logo inline skate and skate trip stories inline skater on an outdoor speedskate tour
inline home tour tales descriptions skatology links contact
Search the site:
Site search
tour tale
tour description
route map

< < < go back < < <


The copyright of this site and its contents, for those parts not specially mentioned, is by Johan Grootveld.

bauer skeeler with softboot and five wheels, from the inline skate tour stories by johan grootveld

Site design by
Ir Grootveld / Blinksoft.

speedskaters with helmets on a recreational skateroute

Along the Oude Maas river.

(near Rotterdam, 25 km each direction)

Update:
On friday 29 august 2008 I skated this tour again, together with Jan, my fellow skate addict. That resulted in some updates in pavement- and gps-info. Those updates I show you on the Google map and the gps-data I added here.


One pair of Zandstra skeelers contains TWENTY bearings, each one of them provided with two protection pads. Whilst the storm and the rain knocks the house, I sit within trying to clean all these twenty unwilling, blocked bearings. Old paper to protect the sink unit, small cup with white spirit on it, tooth brust together with silicon-spray. I'll be very busy for the rest of this Sunday.

I started skating to become more independent from the nature ice! How long ago already has been that latest skate tour on ice ? But, how unfortunately! Wheelskaters too turn out to be dependent from Erwin Krol's weather forecasts. Since September we as members of the "core team" try out to wheel one trip together. But that's still not possible owing to the rain. Slowly the Dutch polders, ever been conquered onto the water, seem to sink back to the sea-bottom again. And then there is suddenly that memorable saturday morning. After the horse-riding lesson with my son I see, see the Sun!!! True enough disappearing again in a gray cloudy sky, but it was really there. Not one of the manege horses who could keep me: There will be a skate ride ! Here and now!
"I shouldn't do so," my wife Jeannet predicts with foresight.

The sun still makes efforts to break through the equal gray sky, when I put on my rolling footwear at the Oude Maas near Barendrecht. Right up to the only remnant of the demolished Barendrecht vertical lift bridge. That splendid steel riveted colossus. From the past I remember the long waiting times, when it stood open again, and the RTM-tramway should have to cross it first. From here you can go left for a tour to Zwijndrecht, or to the right in the Rhoon direction. If you wish to make a reasonable tour, then you should choose for Rhoon, the longer of both trips. For the moment the weather turns out to be more trustworthy then the road surface. The trees leave a lot of biological fall-out at the pathway. A thick sediment of pulp droven leaves doesn't make skating in autumn a qualified satisfaction for everybody. A large opening has been cut in the woods for the new Heinenoordtunnel construction activities. The road surface turns to be better immediately. What a splendid way of skating is this! Smooth orgasphalt everywhere!. At more open intervals the road is even dry.
It is not busy today. Normal persons are wise and stay home. Solely some fanatical golfers keep company, when I cross their territory on ten wheels. Ever better I get into my skating tact. Didn't stand on inlines any more since the illustrious Rotterdam Marathon....

I cross this splendid small piece of nature scenery in my long strokes cadans, with the Botlek refineries at the horizon. Sometimes the path goes on the outer side of the dike, past the holm and the thatch. Then the route crosses back to the land side again. Wondering sheep push their head through the barbed-wire to get a better view onto the rolling intruder. Before I realise myself I have been passed by Poortugaal village. It is still dry. The sun has stopped it's efforts, to break through the gray clouds.
At the Rhoon marina a young girl in a car asks me for the route towards the local Intratuin garden centre. The sweet puts confidence in the skating fellow-man. I have to disappoint her. No Intratuin.....
With a large curve the route passes around the Delta Hospital's territory now. Via a cobble dike and a farm road, tortured by tractorwheels, I reach the Oude Maas again. Another recreational area with splendid skeeler routes. At the right I see the first Hoogvliet apartment blocks appearing.

Just when I recognise the Spijkenisse vertical bridge in the distance, turning to be about the end of the route, I feel one droplet. I pretend to have felt nothing and keep rolling. Still optimistic. A second droplet falls. And a third one!
"No matter what's the skater's speed, the rainfall catches him indeed...," as an old saying flashes through my head.
I have to turn back right now, it's the only way! But it's súúúúch a long way back yet to the parking lot in Barendrecht. . .
In the beginning there's the shelter of the Hoogvliet trees. My jacket and helmet seem relatively rain proof. Possibly it turns out better than expected. But when I reach the open countryside the rising rainy wind lashes into my face. I toil and moil straight ahead over wetter and slithery asphalt. Gone is all the adhesion, each push slips away. What do I have to go through quite a lot !

Back to Poortugaal the rain has anaesthetized all of my limbs. The water from heaven must have leaked until my underwear. Or, what's much worse, probably until my sensible skate bearings too .... But I fight on, whithin an endless, ever continuing cadans. Back to that attracting parking place, where this adventure started. With equal speed I roll on together with the Russian carrier "Karina", navigating on the Oude Maas, at my right hand. Yet solely one tiny small distance to toil.
Finally there's the ultimate shelter of the motor-car! I made it !! I throw myself inside and tug to close the sliding door. Large pools of water shape themselves on the floor of the Vito, under my hurriedly worn out and waterlogged skate equipment.

Skeelers dislike rain even more then people, I should have known. So many times I have been warned for this by so many. After returning home all ten wheels turn out to be sticked as firm as a rock. The penalty for having such a thoughtless skate adventure.
"I hope I will have my wheels back spinning again tonight", I sigh, meanwhile picking up the next bearing out of the white spirit.

pijl

Route map...


Show larger map

inline trip map with road surface quality ratinginline road surface quality rating

pijl

Route description and info....

Data based on the gps tour.
date: 29-8-2008
moving time: 3:14:06 h
distance: 52.06 km
average speed: 16.1 km/h

The trip along the Oude Maas takes you through a series of recreational areas. You can ride nearly everywhere over smooth, motorcar-free asphalt, with only a few crossings with other traffic. You only meet bikers and walkers.

  • There are parking lots everywhere along the route where you can start. I myself followed the "recreatiegebied" signs coming from Barendrecht by car. Other startingpoints are in Rhoon Jachthaven (marina), Oude Maas Golfcourse, Heerjansdam, Zwijndrecht and Hoogvliet.
  • From Barendrecht there is a short route (plm. 8 km) via Heerjansdam the other direction towards Zwijndrecht.
  • Where the recreational footpaths finish in Zwijndrecht at a parking lot, I added a few extra km's over the dike along the "Groote Lindt" factory zone.
  • The longer route (plm. 16 km) takes you over the golfcourse (road surface there is better than it is on the bypass) to Rhoon village.
  • From there you can take either the route through Poortugaal village (some bad pieces over a cobble dike and a rough farmer's road) to Hoogvliet. Or you take the smoother asphalt via the Delta hospital area and the riverside leading also towards Hoogvliet.
  • I finished near the Spijkenisse vertical bridge, but it should be possible to lenghten the trip through the Maasoeverpark at least to the Botlek vertical bridge.
  • If you combine the Hoogvliet and Zwijndrecht tours, you get a 24 km. (single) or 48 km. (retour) trip.
  • From the Hoogvliet direction successively follow the bikesigns (red text on white) to "Rhoon", "Barendrecht", "Heerjansdam" and "Zwijndrecht".
  • In the other direction, from Zwijndrecht, you follow the signs "Barendrecht", "Rhoon" en "Hoogvliet". Good luck!

    pijl

    inline roller skaters on five wheeled speedskates


  • inline home tour tales descriptions skatology links contact