The Voice from the Pacific Northwest Newsletter

Masters World Championship: Success for new wheel set-ups 3.5x100mm and 4x110mm....continued

On 24th of April 2005 the Hamburg running marathon hosted the Masters Inline Skating World Championships. New wheel set-ups hit the road. Were they the key factor for success? Find out here.

You may wonder: What does a 3.5x100mm set-up look like? Very simple. Take two 4x100 frames, dismantle one wheel - and there you go with an average of 3.5 100mm wheels per frame.

That is exactly what I had to do during this year's Hamburg Marathon. After 25 km I slowed down due to extreme fatigue, so much so I thought I was going to collapse. I was working harder than ever, continuously pushing my body to further extremes to keep going, nevertheless, other skaters passed by me like a Porsche overtaking a Model T.

I desperately looked down to my skates, trying to speed them up with my intense glances. No matter how hard I looked my skates did not go any faster. Instead I revealed the secret of my virtual stand still. One wheel was completely blocked and acted as a brake. Thinking back on it, I am amazed that I was able to get a roll out of the skate at all.

For most, the race would have been over. Fortunately I had an allen key in the tiny bag of my bottle belt and could disassemble the blocked wheel in a two minute pit stop.

Surprisingly I did not become angry or de-motivated. Instead I jumped back on my now seven wheel skates and went on, waving the dismantled wheel to the curious spectators. It was Hamburg's marathon fans that kept me going. I do not know of any other skate event where you are supported by thousands of spectators. Again and again I passed through espaliers of hundreds of rattling, whistling, clapping people.

Together with exceptional blue sky and sunny spring weather this would make you love the Hamburg Marathon even with only two wheels under each foot.

Finally I arrived at the finish line with my worst marathon time in years, but I was not too disappointed. After all I was the fastest Clemens in the race, so I proudly can bear the title "SWCCM 2005" (Senior World Clemens Champion Marathon 2005 ;-)

At the front of the race, some extraordinary things happened. From the average skate marathon you are used to a heavy, sometimes even violent sprint with thirty skaters crossing the finish line within 2 or 3 seconds. But not this time. Arnaud Gicquel from France won the race some meters in front of his Saab-Salomon teammate Franck Cardin, France. Then the spectators had to wait half a minute (!) for the third, Smit Arjan, Netherlands. Rank #4, Luca Saggiorato, from Italy was almost one minute behind Arnaud and another 30 seconds later finally the pack arrived with Massimiliano Presti winning the sprint and Briand Pascal coming in next.

Arnaud did not use a 3.5x100 wheel set-up ;-) He (and Franck) preferred a 4x110 configuration. For me it is unclear, how much this contributed to their outstanding success. From what Arnauld told me, I have the impression, that the main factor was hard and continous teamwork and the ability and will of the leading group to shake off those top skaters who showed no willingness to share the pace-making work. Massimiliano did not deny my theory either. I am very interested in the upcoming race to see whether they show similar results. Then we will see if size matters more than team work.

This was it race-wise. Please read on, if life for you is more than just a skate race.

As I am away from my family already more than six weeks per year for business trips I try to keep skate race excursions as short as possible. That’s of course a shame for Hamburg with its many cultural highlights. But what to choose if there is just one evening? Lion King? Not Hamburgish enough. Harbour tour? Impressive, but done last year.

Finally I picked the “Chamber Opera” (www.alleetheater.de). And what a pick it was! A delight for all senses. Not only for my ears by the young and talented singers and the brilliant chamber orchestra; not only for my eyes by a colourful production (E.T.A. Hofmann’s “Undine”) in a golden framed stage, but also for my tongue and palate. Directly attached to the tiny opera house is a restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious opera menu, accompanied by fine wines. Desert is served during intermission of the play.

I am sure you will love the intimacy of Europe’s only purely privately operated opera house. And the Hamburg Chamber Opera is conveniently located just a few hundreds meter from the train station Hamburg Altona.
Maybe we meet there accidentally during the evening before next year’s Hamburg Marathon? You can recognize me easily: I am the one who wears a dismantled skate wheel on a chain around my neck.

Clemens Suerbaum

Back to Page 1