Flaeming: Four Days of Skating and Trance
A few days ago I returned from a four-day skating tour to the German Flaeming. I have traveled 176 kilometers on eight wheels and listened to hours of my favorite music: trance (for me, in-line skating and music form an inseparable symbiosis). I hereby announce that Flaeming is the paradise on earth for skaters…
Flaeming Skate is a system of high-quality skating and cycling tracks (a bit outdated map in PDF). The tracks are very well marked and rich with resting places. There is a special asphalt which doesn’t get slippery when wet. The surroundings are beautiful. Did I mention that Flaeming is a paradise? :-)
Up-to-date map of Flaeming Skate
Day I
The bus journey to Flaeming was unpleasant. Half of the tour participants were young men who knew each other and behaved like a pack of hogs. They were noisy even when sober… and I saw them sober only about the first ten minutes of the whole tour. Notwithstanding the need for strenuous mental exercise and gradual turning up of the headphones volume, the journey passed quickly.
Upon arrival we immediately went to an introductory ride of 25km. My first ride in the skating paradise simply had to be accompanied by my beloved album: Imagine by Armin van Buuren. After sitting in a bus for half a day, a ninety-minute nimble ride was enough to get me weary. The track went around roads and through forests and villages. Occasional road crossings were well marked and sometimes fitted with barriers. Even steep hill warnings were given in advance. I figured out the German “starke gefälle” very soon – once a steep hill nearly caressed my skin :-)
Day II
I tried out the high-quality surface during a short 27km ride interspersed with occasional rain. Indeed, skating on the wet asphalt was no problem at all. We spent the afternoon in aqua park in the town of Luckenwalde. After swimming an extra kilometer, I relaxed in warm water, whirlpool, and on toboggans. Perfect for the tired muscles.
I spent the evening disassembling and cleaning the skates. I had to shed tears for several degraded bearings. A lot of dirt had gotten into the skates along with the rain, and some of the bearings are now past their zenith.
Day III
I was intending to ride the longest route, 94 kilometers. However, I spent all morning dismantling, cleaning, cursing, and persuading a few bearings that stopped working overnight. I could feel my heart at the Adam’s apple. Fortunately, the bearings eventually started to move and I could set out, although with a huge delay. I swore to myself that next time I wouldn’t leave spare bearings at home :-)
Flying through a green tunnel while listening to Tell Me Why. One brilliant morning.
In the end, I extended the route to 98km. It took me 6 hours plus 1:45 of breaks. And I enjoyed every single bit of it. The gray and cold morning took part amid vast fields full of wind generators. I was accompanied by the superb album Out There and Back by Paul van Dyk.
Lunch at one of the numerous resting places. 50 minutes of tranquility without skates and music.
Around noon it started to get warmer. The track got a little hilly and brought me into delightful forests. Paul van Dyk was replaced by Armin van Buuren. A lot more people appeared. Here and there you could get near wind generators with forty-meter rotors.
Long shadows of the fast-moving wheels were intertwining with two remixes of Détournament. Fīnis corōnat opus.
Before tackling the last 15 kilometers I refreshed myself with a glass of apple juice in the town of Jänickendorf. Carefully combined Paul van Dyk playlist then was all I needed for an euphoric finish. Conquering the remaining kilometers at full speed ranges among the best experiences ever…
Day IV
There were less than two hours left for skating, so I had to be content with a 13km there – 13km back trip. Music: Armin van Buuren, state of mind: top of the world. The rising and falling track went through a handful of lonely villages and wound between pine forests and fields. Birds of prey were circling in the sky.
The journey back home was much, much more quiet. The hogs were apparently listening to their conscience.
Summary: the best four days of this summer. Not even Masters of Rock 2009 could match this in-line ecstasy :-)
Flaeming ‘09 – gallery
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