Roller Parade

On your marks...Michael and Brent

Last night we were invited to go to a Roller Parade with one of Brent's colleagues "Michael from Australia." In Summer on Friday nights in the great city of Brussels, hundreds of people get on their roller blades/skate or bikes and do a 'Tour de Brussels'.  They have a beginner course for newbies from 8-9 pm and then you have an option to continue on  until Midnight, if you dare. 

The "beginning" course isn't a cake walk.  You have to cross some areas of road with cobblestones and tracks from the train.  There is one section in particular where you cross a cobblestone/track zone at a 5-way intersection, surrounded by people dining-just waiting for someone to bite the dust. Amazingly I did not fall. Yet.

Me in Downtown Brussels

After the "intersection of death and possible ridicule and embarrassment", you climb a hill.  Should be a warning sign for the future. I thought I would take it easy down this slope, so I went back and forth, kinda like skiing.  I continued to pick up speed and totally biffed it. I was already at the back of the rollerblading section and the helpers yell something like, "Newbie Down".  the DJ truck behind me stops and the assistants helps me up and takes my hand and tells me to skate with him the rest of the way down the hill.  I take his hand and we are picking up speed, but he is totally holding me up.  Kind of an amazing feet since I ain't no petite woman.  We reach the bottom of the hill at break neck speed...and then he lets go of my hand and skate off.  HELLO!  Totally lost control, and smacked into a parked car.  Yes, the door handle of an unlucky mini-cooper has left its' mark on my leg.
A police woman skates up to me and starts talking.  I say English?  She says, "You have a break, use it."  Uh, Wow.  Thanks for the Great Advice.

After the Fall-In the tunnel of Achievemnt

We reach the end of the beginning route and it's pretty flat, so we continue down.  Brent is now next to me on every decline.  I am  preferring the flat parts and even the uphills.  We are enjoying our stroll and then we see the next danger zone...a tunnel with a mammoth-sized decline.  Crap.  Brent is next to me and I am riding the break like it's my life line.  Then Brent starts to pick up speed and to save me, he lets me go. I attempt to weave back and forth to take it slow.  Nice try.  I smack right into Brent and down we both go.  I think the adrenaline was pumping because it didn't hurt that bad.  The rest of the way down the hill I hold on to the side of the wall like a toddler.  At the end of the tunnel the same "friendly" helper asks me if I want to ride the bus...a city bus filled with the weak, tired and occasional bloody participant.  I accept.

About two blocks later the whole roller derby is on break and I get off the bus for another try.  As I am leaving, my now seemingly personal assistant suggests I start near the front of the line.  Off I go to see if I can "keep up with the crowd" by starting at the front.  I think the only thing that changed was that the bus people didn't have to stare at my slow tushy anymore..for a little while at least.

We skate for a bit more and my legs are getting pretty tired.  It's the kind of tired you get when skiing and say, "Just one more run... then you break your leg."  I decide to board the bus and tour the rest of the city in the comfort of a public bus with some of my closest, sweatiest, road-rash wearing buddies.  Brent and Michael join me.  We ride the bus for the next 1+ hours.

It was a really fun night.  I was amazed at how many skaters were there.  The ranged from young children to senior citizens, trick jumpers to the ones whose only trick was trying to not to kiss the road.  (I obviously am in the latter group.  The road and I are still on speaking terms).  Next time, I am taking a bike and wearing a helmet.  Eat my rubber you asphalt!

The mini-cooper mark: a week later.

©ColleenFisher