I hitched a ride to Insul with Scoot and Sebastion. Scoot is from Canada and was world champ in 2008. Sebastion is from Germany and wasn't world champ in 2008 but what he lacked in fame he more than made up for by being the 2010 ''best car on the Euro tour'' champ. He had put many years and a lot of money into his old combi van. A lime green wagon on the inside and out with tiny LED's on the roof that looked like stars on the inside. A new engine that got us up to 140KM/h on the auto barn and a bangin' stereo.
We all high tailed out of Ramons place at around midday. We had to stop off at a couple of skate shops on the way to pick some stuff up and drop some stuff off. Of course we had to eat at each stop and have a general look around the area so we were very late to Insul. We got in at around 11 and drove about the car park for a while looking for a good spot to set up camp. Once camp was made we headed over to the registration/party area. I never signed up for the race in Insul. I was supposed to be doing touristy stuff over the next week or so but decided I would rather spend time with all the crew than by myself. The plan was to just rock up for the free rides with a board and a helmet and poach runs. I would get free food, camping and riding on a closed road. We partied most of the night and played a lot of table soccer which I am really crap at. A few of the locals turned up so we spent some time getting to know them and catching up with the people we hadn't seen in a week or so and eventually went to bed.
As usual at a race it was an early first morning. Up for breakfast at 7:30 and on the hill by 8:30. The road was shut down at 9 and we all took our first runs. Insul was my favourite hill of the tour so far. It had a snakey top section which weaved around the top of the mountain accelerating you quickly into the first left hairpin. After another right and left you were sent into another fast straight which ended with an incredibly wide left hand hairpin. A sketchy 90 degree right hander and you were across the finish line. I spent all day riding, not missing one run. I knew that I probably wouldn't get to ride the road again this year so I took every chance I got. One of my last runs I was taken out by Jackson Shapiera and Patrick Switzer on the first left. Jacko made it through somehow as Patty and I scrambled for our boards. I was fist down and into the right hander. I threw my board sideways and tried to take the wide to inside line. Patty had other ideas though. Ramming me from the side he sent his board into the side of my knee as we skittled across the road. For the rest of the week I would have a ''Patty egg'' on the side of my leg and fond memories from what was certainly run of the day at Insul.
In the afternoon we were told that rain had been forcasted for the coming days. The IGSA decided that they would try to run both qualafication runs and the race the following day. The riders had one practice run in the morning. I thought about jumping in but didn't want to suit up for just one run. I spent the day capturing footage for Jacko and mself and wandering up and down the hill chatting to people and just being a spectator. The day was dry and the riding was fast. At the end of the day though no one could beat the Swiss and it became an all Swiss Podium. Martin Siegrist came in first followed closely by Christoph Batt and Ramon Konigshausen. Mischo Erban came in at 4th which was fantastic to see. In the beginning of the year Mischo dropped all of his sponsors to R and D his own board and truck company. After taking the huge risk his season started off poorly with him being knocked out very early in almost every race. It was good to see him climb back on top and have a smile from ear to ear at the finish line.
The night after the race was a pretty crazy one. It began pouring in late afternoon so everybody was at the party. As I had said in Almatrieb, cheap beer, friendly locals and good fun. That sums up Germany in three words. Justin, a young Canadian gromit drank far to much wine and became the irritant of the night. Eventually he was jumped by a large group of us and bound with duct tape. I met a big German bloke who had a chilli schnapps which was the strangest thing I had ever had. A lot more table soccer was played and I actually began to get the hang of it by the end. Robin spent a good half an hour running around the soccer pitch with his head torch on in the pitch dark and making strange bird calls as he ran. I cant really recall much more of the night other than hanging around and drinking beer. It was a good night, I know that much.
The following day the ceremony was held at lunch time and the majority of people began packing after that. I had organised a lift with Chris who is the man behind Flexdex and was also driving Kim from Norway and Benny from South Africa to the Kosakov race just outside of Prague. We took a team vote and decided to stay the extra night and leave the following day as we would have should the event not have been rained out. Benny and I had a bit of a skate but it didn't last long as the rain started again. I tracked down a local street party and spent the day having some brews with some locals. The locals in the area were all welcoming and friendly and we had a good laugh together. Kim from Norway had started drinking at the crack of dawn so from lunchtime onwards he was absolutley smashed. He provided our entertainment for the day. He forced adoption upon an un suspecting German couple who quickly became mummy and daddy. He tried to go home with Auntie but Uncle told him in no un certain terms that he was not welcome back. Eventually Kim collapsed at our feet and after a few minutes of poking fun at him Benny and I took him off to his tent. An hour or so later and he was back, causing more trouble. One of the Swedes decided that if we were to move his tent just 2 meters that it may have some amusing results. It did, not for me though. Of course when we all went to bed, Kim couldn't find his tent and decided that he could bunk in with me. This was not an option of course but poor Kim had some trouble accepting this. After half hour of bickering, 15 minutes of trying to source some where else to sleep and then another 10 minutes of bickering he found his tent. The following morning we all got up at around 8. We packed our bags and our tents and said goodbye to Insul. About 15 of us had stayed for the extra night so we decided we would all travel together and do some free riding on the way to Kosakov. We stopped off at a road in a neighbouring village. A long windy road, super narrow, quiet and running through forest. We spent almost half the day skating before we decided it was time to head off. I had a crash doing a toeside stand up slide which resulted in me slamming on my ass really hard. I suppose there must be muscle in the ass and I think I bruised it pretty severly. It made the drive a bit harder having to sit for hours on end but we amused ourselves pretty well along the way. We were on the Autobahn again which has no speed limit. I drove at 140KM/h which is the fastest I have ever driven in a car. At 140 cars were still flying past us at speed but I wasn't really prepared to do any faster. We got a game going with Franky and his passangers passing each other and doing strange actions as we drove past. Jogging, rowing, cycling etc. Watching a full car drive past you while all passangers are doing the same action is very amusing! Eventually we won the game when ben stuck his ass out of the window. Franky's car couldn't compete with the horror that is Bens ass. 5 hours later we arrived at our pit stop. Alex Dietz is a German rider and lives part way between Prague and Insul. He kindly took all of us in for the night and stowed all of our stuff in the garage. He lives an hour drive from some super quick runs so we didn't spend much time at the house. I sat the first runs out because of my bruised behind so I shuttled the riders up and down. The main run is a pretty straight one and although it looks reasonably flat it is a long 10% road which will get you just about to 100KM/h skating by yourself. Skating with 14 other people who are all creating a slip stream, you get high speeds. Really high speeds. After the nights riding we headed to a local Germna pub featuring a drunk old German bloke who loved us all to bits. They passed a card around the table for us all to sign and shouted us all Schnapps. The food was good, the company was good and other than the old man with his hand on my shoulder for 20 minutes, the whole night was good. After a couple more beers at Alex's house and sorting out space for everyone to sleep, we crashed out. The next morning was another early one. Straight up and out of the house back to the hill we had been to the day before and this time I got to ride. After a couple of hours the police arrived and moved us on. He was a friendly guy and we even got group photos with him and a group of passing scouts who were hiking up the hill. We all headed back to Alex's from there, packed, ate lunch and left. The drive was around 6 hours again. Nothing exciting really happened, same old fun and games and talking crap. We were quite a strange car load to look at really. Benny and I were pretty simaliar people. Excited to be trekking through Europe and riding skateboards. Almost impossible to shut up or calm down, bouncing all over the place. Chris is a quiet guy. An asian fella with glasses who builds boards. He is quite a technical guy and very calculated in his decisions. Sensible, would be a good word for Chris. Kim... Is drunk. He would go through periods of being quiet and irritable to being drunk and giddy. It was a good combo although Chris did vote Ben and I the 2 most difficult people to travel with on the tour. We were all pretty excited to get into Czech. We didn't drive into prague as it was getting pretty late by the time we got in. We were held up on the freeway because of a car accident which resulted in 100's of cars having to reverse down the freeway to the previous exit with the hazard lights on. It was interesting to see the reversing skills of some people. From there we followed the GPS to Kosakov which took us on the most round about way possible. When we finally arrived in Kosakov we realised that it was 10 meters of flat road, a church and a suicidal cat who insisted on jumping infront of us each time we drove through. Eventually we found the hill which was not in Kosakov at all but who am I to complain. The campground was right next to the start line of the track and featured a party tent with food outlets and of course a bar. Beer in Czech is cheap as chips, cheaper in fact. The first night was a pretty big one, people were arriving all through the night so everytime you planned to go to sleep someone else would turn up. Freerides started at 9am the next day. It was simply a case of waking up, putting the leathers on and walking to the start line. Simple, easy and hangover friendly. The track its self was by far the gnarliest of any other that had been raced in Europe. Incredibly steep with drops that rocketed you into the next bend. Some truly difficult corners which had to be taken perfectly if you wanted to come out the other side. It was not a drift friendly track which worked against me. The footbrakers had a huge advantage over the rest of the field and it showed in the free rides. Top speeds were mid 90's and dislocated shoulders were the injury of choice for 6 riders over the weekend. That night at the riders meeting we were told that the event had a high chance of being rained out. The area had been flooding a few days before we arrived and more storms were predicted for the days to come. The plan was to get all the qualafication runs done the next day. At least then if the event was rained out we could get a result based on those runs. With hundreds of luges, butt boarders and skateboarders who all needed to do 2 runs each free riding on that day was out of the question. The next morning began at 8:30 for the stand up riders. We were put through our first runs after one practice run and then had the whole day to hang about before our last qulafication run at 3 in the afternoon. I was at the stage where I didn't mind anymore. I was happy to sit this race out and spend more time with people I probably wouldn't see again for another year or more. I took both of my qualafication runs as just another free ride and had some fun. The following days were a wash out. Wash out is probably an under statement. One night we found ourselves in the middle of a storm. Seeing as we were camped up so high we were almost constantly in the clouds. Lightning was striking 20 meters away from the party tent and the thunder was loud it hurt your ears and you felt it through the ground. The following morning Alex from Norway found a tree, 10 meters from his tent which had been split right in half and was still smouldering. It was a scary night, thats for sure.
The following two days were wet. Really wet. The carpark and half of the campground had turned to mud, tents had been flooded and the track was slick with mud. We sat around in the tent moping, all itchy to ride the hill one last time. We amused each other with games of coins, dice, poker, ninja and slaps. Benny and I built a ghetto extension to his ten using other tent which brought the realestate value of the neighbouring tents right down and made Benny feel as if he was back home in the slums of South Africa. I had a blast, I really enjoyed the social aspect of sitting about with nothing special to do. I got to know people much better than I had previously and had some great laughs. That being said, it was disapointing not to be able to ride the hill again. Next year.
On the last night I headed into Prague by train with Ali, Auden and Hoken (all from Norway). Most people had packed up and left the campsite that night to party in town. After a long wait at the station and an hour long train trip we headed to Hostel AZ where the others were staying. After a much needed shower and some food we all headed to the local strip club, ''hot peppers''. The club escorts burly black men to round up tourists and escort them to the entrance of the place. They work on comission, each person they bring in, they get some money. Seeing as we were a large group we entered the club surrounded by 8 very big black fellas which gave an overwhelming sense of power. Audin is only 18 and Hoken is 17 so it was their first time in a strip bar. A grin from ear to ear, they didn't say much all night. I was approached by a working girl who said ''hello'' to me, I said hello back and told her ''thanks, but we have just ordered a drink from the other waitress'', ''what?'' was the reply, ''Beer, I just ordered beer from the other girl'', ''not beer! Private dance, what are you stupid?!?'' I was a bit taken back and all I could come up with was ''me? Your a stripper!'' She wasn't very happy with that reply and stormed off. After that they were onto us. I was sitting at a table with a couple of guys from Holland when a waitress came round and asked if we wanted a drink. I said no thanks, but she insisted that I have one. I told her I didn't drink to which she replied ''you have to have a drink or you have to leave!'' I tried the ''I'll order one in 5 minutes'' routine but that didn't stick either. In the end, all 3 of us ordered a drink, waited till she left and then moved to the other side of the room and hid. By the end of the night, Alex and Justin were thrown out once they finished their drinks and judging by the looks we were getting from the staff we assumed that we were next and followed those two. After leaving the club, Jackson went and bought the biggest sausage you have ever seen from a local kiosk and we all headed back to the Hostel.
The last day in Prague was a pretty quiet one. Scoot, Leeso, Jacko and I went to Maccas for breakfast. We spent a bit of time chatting then headed back. After a lot of sitting around and chatting with the others about 10 of us went to a pizza place for lunch. After that, I got a lift to the station with Justin who dropped Andrew Chapman and myself off. Andrew was heading to Munich and I was on my way to Berlin. My plan was, Prague to Berlin, Berlin to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Lilly, Lilly to Calais ad from there over to England to meet up with my mum who was visiting family. I was supposed to catch a 12:30am train from Berlin but of course it was full simply because the German rail system hates my guts! Instead I would have to wait until 4:30am. By the time 12:30 rocked around I was in no mood and decided to get on anyway, what were they going to do, stop the train and kick me out? Turns out the train was empty. I had asked about sleepers at the station and instead of saying ''well the beds are full but would you like a seat?'' the lady said ''well the beds are full so you will have to have a seat on the 4:30 train''. The rest of the trip was pretty smooth. Long, but drama free. I met a fella named Sebastion from California and he was headed the same way as me and on our last train journey we met two German girls who were also going the same way. One of the girls spoke French so was very handy to have around in Calais.
2 days of travel on a train, 5 countries crossed, 3 new people to talk with and a ferry trip across the English Channel and it was done. The 2010 European racing season was done. I met my mum and Grandmother on the other side, said goodbye to my new mates and was on my way to a bed and breakfast to sleep, in a real bed.
Thanks to everyone who has read all that I have written. I dont know who most of you are but I hope you have enjoyed this part of the year as much as I have. Thanks to Fire-Up Industries, SLL, Daily Grind, Free style revolution and Kooky for all the help you have offered me. Thanks to all the Finnish crew for keeping me active and teaching me new things. Thanks to Steve, Pauline and D for the financial aid when I needed it most. Cheers to everyone who gave me a couch or a floor to sleep on, food and company. Everyone who I rode, crashed, and partied with over the last 2 months. A million thanks to Julia for searching train times, maps, prices and exchange rates for me. For paying the rent while I was gone and working a shitty job that she hates so that I could do what I wanted. I owe you a 2 month holiday and a lot of hugs.
I have 2 weeks in England with family now and then back to Helsinki for the last part of my year in Europe...
We all high tailed out of Ramons place at around midday. We had to stop off at a couple of skate shops on the way to pick some stuff up and drop some stuff off. Of course we had to eat at each stop and have a general look around the area so we were very late to Insul. We got in at around 11 and drove about the car park for a while looking for a good spot to set up camp. Once camp was made we headed over to the registration/party area. I never signed up for the race in Insul. I was supposed to be doing touristy stuff over the next week or so but decided I would rather spend time with all the crew than by myself. The plan was to just rock up for the free rides with a board and a helmet and poach runs. I would get free food, camping and riding on a closed road. We partied most of the night and played a lot of table soccer which I am really crap at. A few of the locals turned up so we spent some time getting to know them and catching up with the people we hadn't seen in a week or so and eventually went to bed.
As usual at a race it was an early first morning. Up for breakfast at 7:30 and on the hill by 8:30. The road was shut down at 9 and we all took our first runs. Insul was my favourite hill of the tour so far. It had a snakey top section which weaved around the top of the mountain accelerating you quickly into the first left hairpin. After another right and left you were sent into another fast straight which ended with an incredibly wide left hand hairpin. A sketchy 90 degree right hander and you were across the finish line. I spent all day riding, not missing one run. I knew that I probably wouldn't get to ride the road again this year so I took every chance I got. One of my last runs I was taken out by Jackson Shapiera and Patrick Switzer on the first left. Jacko made it through somehow as Patty and I scrambled for our boards. I was fist down and into the right hander. I threw my board sideways and tried to take the wide to inside line. Patty had other ideas though. Ramming me from the side he sent his board into the side of my knee as we skittled across the road. For the rest of the week I would have a ''Patty egg'' on the side of my leg and fond memories from what was certainly run of the day at Insul.
In the afternoon we were told that rain had been forcasted for the coming days. The IGSA decided that they would try to run both qualafication runs and the race the following day. The riders had one practice run in the morning. I thought about jumping in but didn't want to suit up for just one run. I spent the day capturing footage for Jacko and mself and wandering up and down the hill chatting to people and just being a spectator. The day was dry and the riding was fast. At the end of the day though no one could beat the Swiss and it became an all Swiss Podium. Martin Siegrist came in first followed closely by Christoph Batt and Ramon Konigshausen. Mischo Erban came in at 4th which was fantastic to see. In the beginning of the year Mischo dropped all of his sponsors to R and D his own board and truck company. After taking the huge risk his season started off poorly with him being knocked out very early in almost every race. It was good to see him climb back on top and have a smile from ear to ear at the finish line.
The night after the race was a pretty crazy one. It began pouring in late afternoon so everybody was at the party. As I had said in Almatrieb, cheap beer, friendly locals and good fun. That sums up Germany in three words. Justin, a young Canadian gromit drank far to much wine and became the irritant of the night. Eventually he was jumped by a large group of us and bound with duct tape. I met a big German bloke who had a chilli schnapps which was the strangest thing I had ever had. A lot more table soccer was played and I actually began to get the hang of it by the end. Robin spent a good half an hour running around the soccer pitch with his head torch on in the pitch dark and making strange bird calls as he ran. I cant really recall much more of the night other than hanging around and drinking beer. It was a good night, I know that much.
The following day the ceremony was held at lunch time and the majority of people began packing after that. I had organised a lift with Chris who is the man behind Flexdex and was also driving Kim from Norway and Benny from South Africa to the Kosakov race just outside of Prague. We took a team vote and decided to stay the extra night and leave the following day as we would have should the event not have been rained out. Benny and I had a bit of a skate but it didn't last long as the rain started again. I tracked down a local street party and spent the day having some brews with some locals. The locals in the area were all welcoming and friendly and we had a good laugh together. Kim from Norway had started drinking at the crack of dawn so from lunchtime onwards he was absolutley smashed. He provided our entertainment for the day. He forced adoption upon an un suspecting German couple who quickly became mummy and daddy. He tried to go home with Auntie but Uncle told him in no un certain terms that he was not welcome back. Eventually Kim collapsed at our feet and after a few minutes of poking fun at him Benny and I took him off to his tent. An hour or so later and he was back, causing more trouble. One of the Swedes decided that if we were to move his tent just 2 meters that it may have some amusing results. It did, not for me though. Of course when we all went to bed, Kim couldn't find his tent and decided that he could bunk in with me. This was not an option of course but poor Kim had some trouble accepting this. After half hour of bickering, 15 minutes of trying to source some where else to sleep and then another 10 minutes of bickering he found his tent. The following morning we all got up at around 8. We packed our bags and our tents and said goodbye to Insul. About 15 of us had stayed for the extra night so we decided we would all travel together and do some free riding on the way to Kosakov. We stopped off at a road in a neighbouring village. A long windy road, super narrow, quiet and running through forest. We spent almost half the day skating before we decided it was time to head off. I had a crash doing a toeside stand up slide which resulted in me slamming on my ass really hard. I suppose there must be muscle in the ass and I think I bruised it pretty severly. It made the drive a bit harder having to sit for hours on end but we amused ourselves pretty well along the way. We were on the Autobahn again which has no speed limit. I drove at 140KM/h which is the fastest I have ever driven in a car. At 140 cars were still flying past us at speed but I wasn't really prepared to do any faster. We got a game going with Franky and his passangers passing each other and doing strange actions as we drove past. Jogging, rowing, cycling etc. Watching a full car drive past you while all passangers are doing the same action is very amusing! Eventually we won the game when ben stuck his ass out of the window. Franky's car couldn't compete with the horror that is Bens ass. 5 hours later we arrived at our pit stop. Alex Dietz is a German rider and lives part way between Prague and Insul. He kindly took all of us in for the night and stowed all of our stuff in the garage. He lives an hour drive from some super quick runs so we didn't spend much time at the house. I sat the first runs out because of my bruised behind so I shuttled the riders up and down. The main run is a pretty straight one and although it looks reasonably flat it is a long 10% road which will get you just about to 100KM/h skating by yourself. Skating with 14 other people who are all creating a slip stream, you get high speeds. Really high speeds. After the nights riding we headed to a local Germna pub featuring a drunk old German bloke who loved us all to bits. They passed a card around the table for us all to sign and shouted us all Schnapps. The food was good, the company was good and other than the old man with his hand on my shoulder for 20 minutes, the whole night was good. After a couple more beers at Alex's house and sorting out space for everyone to sleep, we crashed out. The next morning was another early one. Straight up and out of the house back to the hill we had been to the day before and this time I got to ride. After a couple of hours the police arrived and moved us on. He was a friendly guy and we even got group photos with him and a group of passing scouts who were hiking up the hill. We all headed back to Alex's from there, packed, ate lunch and left. The drive was around 6 hours again. Nothing exciting really happened, same old fun and games and talking crap. We were quite a strange car load to look at really. Benny and I were pretty simaliar people. Excited to be trekking through Europe and riding skateboards. Almost impossible to shut up or calm down, bouncing all over the place. Chris is a quiet guy. An asian fella with glasses who builds boards. He is quite a technical guy and very calculated in his decisions. Sensible, would be a good word for Chris. Kim... Is drunk. He would go through periods of being quiet and irritable to being drunk and giddy. It was a good combo although Chris did vote Ben and I the 2 most difficult people to travel with on the tour. We were all pretty excited to get into Czech. We didn't drive into prague as it was getting pretty late by the time we got in. We were held up on the freeway because of a car accident which resulted in 100's of cars having to reverse down the freeway to the previous exit with the hazard lights on. It was interesting to see the reversing skills of some people. From there we followed the GPS to Kosakov which took us on the most round about way possible. When we finally arrived in Kosakov we realised that it was 10 meters of flat road, a church and a suicidal cat who insisted on jumping infront of us each time we drove through. Eventually we found the hill which was not in Kosakov at all but who am I to complain. The campground was right next to the start line of the track and featured a party tent with food outlets and of course a bar. Beer in Czech is cheap as chips, cheaper in fact. The first night was a pretty big one, people were arriving all through the night so everytime you planned to go to sleep someone else would turn up. Freerides started at 9am the next day. It was simply a case of waking up, putting the leathers on and walking to the start line. Simple, easy and hangover friendly. The track its self was by far the gnarliest of any other that had been raced in Europe. Incredibly steep with drops that rocketed you into the next bend. Some truly difficult corners which had to be taken perfectly if you wanted to come out the other side. It was not a drift friendly track which worked against me. The footbrakers had a huge advantage over the rest of the field and it showed in the free rides. Top speeds were mid 90's and dislocated shoulders were the injury of choice for 6 riders over the weekend. That night at the riders meeting we were told that the event had a high chance of being rained out. The area had been flooding a few days before we arrived and more storms were predicted for the days to come. The plan was to get all the qualafication runs done the next day. At least then if the event was rained out we could get a result based on those runs. With hundreds of luges, butt boarders and skateboarders who all needed to do 2 runs each free riding on that day was out of the question. The next morning began at 8:30 for the stand up riders. We were put through our first runs after one practice run and then had the whole day to hang about before our last qulafication run at 3 in the afternoon. I was at the stage where I didn't mind anymore. I was happy to sit this race out and spend more time with people I probably wouldn't see again for another year or more. I took both of my qualafication runs as just another free ride and had some fun. The following days were a wash out. Wash out is probably an under statement. One night we found ourselves in the middle of a storm. Seeing as we were camped up so high we were almost constantly in the clouds. Lightning was striking 20 meters away from the party tent and the thunder was loud it hurt your ears and you felt it through the ground. The following morning Alex from Norway found a tree, 10 meters from his tent which had been split right in half and was still smouldering. It was a scary night, thats for sure.
The following two days were wet. Really wet. The carpark and half of the campground had turned to mud, tents had been flooded and the track was slick with mud. We sat around in the tent moping, all itchy to ride the hill one last time. We amused each other with games of coins, dice, poker, ninja and slaps. Benny and I built a ghetto extension to his ten using other tent which brought the realestate value of the neighbouring tents right down and made Benny feel as if he was back home in the slums of South Africa. I had a blast, I really enjoyed the social aspect of sitting about with nothing special to do. I got to know people much better than I had previously and had some great laughs. That being said, it was disapointing not to be able to ride the hill again. Next year.
On the last night I headed into Prague by train with Ali, Auden and Hoken (all from Norway). Most people had packed up and left the campsite that night to party in town. After a long wait at the station and an hour long train trip we headed to Hostel AZ where the others were staying. After a much needed shower and some food we all headed to the local strip club, ''hot peppers''. The club escorts burly black men to round up tourists and escort them to the entrance of the place. They work on comission, each person they bring in, they get some money. Seeing as we were a large group we entered the club surrounded by 8 very big black fellas which gave an overwhelming sense of power. Audin is only 18 and Hoken is 17 so it was their first time in a strip bar. A grin from ear to ear, they didn't say much all night. I was approached by a working girl who said ''hello'' to me, I said hello back and told her ''thanks, but we have just ordered a drink from the other waitress'', ''what?'' was the reply, ''Beer, I just ordered beer from the other girl'', ''not beer! Private dance, what are you stupid?!?'' I was a bit taken back and all I could come up with was ''me? Your a stripper!'' She wasn't very happy with that reply and stormed off. After that they were onto us. I was sitting at a table with a couple of guys from Holland when a waitress came round and asked if we wanted a drink. I said no thanks, but she insisted that I have one. I told her I didn't drink to which she replied ''you have to have a drink or you have to leave!'' I tried the ''I'll order one in 5 minutes'' routine but that didn't stick either. In the end, all 3 of us ordered a drink, waited till she left and then moved to the other side of the room and hid. By the end of the night, Alex and Justin were thrown out once they finished their drinks and judging by the looks we were getting from the staff we assumed that we were next and followed those two. After leaving the club, Jackson went and bought the biggest sausage you have ever seen from a local kiosk and we all headed back to the Hostel.
The last day in Prague was a pretty quiet one. Scoot, Leeso, Jacko and I went to Maccas for breakfast. We spent a bit of time chatting then headed back. After a lot of sitting around and chatting with the others about 10 of us went to a pizza place for lunch. After that, I got a lift to the station with Justin who dropped Andrew Chapman and myself off. Andrew was heading to Munich and I was on my way to Berlin. My plan was, Prague to Berlin, Berlin to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Lilly, Lilly to Calais ad from there over to England to meet up with my mum who was visiting family. I was supposed to catch a 12:30am train from Berlin but of course it was full simply because the German rail system hates my guts! Instead I would have to wait until 4:30am. By the time 12:30 rocked around I was in no mood and decided to get on anyway, what were they going to do, stop the train and kick me out? Turns out the train was empty. I had asked about sleepers at the station and instead of saying ''well the beds are full but would you like a seat?'' the lady said ''well the beds are full so you will have to have a seat on the 4:30 train''. The rest of the trip was pretty smooth. Long, but drama free. I met a fella named Sebastion from California and he was headed the same way as me and on our last train journey we met two German girls who were also going the same way. One of the girls spoke French so was very handy to have around in Calais.
2 days of travel on a train, 5 countries crossed, 3 new people to talk with and a ferry trip across the English Channel and it was done. The 2010 European racing season was done. I met my mum and Grandmother on the other side, said goodbye to my new mates and was on my way to a bed and breakfast to sleep, in a real bed.
Thanks to everyone who has read all that I have written. I dont know who most of you are but I hope you have enjoyed this part of the year as much as I have. Thanks to Fire-Up Industries, SLL, Daily Grind, Free style revolution and Kooky for all the help you have offered me. Thanks to all the Finnish crew for keeping me active and teaching me new things. Thanks to Steve, Pauline and D for the financial aid when I needed it most. Cheers to everyone who gave me a couch or a floor to sleep on, food and company. Everyone who I rode, crashed, and partied with over the last 2 months. A million thanks to Julia for searching train times, maps, prices and exchange rates for me. For paying the rent while I was gone and working a shitty job that she hates so that I could do what I wanted. I owe you a 2 month holiday and a lot of hugs.
I have 2 weeks in England with family now and then back to Helsinki for the last part of my year in Europe...
RSS Feed