The Waal on Wheels WOW 2000.

I might be a little slow, but I turned out to be a perfect skater ! Not a slight trouble I make doing a little downhill rolling. It has been not so long ago, doing things like this was about the same as committing suicide to me. Or at least inflicting myself with strong bodily harm. And it's just what I'm going to prove to myself in Nijmegen ! Today! With entry certificates for both Waal on Wheels (WOW) as Seven Hills on Wheels (SHOW) in my pocket I fight myself towards Nijmegen by train. A bit uneasy because of the rain, providing me once before with an unwished shower bath, eight broken bearings and the conclusion, to go out nevermore for skating whilst there's any threat of sky wetness.

Not only the weather seems to be untrustworthy. With much wind and grey thunder clouds. But utilizing the train ticket, that came with my entry certificates isn't real satisfactorily too. The NS Dutch Railways tries anything to spoil this Nijmegen trip. Their train stays sticking at Gouda Station, after a palpabling goodbye with my erotic, ripe compartment partner. It's not possible to tow away the carriages even with six locomotives. And on top of all that, the train craft appears to be packed up with noisy disco youth. The denationalized rail transporter needs more than one hour to put in a subsidiary unit. With the same retardation I finally arrive at the show-station in Nijmegen, where the shuttle busses are ready. For skaters with less downhill experience (or with less contempt for death) the SHOW-organization has added the WOW to the heavy mountain race between the old imperial city and Groesbeek village. An easier variant following a perfect horizontal route alongside the Waal river. Skaters who still pretend to get off the show downhills with a whole skin, just do this trip as a warming-up for the real thing.

The rain is almost over when the shuttle bus arrives in Millingen about a twenty kilometers later. More fortunated contestants than me disembarks from a luxuary cruise steamer at the other side of the dike. The promised luggage shuttle service is not to be found anywhere. But I find out that the skiboot-bag I grabbed in a hurry for my rolling shoes this morning, is quite suitable as a backpack. So I can take my shoes and dry clothing. As usual in an east to west trip, a headwind is blowing. A very strong one. But I'm not the only one in trouble. Everyone on the open dike top tries to oppose the stormy wind fighting themselves forward.
Almost no rapid folks are passing by, what's good for my self-confidence. I should be careful for my undercarriage. These legs will be necessary for the Groesbeek downhills this afternoon....

Over the open Waal dike a long ribbon of more or less trained shoe wheelers stretches out. Not only against the strong winds they have to fight. But also the road surface at the dike's top is abominable. This is what you call a recreational trip!
The Public Works Authority knows the advantages of using sheep to graze their dikes. These animals keep the grass short and thump the embankments steady with their hoofs. For passing skaters it's also real fun to see such a white landscape furnishing in this pittoresq Ooij polder. In that case, you won't have any trouble with the related disadvantage of a cattle grid over the road, isn't it? Beside that, the tour organisation made them harmless with plywood sheets. The busybodies forgot some other traces, the woolly ungulates abundantly left behind on the road surface. We learn, this natural fertilizer combined with our urethane wheels brings no happiness at all.
I need all of my techniques to manoeuver between sheep dung, loose cobblestones, and slower skaters. But I manage to keep standing up. However, where the sheep make place for motor cars later on again, I find the traces of animal metabolism back behind my ears....

The clouds grow thicker and darker again, though we keep it dry until now. My hope the still increasing storm will blow away the rainy clouds, appears to vain. At the most unsheltered part of the dike, near the village of Ooij, the sky breaks open. Thick cold drops, turning into hail, lash the competitors. Desperately I survey for some shelter.
But salvation appears to be nearby. Nearby, at the top of the dike, an harrassed Fiat Panda is parked for sale. Within the rain shadow of the vehicle a dry spot can be perceived, sufficiently wide to shelter four or five skaters in sit position. I'm the first one to get asylum there, but soon other follow. The Panda appears to shelter at least ten skaters, crowded close together, in the wettest part of the struggle.

The caravan of skaters struggles on when it gets dry again. The stormy wind blows both road surface, t-shirts and bearings as dry as possible within a moment. Thick asts break from the trees and fly over the dike. Skaters that don't struggle against the wind are blown backwards. Some of them even from the dike top!
Skaters with a strong character, like me, go on and on. "Luctor et emergo!" All efforts aren't in vain. The Waal Bridge at Nijmegen is rising up in front of me only a small hour-and-a-half after my depart out of Millingen. Only the last heavy kilometers hurricane fighting are between me and the bridge. Where the finish is at the Waal quais !!!

As satisfied as possible I take the downhill slope to the Waalkade finish. Of course the medal I receive will get a place of honor at home, with praise to the organization. A top result to be proud of, in spite of the humiliating time I made for only twenty small kilometers. Especially compared to the heroic 1:42 in which I did the double in the illusterous Berlin Marathon!
The honoured medal would stay the only one that day. Between the Aquarius drinks and the WOW T-shirts the unavoidable consigne came in:
"No more SHOW today because of the storm."
So now both the railway station and the NS wait for me.
Thanks.
WOW, what a SHOW!!!

Route map...

Tour description and info...

The Waal on Wheels parcours is only free of cars at the very evenement's day. But if you don't mind the (few) cars it's possible to do this route on any time you like it.
I myself started in Millingen, back to Nijmegen. So it was organised. The other way round would give more chance to tailwind, as it blows usually from the west. If you do the route vice versa, the distance doubled to 40 km. what is a nice tour for an experienced skater.

Do you want to join the official tour once? Then visit the organisation's site. It appears to be that the SHOW won't be organised any more because of the downhill risks. The WOW usually takes place near mai.