Strudel's surge and the new ark

Shift supervisor Herr strudel was baffled... the power grid monitoring system indicated a mysterious surge in demand in the east sector, in particular at the Berlin Innside hotel...

Normal evening peak demand period was over.. and yet...


Ya, that was us causing chaos on the grid. Having gathered every available hair drier, the post race gear rescue was in full swing.

Some years back, getting ready to gun my 4WD down the Oodnadatta Track into the central Australia desert, I asked the proprietor of the pink roadhouse about the condition of the track;
"shot to shits" she replied.

Looking at the soaked boots and water clogged bearings- after more than 4 hours of decent soak pre and post race, as well as during- I knew that there was little chance any amount of hair drier activity would improve the condition of said from a similar STS status. It was thus that I decided the time has come to retire the faithful set. After all, it's been around - Ahem, yah, cool.

Judging from the audible evidence conditions were not much better in the other rooms on the 6th floor. I found Marco kneeling on the floor looking like Clint Eastwood in a B grade western, clutching a pair of driers like good old sixshooters over some rigged holder trying to rescue his gear- while John and Peter in other rooms- were performing their versions of the same, to varying degrees of success.

After such ' immersive experience' it was time to head to the post race party- near the east station. Where the wall was once separating east and west, a fence and security guards were now separating registered races from other Saturday night revelers queuing to get in to the giant venue, a large warehouse in the style of east german monumental architecture.

Inside, trophy presentation was in full swing, the marathon heroes marched onto the stage to the sound of very loud bass thumping noises ( or was it the German Brain Surgery techno group latest mix?) while on the giant video screen a reply of the live coverage of the skate marathon by German TV was showing. it was a chance for us to see the race from an observers' perspective- with amazing overhead shots taken from 2 helicopters- and it showed once again how wet it really was.

For a couple of days the weather has been unstable, but we were hoping for dry conditions on the Saturday, race day. Despite weather forecast, and even more so, the fact that a steady drizzle was falling outside, after lunch we attempted a traditional Cree Indian rain stopper dance, followed closely by an Australian drizabone chant- but alas- something or someone (that CIA again?) was jamming the upload communication to the heavens- so the one way traffic (downstream...) just kept on coming.

By the time we were ready to head out, the drizzle got excited enough to turn into full on downpour- so as we got to the station and on the train to join the other few thousands heading for the marathon- easily recognized by the orange bags- we were suitable soaked.


The marathon compound was chaotic, especially by German standards, but all the facilities were there, and we soon changed into race gear ( so now all our clothing were wet) and handed our bags to the storage folks. Each bag, which we received with our Marathon kit the day before- had our race number on it- and storage areas were allocated by number blocks, so it was a simple matter of pushing your way thru few thousand soggy skaters to get to the designated area and hand over your bag.

From there we headed to the start blocks- divided by designated marathon times, based on previous best time, based on -oh, forget it. we had our timing chips ( cutely named - champion-chips by the organizers) on our boots and managed to get to our start area on time, and stood there for about 20 minutes getting even more soaked than before, until finally- the start.

The image of thousands of skaters taking off on wet roads, tram tracks, leaves, and puddles was amazing, if somewhat unstable. No sooner had we started that we experienced our first encounter of skater hydroplaning- (have a look at the image of the two skaters below to see how much water was on the road) and also started to become familiar with a variant of the Heimlich Maneuver- the FRITZ maneuver- where a sliding/ falling fellow skater (being Berlin-they were mostly German) would grab you as they started sliding towards an earthly/ tarmac encounter- this required a quick leap and shake routine in order to maintain momentum, and reject the sudden show of bonding- while avoiding a personal aqua glide towards a fatherland encounter.

Sharp corners and tram tracks did not make matters easier, and at about km 10 the rain become a full on downpour, leading to a new discovery of just how much water a pair of carbon skate boots can hold.

Still, with the crowds cheering under their umbrellas, and the clock ticking in sync with the rain drops, before too long ( well, longer than we hoped for, but) we could see the Brandenburg Gate and the finish line- just, and picked up speed to discover a nice section of cobblestones just before the finish line.


Soaked beyond caring, we cruised over it and into the arms of the reception party- a bunch of volunteers who covered us in yellow warming cloaks ( their term) and directed us to banana alley ( where, you guessed it-we were fed bananas) and got medals, warm tea, were photographed, and slid our way to collect our clothing bags.

From there it was just a short trip to the changing tent- where all notions of German order disintegrated into a colossal strip show, as everyone, together, attempted to get out of soaked skin-suits and into ( just) drier cloths. If you ever attempted this, you'll know how sticky wet cloth can be- with the resultant slapstick routines as people attempted to extract themselves standing in crowded space, on the yellow cloaks- now floor mats.

The original plan was to head over to the event area for post race activities, but in our state ( and it appears most everyone else felt the same) we headed back to the hotel- managing, along with others, to provide a free service to the German train through the act of flooding the train cars' floors with excess water coming off skates and bags, and , well, everything.

Bring on the ark.

Back at the hotel the drying rituals commenced, which brings me back to shift supervisor Herr Strudel... and you know the rest.

____________

Aftermath: This pretty much sums it up. I hope to get some info from the Majorca crew- some spectacular downhill routes were reported over dinner, and I hope we can post details (are you there John :-)
A 4 am start to get to the airport to catch a flight to London, and than on to OZ, did not leave much time for further reports from berlin. I am currently collecting images for some web albums- links to be provided shortly.

I will also add some course elevation/altitude/grade profiles ( taken from my trusty GPS that accompanied me to all events ) and notes, in the next week or so.

Thanks for reading, commenting, and, well, welcoming us all back.
As David would say- it was FANTASTIC.

Hard rain a gonna fall- pt 1

As the good Germans would say- 'dat vas szuper-yah!'
we skated the berlin marathon in a total downpour- getting drenched to the skin (suits) even before the start- and having first ever experience of hydro planning on skates thru deep pools of water- wow- our hopes for fast times unable to be realised ( although i believe Peter & Raph got some good results- nothing official yet) Inna & I managed to skate half the course together, and crossed the finish line side by side- classy- but no world records. Main point is that none of the MSC & Co team crashed in the crazy slippery conditions- but many of ze locals did- quite spectacularly- and attempted to take us down with them a couple o times- but naaaiyn- zis vill not happen- not cool Ya.
After this experience we are pre approved for any stunt work in Flood and related Hollywood disaster blockbuster. German TV had the whole thing live coverage- and we got to see a replay late last night- amazing.
Despite the conditions we all had a great time

Anyhow I'm in Heatrow- London. waiting for the connecting flight to OZ so just wanted to say more updates in person and in blog will arrive later this week as well as pictures.

must dash
zuper yah

instead of few thousand words

Some pix from Friday night skate... more soon

enjoy

The pack in the streets

2 shady figures in the Paris night darkness, with police escort...

Skating at the Bologne forest just outside Paris

Rue Fromage & other Parisian tales

NOTE
I am unable to load images from this internet cafe computer, so will add these later

The rainy start to our tour de France, or more so, Le tour de Paris, forced us to concentrate our efforts on an in depth tour of the cafes, restaurants, and especially the boulangeries- the cake and bread shops place conveniently every couple of steps in most Paris neighborhoods.

Tough as it was, we managed to sample just about everything, and than some. As most of us were staying near the Republic area, David and I arranged to have early morning meetings, in order to explore different sections of Paris, on foot, at a fast pace, to evaluate the architecture and coffee shops, over a 2 hour period, while more intelligent folks slept in.

Being Autumn, our 7 Am starts were just on sunrise, and it was enjoyable to see Paris waking up while sipping espresso and munching on a freshly made croissant, as only the French can make them. we noticed that despite a diet heavy on cream and butter, most Parisians were thin and fit looking, and were intrigued by this until- after a couple of days of traveling the Metro- we realized that secret.

With 259 stations, on more levels than i can recall, traveling across Paris using the Metro was fast, inexpensive, as long as you are prepared to climb 3 million steps ( ok, slight exaggeration) with each line change, which are almost always required to get across town. The up and down surely kept us fit, and insured enough calories were burnt between another sampling of local cuisine. The other element of 'Thin de Paris' was surely the fact that a huge amount of people move about town on foot, bikes, and- you guessed, roller blades.

You only have to wait a short while near an entrance to the metro to see an expert display of going down the stairs while wearing skates and talking on the phone and finishing a cake.... phew... It was exciting to see, at just about every street a row of bikes for hire- city sponsored.

You purchase a card valid for up to 7 days ( or a yearly one) and can grab a bike to ride and keep for as long as needed for a fixed time based charge, and return it at any other station. Early mornings and late night a special crew comes to do repairs and maintenance, and it seems to work just fine. The amazing thing was that despite the total chaos of the traffic- cars, scooters, trucks, cycles, skates, pedestrians, it somehow flowed and moved with very little road rage- in fact, the drivers appeared very tolerant of everyone, and the people in general were very pleasant.

After a couple of days of exploring most districts of Paris, and noting once again how magnificent the place is, we decided it might be a good idea to put our skates on. The weather improved too, so we headed to the Bois de Bologne- a beautiful forest/park just on the outskirt of town. If on the map the forest looked of modest size, it turned out to be much much bigger, and after a long traverse to the mystical hippodrome ( recommanded by David and positioned somewhere at the back of beyond- or so it seemed) we arrived at what appeared to be a racecourse (like Flemington- for the Melbournian amongst us) where we put our skates on and joined local cyclists for a few fast laps. Exciting as this was, we soon got over it, and headed back to the forest where we managed to figure out the path code and proceeded to skate all over the place for about one and a half hours- incredibly beautiful among the trees on good tracks. Eventually we got to the edge of the park, and skated along a nice lake towards Paris proper, right thru the streets back into town.

Even on main roads the drivers seemed used to this and certainly did not drive close to us or made us feel we were trespassing on "their space"- and certainly, no one tooted the horn in anger, something we are not familiar with in Melbourne.

We made it back to town, and having earned a decent cake, headed to the Montmartre area for some food and a free concert on the steps of the Sacre' Cur, the magnificent church on the top of the hill, with a great view of all of Paris. we whiled the afternoon there, and after dark headed back to town in search of a particular local restaurant we were told about- and found it. It was a crazy local place- great food, totally crowded, the orders were written on the (paper) table cloth and the waiter, appearing to be serving something like 50 table simultaneously, came flying past looking at the hand written list on the table and getting our next course in great style and speed.

When it came time to pay, the bill was totaled, again, on the table cloth, at an incredible speed, and we were out in the Pris night in search of a place for desserts.

By now it was time to stop the suffering and get ready for the Friday night skate.

For those who have never experience this- the Paris Friday night skate is a weekly event with between 5000- 8000 skaters !!! doing a 30 KM tour of Paris- starting at 10 at night and concluding just after 1 AM at Montparnase metro. We arrived on time and after listening carefully to he instructions for that nights 'course du skate' ( the route changes every week) which were in French and which we understood totally ( NOT) we asked one of the crew and he told us this will be a new course which was never tried before- a climb to Montmartre and a super downhill- cobblestones and all- yeah great... For those who know Paris- Montmartre is certainly one of the more elevated spot of Paris, mmm, off we went just after 10.15 escorted by police on skates, 2 ambulances, and about 50 crew from the organization. I cannot find words to describe the incredible sight of 8 thousand skaters flying at a good pace thru the streets of Paris- the police stopped the traffic at intersections and we all came flying past, traffic and crowds at a standstill, many people cheering, and the skaters moving like a giant snake thru the many districts of Paris. Skaters were of mixed ability, and aside from the cobblestones and hills, the challenge was mainly not to get tripped by other skaters in the huge crowd.

Than we came to the big downhill...and big it was! for close to 10 minutes we just flew downhill, at close to 47 KMH, with lots of people crashing, including 2 support crews and the medical staff, and we had to dodge quite a few people and stay on course- and manage to Stop at intersections as instructed.... wow, this took some years of all of us, and the only stopping style was the good old T stop. Raph managed to slide on a plastic bottle and got a more intimate contact with the Parisian pavement, but was patched up soon by the crew, and off we went into the night.

Incredible is the only way to describe the sensation, and despite the fact that we spent 3 hours going up and down the hills, when we got to the finish everyone was feeling a great sense of exhilaration.

We arrived just after 1 Am, too late for the last metro, and so proceeded ( like many others) to the nearest pub for a post skate drink ( OK, a few) and than, in what proved to be the biggest challange of the evening- try and get a taxi back to our hotels. Everyone in Paris appeared to had the same idea just than, but we eventually managed to get a cab to our hotel, making it just on 3 AM- a long day's journey into night.

After a late start Saturday, a leisurley breakfast and a tour of the town ( and a skate shop) we arrange the transport for the St Cheron marathon the next day.


On to St Cheron

A train journey of about an hour got us to St Cheron, a pretty rural village south of Paris, where the 3 valleys race was being held. We arrived prepared this time- with safety pins- alas they were in great supply, and had a first good look at the course.


The 3 valleys race was indeed going to be an up and down event- somthing we are not quite used to in Melbourne. We also realized that the surfaces we train and use are in fact far better than what most pople are used to in Europe ( the Cesenatico race being an extreme example, but a true one nevertheless) and as we were told, this race was going thru a number of villages and we could expect a variety of road types, including cobblestones, sharp corners, and lots of climbs and long down hills. Registration and preliminary announcements over, The event started with a fast down hill roll thru town- Le Parade- with much waving a and cheering by the locals, and thasn a nice roll/ grunt uphill thru the magnificent centre of Saint Cheron to what we understood to be the location of the start line.

We were told that the group of Nordic skaters- long skates and poles, were to be sent off first, and to be followed a minute or so later by the rest of us. This seemed simple enough, but as we headed uphill it appeared a last minute change of plan took place, and unbeknown to us the race started without warning or order, and it took us a minute or two to catch on and get going.

Once at the top of the hill, the route left St Cheron in a long fast downhill and into the countryside, gaining speed and encountering deteriorating surface, but the going was steady, and the landscape magnificent. Soon we arrived at the next village and the start of some spectacular sharp turns over cobblestones, without having rge slightest clue what was around the corner.... The event controllers were shouting instructions ( i think) but the level of my French- especially attempting to comprehend garbled word at fast speed with incredible vibrations thru my skates and whole body while shitting myself somewhat ( try high speed cobblestone turn and find out for yourself) prevented me from understanding anything but the realization that survival mode was 'de rigure du jour'.

This is not to say in any way that this was not fantastic fun, just that those corners seemed to be always the start of another downhill thru some narrow village lanes- until we got out of the pretty town and into the countryside once more, and a good run out and a bit of level terrain. All of us managed to stay on our skates, with my GPS showing speeds of 45KMH plus thru the route, and the holes in the road appearing more frequent, and bigger.

I noticed that some of the locals employed another cornering technique, especially in one very steep downhill, they simply avoided the corner by flying straight into the forest for a bit of tree hugging, then back with a new shrubbery on top of the skin suits- i hope the bushes were softer than they appeared.

The uphills were less difficult than i suspected, although while coming up the valley and looking up at skaters already on the ridge was somewhat demoralizing, but we kept a good pace. At one stage a group of 3 frenchmen got behind me an literally hung on to me while we skated in a fantastic open valley- telling me Technique Australic was magnific- yeah right- i was just trying to stay upright and keep the pace ( thanks DG & Bas). In the next downhill i seemed to have lost my French new friends, and joined another skater in a super tuck downhill, something between Olympic giant slalom posture and total out of control reality, but once again, with more luck than skill, somehow made it to the next uphill, and, suddenly, a 2 km sign to the finish- all uphill of course.

Before i realized, i could hear the shouts of the guys at the finish line- which seemed a long way off- especially the last 100 meters of moderate uphill, and then we were there- happy, and in good shape. Raph arrived a few minutes earlier, and Inna and Eva a while after me- all in good shape and great spirits- it was a really enjoyable event in a fantastic landscape- just what i imagined back in Oz when i read about the race.

The other competitors, almost all French, were very friendly and supportive, and were excited about us making it all the way from Australia to this race. We stayed for the presentation of the trophies and words from the mayor, and were told officials results will be posted soon. I hope it will not be like the Cesenatico experience- we are still waiting- but at any rate, it was great fun

We took the train back to Paris and after a shower and a short rest met for a farewell dinner at our 'local' at place dela republic, where we had a beer( or two) and a great meal and agreed our French experience has been nothing short of- to paraphrase David - Fan tas Tique...

The only bad aspect has been the fact that the French telecoms system was so overloaded and unreliable that our communication system- 1roam, and most other means- proved to be a disaster, or at the very least a challenge of great dimension- but we managed nevertheless.

A 5.30 AM start the next day- for those of us heading to Amsterdam- meant a not too late a night- and so by 1 Am we were tucked in bed.

Next morning we met at Paris Nord, where we boarded the High Speed Thalys train- first class- to Amsterdam. As soon as we got off we gotr an full breakfast, followed by non stop service all the way thru- something none of us experience before, certainly not on a train. At 300 KMH, just faster than our skating speed of recent days- the journey took 4 hours, and we arrived to a rainy Amsterdam and a couple of days break before the next Marathon, Berlin- this Saturday.

Raph and Eva headed to Germany in Search of a rumored skaters paradise just south of berlin, while Peter and Co, as far as we know, are still terrorizing Majorca - we are waiting for update in Berlin. David is at this moment in Utrecht- skating on Ice in a brand new suit- happy after not being able to skate thus far due to foot injury.

Getting ready to get on a train to Belgium, and on to Berlin by tomorrow morning.

[Apologies for the typos- anyone ever used a French Keyboard will be sympathetic...]
note: This post has been spell checked & corrected- post trip on 5.10.07
Next Stop: Berlin

Next Race: Berlin Marathon 29/09

More soon.

Pasta Bolognaise & Beachside story

After the disneyworld experience of Rome, Friday night found us finally all together in Bologna, a city of towers, students, music and great vibes. Peter & Co arrived from Oz and Thailand, Raph and Eve from Switzerland, and the rest of us from Rome. The city planner conveniently located a great cafe at the great square (Piazza Magiore) where we met for coffees, wine and beers, and after a while continued to a local eatery to try a familiar dish- spaghetti bolognaise-what else.

Since we didn't book we had to eat and run, made it just in time... and a chance to catch up on news and updates. Peter, Marco & John, still on hype and jet leg, managed to skate out of town earlier in the day in search of a "bike helmet for John..." an original excuse even for this lot... but anyhow by the time dinner was over most have had enough excitement for one day and headed to the hotels. We (Inna & Me) decided to do a little tour dela' place and ended up in a late night open air jazz concert, complete with great crowds and an aspiring stripper whoes ambitions were cut short (with much protest from the crowds) by the organisers, who informed everyone- or so we understood- that this was not part of the program.

Saturday morning we took the train to Cesenatico- location of the first race, a seaside resort with a pretty boat harbour, good lasagna at mama's cafe, and little clue where the race is to take place. Eventually, after a lovely tour of the town and few false attempts at locating the event, we made it to the registration centre to discover they were in fact expecting us- a relief since we were unable to register online and were not sure we will be able to participate, but apparently- the knew all about the Australian team coming- fantastico.

We completed registration and got show bags with our race numbers, drinks,and strange bottles that look like nasal decongestant spray dispensers- full of what looked suspiciously like a type of powder some folks put up their nose... but were told these were energy boosters 'sugar hits'- yeah, whatever- we decided against experimenting pre race.

The biggest pre race challenge proved to be finding safety pins to attach our numbers to the suits- or be unable to participate. No one had any- and we somehow missed that crucial bit of information about the need to BYO pins... but we managed to find some and line up for the starting gun.

Start was scheduled for 3pm, and we started as planned on Italian time (at 4.30) to confront the speciality of Cesenatico- the worst ever racing surface any of us - and apparently the locals had similar views- ever encountered. Holes, ruts, gutters, cracks and deep grooves, and occasional decent surface added to the excitement of the race.



Pace was fast, with the top racers (incl Peter and Marco) managing great pace despite the added challenges. We managed not to crash ( some did and needed ambulance transport- the track was merciless) despite the fact that as if the surface was not enough, some of the locals missed the fact that a race was under way and decided to reverse cars or ride bikes just across the path of the oncoming pack- some close calls were observed...


Managed to finish in good pace and a new appreciation of the sensation of full on 'bone shakin' ride. The non mobile locals seated along the race course proved great supporters and cheered us on, while police on motorcycles buzzed past us ahead of the ambulances collecting those who decided on a more intimate knowledge of the road- face first.
We all wore a timing chip supplied by the organisers, and were told results will be sent to us via sms in a day or so.
We wait.
We wait some more.
We'll let you know, when we do.

All in all, a fantastic afternoon full of colours, the event DJ dishing out thumping music at a suitable volume to change the plans anyone contemplating a peaceful Saturday arvo, great fun and a chance to meet the local skaters.
All announcement were in Italians so we assumed we missed some of the information, but the experience was a very positive one no doubt.
As we had to catch a train back to Bologna, some 2 hours plus away, we could not stay for the post race party or collective sugar tube snorting festival, but compensated with a break in the return journey for some great pasta, wine, and salads before catching the connecting train back, arriving tired and somewhat sore in Bologna around 10.30 at night. It's been a long day, no jazz concert tonight.

On Sunday , after a leisurely start start to the day, we toured the town- as you would- and discovered how even more fascinating Bologna is. The old city, the lanes, the art and especially the music- a dynamic place with a very relaxed pace as contradictory as this might sound. My attempt to get online at an Internet cafe required a stricter security check, or so it felt, and more ID provisions than anything seen in the latest BOURNE trilogy- and after gaining the appropriate clearance I was granted access to the hottest room on the planet ( or thereabouts) to try and type a posting while sweating profusely- a short lived attempt before the need to catch the train to Milan saved me, but delayed the blog updates. I apologise.

We arrived early evening in Milan and had a great walk around the DUOMO- an amazing and incredibly beautiful place. We all agreed the stay was too short- but Paris was calling the next day, ande the need to catch an early train sent most to the hotel. We stayed a bit later, and located the best Gelati outlet ever- serving that lasted our en tier late night walk around the castle , an open air movie, and a return just before midnight to the hotel. Man, they were Huge!

Sometimes around 4Am Milan started the thunder and lights show, and rain we could only dream of in Oz. It rained, and than some more, and than some, stopping just in time for us to make it to the train station to catch our train to Paris- a whole day journey on the TGV- them faaaaaaast trains. We boarded armed with great pannini sandwiches, drinks and fruit, knowing full well great coffee will be available on board- like everywhere in Italy.

It was a short stay, a great race, and a good start to the tour.
Next stop: France
Next race: Saint Cheron on the 23rd
Last night in Paris- Rain, no skating
This Monday morning- cold and windy- time for touristy things.

postscript: We were all saddened to hear about Igor's mother passing away. We send Igor and his family our condolences, and big hug from all of us.

Veni, vidi, Pattinaggio

Apologies for the absence of posts the past few days, but access to Internet connection has been more challenging then first anticipated, first due to the fact that getting back from the races necessitated late trains, hence late arrivals back to hotels,too late to get online, and second due to the fact that using Internet cafe -when open- required security clearance more intense than applying for top secrete jobs...really! So anyhow, updates will be forthcoming in the next few days:

Dateline: Rome, Italy
To [sort of] paraphrase Julius Caesar's Veni, vidi, Vici, we in turn, came, we saw, we skated....

After a flight that took us over the north pole, and a stopover in Finland we finally landed in Rome, City of La Dolce vita. We are stying here for a couple of days, pretty much at the centre of the city, for a bit of tourist activities before heading off to our first race at Cesenatico on the 15th.
after seeing us with our skates, some locals claimed this is an ancient speed skating arena, but we have our doubts...

Rome historical centre is dominated by the traditional "Seven hills of Rome": the Capitoline, Palatine, Viminal, Quirinal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine hills. The Tiber flows south through Rome, with the city centre located where the midstream Tiber Island facilitated crossing. Large parts of the ancient city walls remain.

According to Wikipedia- though relatively small, the old city center contains about 300 hotels and 300 pensioni, over 200 palaces, 900 churches, eight of Rome's major parks, the residence of the President of the Italian Republic, the houses of the Parliament, offices of the city and city government, and many great and well-known monuments. The old city also contains thousands of workshops, offices, bars, and restaurants.

The metropolitan area has a population of about 4 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, where the river Aniene joins the Tiber.














location
41° 54′ 0″ N
12° 30′ 0″ E
Sat image of Rome

instruments check

Well, looks like we are ready...
We took the opportunity this weekend to run a final 'instrument check' on, well, ourselves...

Saturday fronted up to the local GP skate competition, one of a number of events leading up to the state finals. On Sunday, despite initial plans to have a late start and an easy day, we agreed [in a moment of weakness over lunch] to skate a marathon distance along the bayside, where we normally cycle on Sundays.

This turned out to be a magnificent morning's outing, a pleasant skate in a nice cruising pace, mingling with the many bike riders en-route.

Thanks Sue for being a great skaters escort!

Despite the relaxed pace, made it back in time for the usual Sunday coffee get together, and a catch up with some other team members riding bikes.

So, Feeling fit and ready! Special thanks DGee, Bas, and everyone!

Last night the reality of having to get our act together and pack for the trip finally caught up with us, and so, here we are; Just back from a final indoor training session this morning, bags packed, about to head off to the airport. Our flight will take us over the north pole, into Rome.

We'll catch up with the rest of the team in Bologna, on Friday evening, from where you can expect the next posting.

Clear for takeoff.