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jdd

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Jul 26, 2008
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Watching some Sochi speed skating on the tube, and was thinking how once upon a time skating and cycling kind of complemented each other--in the off season pro skaters were good cyclists, and vice versa.

I guess I haven't heard anything about that for a while.
 
From wikipedia, on long track:

"Speed skaters attain maximum speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph)."

Being an Illinois person (from long ago), skating is totally cool, even if you can only do 50 or so.
 
Hi. I lived in that little orange country and have in my mid-20s been infected by the skating virus. Went out to the track 3-4 times per week in winter for five years. It's an awesome sport. The best is obviously skating on natural ice, but that doesn't happen every winter.

First of all, skating is by far the most technical sport I've ever practiced. The balancing and power output efficiency are very sensitive. You can be as fit as you want and give all you've got, then look behind you and see a 60-year old woman keeping up with you easily just by merit of technique. Compared to that cycling is dead easy.

The motion is indeed very similar, and many skaters do cycling for endurance training. Sven Kramer for instance is a quite competitive cyclist. http://www.wielerland.nl/index.php?Itemid=36&id=10174&option=com_content&task=view
The other way around you don't see happen often because it's so difficult.

Also, there's marathon skating, which is 100 laps with a peloton. Just like cycling you've got break-aways, chase groups, teams, sprinters etc. Very cool. Only practised in the Netherlands though.
 
I know that feeling.

LOL.

Hi. I lived in that little orange country and have in my mid-20s been infected by the skating virus. Went out to the track 3-4 times per week in winter for five years. It's an awesome sport. The best is obviously skating on natural ice, but that doesn't happen every winter.

First of all, skating is by far the most technical sport I've ever practiced. The balancing and power output efficiency are very sensitive. You can be as fit as you want and give all you've got, then look behind you and see a 60-year old woman keeping up with you easily just by merit of technique. Compared to that cycling is dead easy.

The motion is indeed very similar, and many skaters do cycling for endurance training. Sven Kramer for instance is a quite competitive cyclist. http://www.wielerland.nl/index.php?Itemid=36&id=10174&option=com_content&task=view
The other way around you don't see happen often because it's so difficult.

Also, there's marathon skating, which is 100 laps with a peloton. Just like cycling you've got break-aways, chase groups, teams, sprinters etc. Very cool. Only practised in the Netherlands though.

That is excellent. I used to love ice skating when I was younger. Obviously this was entirely different, what with me living in the south of England at the time, as a teenager, and involved me slamming it around the local ice skating rink in a pair of Bauer ice hockey boots, with neon laces, and the tongue clipped to the front of the boots with a keyring, also neon, but I was definitely in to it. No idea how amazing it would be to go out in the actual real world on ice and skate in a group at speed. Wow. Will have to work out how I am going to manage to do that before I die.

And yeah, I totally agree with you about how simple road cycling is. When I first started it after spending years riding BMX I kind of went, "erm, so you just ride it in a straight line from A to B as fast as you can?" I know there are subtle tactics and all that and a major part of the challenge is the fitness level, but compared to any other sports I have done, there is no technique involved, other than riding in a straight line.
 
All fixed...

That is excellent. I used to love ice skating when I was younger. Obviously this was entirely different, because I did the frilly variety and spent hours sewing sequence tops together for training, and mainly practiced looking special in my gear. I had a fabulous time
 
fabulous!

blades-of-glory-jpg.jpg
 
But Im sorry comparing speed pursuit cycling to road racing is nonsense... compare it to the skill and concentration needed for this:

 
But Im sorry comparing speed pursuit cycling to road racing is nonsense...

Good thing I didn't then! And yeah, that is way more tech and co-ordinated that road riding. Beautiful to watch.

Not enough sequins though, obviously.

Or not enough Bauer ice skates with hockey socks over the top and the tongue pulled down, neon laces, Joe Bloggs jeans, Naf Naf jumper, sovereign rings, combed forward gelled hair, bum fluff tash, and a pounding DJ Sy B2B Slipmatt B2B Dougal soundtrack all night long (until 8.30pm when it closed.)
 
Or not enough Bauer ice skates with hockey socks over the top and the tongue pulled down, neon laces, Joe Bloggs jeans, Naf Naf jumper, sovereign rings, combed forward gelled hair, bum fluff tash, and a pounding DJ Sy B2B Slipmatt B2B Dougal soundtrack all night long (until 8.30pm when it closed.)

You are dead to me
 
You are dead to me

You love it. After we finish at the ice skating, it is off home for a shower, put on the bright blue Topman shirt, white jeans and Kickers, spray a load of Lacoste on which I nicked off my Dad, then hot foot it over to the empty market stalls at the end of the town centre with the money I got from my part time job in Halfords. 4 pack of Hooch from the local offy with the fake ID I made in Corel Draw on my Dads Windows 95 machine. Down them, then head over to the Coconut Club over-14s rave, with Live PA from Baby D performing the club smash, 'Let me be your fantasy'. Heaven.
 
I was just wondering. At the time, there was a woman rider in Celestial Seasonings events who was really a skater, but who did really well as a rider.

Way back when, central Illinois was not only known for swimmers, speed skating was pretty important, too.

But hey, it looks like I'd easily out-skate all of you, except maybe Aron.
 
But hey, it looks like I'd easily out-skate all of you, except maybe Aron.

Have you not been reading anything I wrote?

I was a full on indoor ice rink chav in my youth, and combined this with a good few years of firstly Bauer Turbo with wide trucks roller disco hammer, then aggressive inline street skating...

Weapon of choice, while I was hitting Royale to Farf to Topside Soul to Backside Acid Grind down a 40 stair triple kinker, was of course...

The K2 Fatty Pro

K2-Skate-Fatty-AB-2.jpg


With ABEC 5, Cosmic wheels and Gobstopper grindwheel upgrades obviously.
 
Have you ever raced in Illinois?
 
No, but I have done the rail round the back of the City Of Quebec gay bar down near Marble Arch.
 
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