to run a skate safely and he was forced (yet again!)
to call his skate off.

So apologies to those of you who turned out...maybe next time.


== INTERNET BEGGARY ==

You may have recently received an email suggesting that you 'donate'
to the skates over the Net via Paypal.

The LFNS Marshals Association is not collecting money in this way.

Please be cautious before donating money to people who claim to
represent the skate. If you have an overwhelming desire to give us
money, please contact us through the lfns.co.uk website or (better)
speak to a marshal on the skate, who will be happy to introduce you to
our Treasurer.

http://www.lfns.co.uk/feedback.php#contactus



== LONDON ONLINE MARATHON (WELL, ALMOST) ==

Registration for the London Inline Marathon (2nd September) is very
close to being open. What's to look forward to this year?

* The venue has moved! LIM 2007 will be at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit
(near Heathrow): it's an approximately one mile track with a gentle
uphill and some interesting bends (both directions)

* no, honestly, if you've raced previous LIM's at Eastway, this time
we really do mean "gentle".

* your choice of full marathon (£25) or half marathon (£16), or
mini-marathons for mini skaters. Prices go up nearer the time.

* chip timing means never having to count your own laps (at least,
provided you don't mind stopping to ask how many you've done).

* keeping up with the lead pack means not having to stop either,
because the officials will ring a bell on the last lap. Not so good
if they've lapped you a few times, though.

* team prizes (details to be finalised) including a prize for "best
recreational team" that speedskaters won't be allowed to
win[1]. Will we see Team Guinness or the Dregs on a marathon podium?


[1] "speedskaters" here means members of a national speedskating body
such as FISS.

Check the website for track information, timetable, and travel
information.

         http://www.londoninlinemarathon.com


== SKATE DIARY ==

Next weekend, 14-15th July sees the start of the EASTBOURNE EXTREME
festival, which is attended by 15,000 people each year. On the menu
are watersports, kiteflying, land yachting, childrens rides, stalls
for shopping, live bands plus much, much more.

As part of the festival, the Eastbourne Skaters Association are
putting on a jam-packed programme of goodies for skaters of all
disciplines. In fact there's as much to watch as there is to
participate in, including a beauty competition, artistic skating,
inline hockey, inline basketball, slalom competitions, skate dodge
ball and a high jump, limbo competition and tug of war!

There'll also be drop-in workshops in slalom, sessions in aggressive
skating, free skating lessons, an evening street skate and 2 roller
discos. The event is very child-friendly, so you can bring along the
little people for a great weekend's entertainment. And almost
everything is free, although the items you do have to pay for, such as
skate hire and competition entry are reasonably priced.

       http://www.eastbourneskaters.co.uk/extremeinfo.htm
                              http://www.eastbourneextreme.co.uk/


SPICY ROLLER DISCOS. No, not cooking on skates (or even a reforming
girl group) but a whole fortnight of different types of Roller
Disco. As part of the Hackney Empire Spice Festival there is going to
be two weeks of roller discos, starting on Sat 7th July with Guilty
Pleasures Seventies disco and Guilty Pleasures classics. Cost £10 +
£5 for skate hire. There are also under-18 afternoons between 4 and
7. Prices vary for different events.

    http://www.spicefestival.com


== LONDON SKATERS CLOCK UP 2,696 MILES AT LE MANS ==

Last weekend had many of our regulars (and marshals) hammering round
the Le Mans circuit for the annual 24Hr Roller. The formula is nice
and simple, you get together in a team of ten, (ranging from "only
here for the beer" types to the Lycra-clad racers out to beat the
clock). At 4pm on Saturday you start skating round in a relay, and you
don't stop till 4pm the next day. The race was wet for the first time
in recent history, and many of the 500+ teams skated through Saturday
night and into Sunday in the rain.

London teams have been going to the event for 5 years and with many
away at races in Switzerland, our chances of prizes in any category
were slim. However, anyone still skating after 24hrs feels like a
winner anyway, and many people achieved personal bests for single
laps, despite the weather. Lots of photos to be found on the
Serpentine Road forum - click with caution, some may be inappropriate
in a work environment.

                http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=26


== WHAT SAY THE LAWYERS? ==

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through the feedback form on the site. To unsubscribe, see the link in
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