The FEC
That Friday I went by car - packed with
skating outfit, (see
picture) - to Heerenveen.
On the way I had seen the treetops bend over by strong
wind... After lunch my friend Haukje and myself went to the
FEC (Frisian Exhibition Centre) in Leeuwarden. That is from
where I would start the following morning. I had to collect
my 'stamp-card' and an armband with the Elfsteden-insignia.
At the station I bought a special
"Elfsteden-ticket" (see
picture), which would allow
me to get back to Leeuwarden in case I would have to give up.
My concern was whether
I would make it to the finish in time (latest: 24:00) :
everything depended on the starting time, this would not be
favourable, being 'just a potential participant' with start
number 67.681. Indeed: I was in very, very, last group PD (Potentieel
Deelnemer/ potential
participant) green, starting time: 10:45... The first ones
could start at 06:00, so they would have not only much longer
daylight, but also 4h 45min more to cover the trajectory.
Another factor was the ice quality: it wouldn't be
'optimal' after that about 16.500 people had skated over it.
| The
armband (see
picture) turned out
to be much too narrow: so I put it on my lower arm.
Furthermore there were tips about nutrition during
the tour, how to prevent freezing of eyelids, etc. And of course there were lots of souvenirs for sale. With a T-shirt with the skating route we returned to Heerenveen. |
 |
The evening before
In the evening we watched television: on each and every channel the Elfstedentocht was being discussed. At 22:00 I went to my room and started preparing the things for the following day.
I had planned extremely well what to put in my small rucksack. Should I have to give up, than I would need shoes and an extra jacket. But that left only a very limited place for food. Food is crucial on an event like this. So I decided on two small bottles energy drink and four currant buns. And a mobile phone, just in case. I would need to buy more food and drink on the ice.
Handkerchief and an ample supply of dextrose loose in one pocket, money in the other and car key and train ticket in the inner pocket of my jacket.
That night I couldn't sleep: in my mind I skated the tour at least three times.
The day itself
At seven I got up and had a good (but not too!) breakfast including energy drink. At eight I got in my car, which normally starts at once. Finally I got the engine running and left for the station. Not a positive sign. At the station normally there should have been plenty of parking space. Not that day. Finally I got rid of the car in a street some 400 m down the road. Not a positive sign. I just made it in time for the skater-packed train.
Arrived at the FEC, all skaters had to go to the start-tent (there had been a fire some months before in the FEC) and groups were called of to the start. There was time left, so I ate something, checked my outfit again, and waited for my turn.
At 09:45 it was announced that "PD green
had to go to sluice 1"(see
picture). Very slowly the
group skaters made their way through the crowd to the sluice.
Waiting again. More waiting.
Beside stood a man boasting that he had never done more than
30 km. And that he would buy a sausage sandwich on the ice.
(had the man never heard about energy drinks, carbohydrates,
pasta, brown bread, etc?)
I tried not to image the gastric effect of a sausage sandwich
on an empty stomach during a skating tour like this.
In the sluice beside us people started counting 10,9, 8, 7 .....1, go! but had to wait for a another while. Finally, after about ten minutes, the gate was opened and we could run the 1900 m to the ice.