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This is the "Week on Wheels" free weekly London skating email newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your email inbox each week.
From: Week on Wheels <wow /at/ lfns.co.uk>
Subject: [wow] Week on Wolf: Hoxton, Battersea Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:34:29 +0000 == THIS WEEK == FRIDAY's Lead Marshal has been too busy fiddling with Google Maps to think of anything witty or interesting to say about this week's skate. Arguably, this is a good thing. Anyway, the LONDON FINSBURY NIGHT SKATE heads East to half time at Hoxton Square before trying the new smooth surface round the back of Liverpool St station. Our testing so far suggests that this may be the only smooth road anywhere in E1, so enjoy it. http://www.lfns.co.uk/rt.php/20080801 On SUNDAY we'll be tracking south, down by the river. The last time we tried this route there was too much water even for the swans. Never daunted we'll try again. We start with a fabulous low-speed downhill along Exhibition Road, before continuing south to see the Penguins. Well, maybe not, but we are taking a stroll along the south bank from Wandsworth Bridge to Battersea. The second half is a beautiful route along the waterfront. Don't miss it, unless you're a fish. In which case, watch out for the Penguins. http://www.lfns.co.uk/rt.php/20080803 == LAST WEEK == FRIDAY's skate was, like the curate's egg, good in parts. The good news was that it was an immensely fun skate with smooth bits, tactile bits (this is our new euphemism for rough surfaces), banging tunes (one of them sounded exactly like a sledgehammer), fast bits, and two good downhills. The rather less good news was that it produced a marshalling headache of the first order. There's no point in us lecturing you about it, because if you've read more than about two Weeks on Wheels you all know the score already. So we won't. But we are asking you to exert a bit of peer pressure on those who apparently struggle with the basics of group street skating. If you're near the right hand side and you can see the people around you are blocking the path of marshals, get their attention and ask them to move leftwards - just as you do to let the bike past at stops. You know it makes sense. Here endeth the lesson. SUNDAY skates seem to be getting steadily more popular, perhaps because they provide the mellow experience that Friday noticeably lacks. This week, almost 250 skaters were out on what was essentially a trip round tourist London on skates. Unlike similar jaunts on buses, bikes, foot or amphibious vehicle, this one was free. Margarida and Paul, both completing their first Stroll, felt it represented extremely good value for money. == LONDON WELCOMES CAREFUL SKATERS == Congratulations to Josh from Philadelphia USA, and Houston from Atlanta for each completing their first LFNS and Sunday Stroll this week; and for managing to find their way to the Vic afterwards (extra credit marks awarded!) Neither are skate virgins however, and send us links to their respective home skating groups. The Philadelphia Landskaters and the Atlanta Peachtree RoadRollers Skate Club both run regular organised street skates in their respective hometowns. Visitors are most welcome, so if you're ever heading over that way don't forget to take your skates! Philadelphia Landskaters http://www.landskaters.org/ Atlanta Peachtree RoadRollers http://www.aprr.org/ International visitors are always welcome on the LFNS & Sunday Stroll and we're always pleased to have you as our guests. Just remember this is England though, so we do things a little differently here. That's left. Left. LEFFFFT! == 110 WHEELS NOT ENOUGH? == Recent changes in the rules on speed skating mean that giant 110 wheels are becoming a familiar sight on Serpentine Road. But sometimes 110 is just not enough. So those strange people who brought you roller skiing have written to us to say that they are selling a skate with mammoth 150mm wheels. The resemblance to a bicycle is increased by the fact that it features pneumatic tyres, so you won't feel left out when your friends are fixing their bike punctures. The theory is that these are all-terrain skates, ready to duke it out with the 4x4s on a bridle path near you, though they claim to be suitable for on-road use as well. Misbegotten spawn of twisted minds or a really neat idea? We haven't got a clue. If anyone has direct personal experience of these monsters, do write in and tell us about them. http://crosscountryskis.co.uk/rollerskiing/product.asp?id=249 == HEY DON'T STOP THE CARNIVAL == Just a reminder for anyone who wants to tart about for a larger audience, Chica Latina and Papa Yera Colombian folk groups are still inviting skaters to join the Carneval Del Pueblo procession on Sunday. There were rehearsals and stuff but, let's face it, skaters just don't do advance planning. So if you want to show off to some of the 100,000+ people expected to attend, just turn up at the parade start point at Elephant and Castle by noon on Sunday. Nuela and her Colombian friends will (she says) be near the horses. http://www.carnavaldelpueblo.co.uk/portrait.htm == NEWS FROM THE ANTIPODES == One-time regular marshal Kathy is back from Sydney for a few weeks and brings news of how they do things down under. The Sydney skate runs on a Wednesday and a Friday. It's been going for 17 years and there are still a few of the originals who get on their skates whenever their bus passes have expired. Overall, though, age and hard-living have taken a terrible toll and the numbers turning out can be down to single figures. The skates are unmarshalled as otherwise there might not be anyone for them to protect. The Friday skate is a mostly flat skate around the harbour with one optional downhill which is short but steep with a right hand bend. The first Wednesday of the month is the easiest skate for "virgins" and the last Wednesday is the "mission" skate for good skaters and those that like downhills. There are apparently a lot of hills in Sydney and hill skating (or boarding) is a local sport with some nutters (not on the street skates) hitting 100 kph. Perhaps in response to watching skaters go by at speeds that would be illegal in a Ferrari (and impossible in an Allegro), skating is technically illegal in Sydney. But that doesn't stop the bonza boys. If you're ever in Sydney, why not join them? Say, 'Hello,' to Kathy for us. She'll be the one trying to top 100 kph but (so far) succeeding mainly in destroying her jeans. We do hope those friction burns clear up soon, Kathy. == THE WOLF WHO WALKS ALONE == To stay safe, we keep the skate moving as a block. Like any convoy, we move at the speed of the slowest skater. That's generally the guy at the back, which is why, when we stop, the Back Marshal will ask people at the back to move forward. If you move to the front then, even if you skate slowly, you will take a while before you get to the back and are asked to move up again. Please help us by moving up when asked, as this means that the skate won't have to keep waiting for the back to catch up. Every so often, someone will say that they don't want to move up because they don't like skating in the crowd. That's totally understandable. Being in the middle of hundreds of skaters all moving at speed can be scary. And some strong, silent types prefer skating on their own. The question we can't help asking, though, is: if you don't like skating in a group, why did you join a group skate? == THIS IS THE END, MY FRIEND == Like the bloke who couldn't pronounce pashmina, we're going to call it a wrap. If you want to contribute to another extra-long Week-on-Wheels, please send your comments or ideas via the feedback form. Please don't email (it will bounce). If you want to unsubscribe, use the link in the mail footer - right at the bottom after the copyright notice. http://www.lfns.co.uk/feedback.php#contactus Small print: Material in this email is protected by copyright; it may be reproduced unchanged in full provided that credit is given. All trademarks are acknowledged. -- Sent from the London Friday Night Skate - http://www.lfns.co.uk/ Check out any time - see http://www.lfns.co.uk/unsubscribe.php?list=wow |
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