LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE TM
& SUNDAY STROLL TM

From: Week on Wheels <wow /at/ lfns.co.uk>
Subject: [wow] Wedding Wheels, and the Thames Festival
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 10:28:10 +0100

Subject: Week on Wheels

This Week, On Wheels

* Last week, this week: LFNS and Stroll news
* Marshal profile: Dan
* Super Sunday: not one but two special events coming up
* Start times (again)
* Bike naming competition
* Rhine on Skates
* Soppy stuff (look away now if you hated 'Love Actually')
* Help!


== THIS WEEK ==

=== LFNS ===

We're off through the back streets of London up through Little Venice
and back under Westway to Notting Hill for half time. The second half
starts with a short but punishing uphill that just gets you in the
mood for the run downhill to Kensington High Street. We'll be back at
Hyde Park Corner in no time at all but don't stop there because that's
just the start of the fun.

We'll be running close to some of our usual routes but backwards:
along Victoria Street from the Station to Whitehall, up Whitehall to
Trafalgar Square, through the back streets to the Ritz and then a last
mad dash down to Hyde Park Corner. This time we'll stop - unless
anyone has any better ideas.
                            http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060908

=== SUNDAY STROLL ===

On the Stroll this Sunday, we'll be making a return trip to
Westminster and Chelsea with a bit of Kensington thrown in for good
measure. Lead Marshal Christian, who hasn't led for over a year,
promises smooth surfaces and a gentle meandering skate that'll be
perfect for beginners. Half time will be at Embankment tube and if the
weather's nice we'll make it a slightly longer than normal skate. But
we'll be keeping it slow and easy. Like most of our Summer Strolls,
this is designed for newcomers so don't worry that we might tire you
out. We won't. Promise.
                            http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060910


== LAST WEEK ==

=== LFNS ===

Friday's skate was, according to Lead Marshal Craig, designed more by
stringing together fun roads to skate on than by reference to any kind
of High Concept. Which pretty well sums up the evening: nothing clever
or spectacular - just damn fine skating. We had fun. We hope you did.

                                 
http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060901/1

=== SUNDAE STROLL ===

"Great skate today with a good set of tunes, thanks to Ono for riding
   the bike and good to see all who came"
      - from serpentineroad.com - not a made-up quote, honest

Sunday afternoon turned out to be unexpectedly warm and sunny, and saw
us set off on a gentle Stroll up to the Houses of Parliament, then
through Pimlico and Chelsea, with half time at the Duke of York's
Headquarters on the King's Road. We arrived back in Hyde Park just
after the Tour of Britain had passed through.

Thanks to all the marshals that turned out, to all the skaters that
turned up, to Ono for his welcome appearance on the music bike, and to
Gelateria Valerie for serving us ice cream in the sunshine. No thanks
to the Met Office for their dire predictions, but they're already used
to the execration of the skating nation.

                              
http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060903/56


== MARSHAL PROFILE: DAN ==

"Let's rewrite Dan's profile this week - I think the jokes of skin
loss are wearing a little thin" - Natasha

"So's the skin" - Dan

Dan was the Lead Marshal on last Sunday's trip to Victoria &
Chelsea. He can usually be recognised by the confused expression,
three day stubble, and regrettable tendency towards skates with
unnecessarily big wheels.

Dan has been marshalling the Friday and Sunday skates for about two
years and led his first skate a year ago. In a rare moment of weakness
he got himself elected as Secretary of the Marshals' Association,
which has involved him in lots of geeky stuff related to the LFNS web
site (among other things, you can blame the Google route maps on him)
and regular contribution of sarcastic asides to the Week on Wheels
mailout.

Dan joined the LondonSkaters Speed Team back when it was still
unfashionable, to accommodate his real interest in going faster than
sensible or prudent - this coupled with having misheard the advice
that "chicks dig cars" has influenced him towards a somewhat lax
attitude about which way up a skater should be as he travels down the
road. When it all gets too much he goes off somewhere for a race: best
results so far are a 1:17 marathon at Hannover and a 57 minute 32km
race in Lille. Skaters attending last Sunday's Stroll were relieved to
see that the speed was a tad slower than that.

Dan has had the concept of "interests outside skating" explained to
him, but didn't really seem to grasp the idea. He responds badly to
flattery and better to beer.


== NEXT WEEKEND: ONE-WAY STROLL AND THAMES FESTIVAL ==

You wait ages for a special event, then two come along at once. On
SUNDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER, there will be *drum roll please*:

* a ONE-WAY STROLL to Greenwich, arranged in conjunction with
Greenwich Car-Free Day. We've even arranged with the organisers to
close the foot tunnel under the river while we go through it. Usual
start time and place (Serpentine Road, 2pm) ; route will be on the
web site as soon as it's finalised, but expect about 12 miles, about
three hours, and to need shoes for your ownward journey at the end.

                                                    http://qurl.net/Mq

* the THAMES FESTIVAL. Some may remember this from last year: the
Mayor's Thames Festival along the Embankment. We'll be in the parade
with the new sound system, flying the (metaphorical) flag for
skating - expect sliding, jumping, dancing, and even some skating in
circles. The theme is LIGHT, so raid your local cycle shop (or
Christmas decoration box), and sparkle. We don't have a finalised
timetable for this - look out for more details in next Week's Wheels
- but the action will probably kick off around 7 or 8pm if it's like
previous years.

                                           http://www.thamesfestival.org/


== START TIMES ==

On Sunday, one would-be skater asked if the start time was 2.30 every
week.

It's an understandable mistake.

As summer comes to an end, waiting for latecomers will be increasingly
unattractive. We may even set off on time and leave them behind.

In fact, this Friday's skate is quite long so we will be making a
serious effort to leave on time. If you think you'll be late, check
out the map (www.lfns.co.uk) and try to pick us up en route. Why not
aim to arrive a few minutes early and surprise us at the wild partying
we get up to before people turn up?


== NAME THAT BIKE ==

The competition to name the new LFNS music bike is now closed. My, my
what an imaginative lot you are. Sadly, due to legal reasons, we had
to filter a few entries - you know who you are - and despite bringing
a grin to our faces we will not be able to print them in public. I'm
sure if you desperately wish to find out what these entries were, you
can bribe one of the marshals with beer after a skate. Obviously we're
not going to tell you which marshals, so be prepared to bribe several
before you find one who knows.

We have had just shy of 100 entries. So in order to create a
shortlist, each marshal has been asked to nominate their top 3
favourite names by the end of the day tomorrow. The resultant list of
names will undergo a vote to whittle them down to a final shortlist,
which will then go through to a final vote for the winning entry. The
winning entry will be announced next week.

The official Naming ceremony will take place when the winner, the bike
and the weather all conspire together on a forthcoming Friday
night... (don't worry we'll arrange for the Champagne to be kept safe
during the skate).


== RHINE ON SKATES ==

Two of our marshals just got back from this event. "For the benefit
of those I haven't talked to death on the topic yet", says Markus: 137
km of skating through the World Heritage Site along the Rhine, at a
very consistent speed (20km/h, about 12mph in old money) on smooth
surfaces.

Marshalled by police and skate marshals, with ambulances and minibuses
following, regular breaks every 30-40km, and they even provided lunch.
And there was a party afterwards. Sounds like a good one - next year we
think there'll be a few more people from London there.

            http://www.w-n-s.de/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1


== CONGRATULATIONS DAVID AND KATE ==

Their attendance is unconfirmed, but we're expecting LFNS marshals
David (Duracell) and Kate, who got married on Saturday, to attend the
skate on Friday. Over 20 marshals attended the wedding and were
treated to the view of David in a kilt and the engagement ring -
an 82mm wheel sprayed gold.

Not that long ago, the LFNS was the almost exclusive preserve of
singletons but, apparently, skaters have sex lives too (when do they
find the time?) and more and more are coupling up. Obviously we know
about the marshals ('cos gossiping is almost as much fun as skating)
but who else met their partners on the skate? Write in and let us know
and we'll publish the best ones.


== OH MY NOSE AND WHISKERS, WE'RE LATE!! ==

Yes, we know. We heard the mutterings all across London as office life
came to a halt and an anxious skating community wondered where Week on
Wheels had gone.

There's about five of us regularly put this thing together and it can
be a bit of a strain. So if you're a journalist or you can write and
you'd like to help out with some off the off-skate bits of running the
LFNS, please get in touch. Then next week, you can be the person
getting the pointed comments directed to them on Wednesday afternoon.


== THAT'S ALL FOLKS! ==

Another issue completed. Just time to say CONGRATULATIONS to Rosie for
finishing her first Stroll, and remind you of the usual legal bits:
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