Heavy Rainfall And Dug Up Route. The Endurance Relay Turned Into An Extreme Race
| Vendula KosíkováRainy Hell. That is how we could call this year’s race “24 Hours on a Scooter“, which took place for the 26th time in the Stromovka Park. The constant downpour falling from the sky and also the incomplete reconstruction of a part of the race route made the difficult endurance relay, during which teams of amateur scooter riders ride on a 2.4km long circuit, even harder.
It was the Yedoo team that managed to cope with the extreme conditions better than the other teams. They won gold (in this case a challenge skittle pin) with 221 finished circuits and a total of 530.4 kilometres.
No One Gave Up
There must be something magical about riding a scooter, otherwise it is quite difficult to explain the fact that no registered team scratched from the Saturday’s race. But quite the reverse, this year’s race even attracted a record number of teams. There were 18 teams on the starting line; also beginners from among chess players endured the torrential rain till the very end. The Burgaři team from Pilsen, who bought a scooter at Christmas, even placed in the first half of the ranking list.
This year’s final results were influenced also by the current repairs carried out to the track behind the viaduct. The 700 metre long dug up track caused a lot of troubles to the racers. It was quite difficult to change the take-off feet and overtake the opponents on the narrow side path. This manoeuvring was possible only on the grit which remained on the main road after asphalt milling.
What’s more, it was quite cold for the entire two days with heavy rainfall. It was not raining when the race started on Friday, but at seven o’clock it started to rain in the Stromovka Park and at nine it was pouring with rain. However, that was nothing compared to the Saturday’s torrential rain which started shortly after noon and continued till the end of the race. The teams brought their portable shelters to the final results announcement to make the ceremony a little bit more pleasant.
The Challenge Skittle Pin Went To The Yedoo Team
Kuba Bostl, who was inciting the team half a year in advance, believed they could win: “I felt fit and the other members of our team also opted for a healthier lifestyle after the New Year’s Eve. Moreover, we have certain experience with relay and last year we placed second,” Yedoo chief constructor explains his strong belief to win gold.
The Yedoo team riders got over the wet and cold weather and muscle fatigue very quickly. On Monday they exchanged emails, such as: “Thanks for the perfect two days we spent together. It gave me energy (well …it will take some time to get perfectly well physically). I look forward to doing Yedoo with you again!” Alena
or
“Yesterday I found it rather difficult to walk up three stairs and it was even hard for me to pick up my son Sam. I could not imagine what muscles could hurt me after riding the scooter. Well, my whole body is aching. But as we won the race, our victory actually ameliorates the pain and it does not hurt at all, in fact.:-)) Marek
“Winning victory is not the main reason why we take part in the “24 Hours on a Scooter” relay. As well as the other teams, we primarily want to enjoy the race as a social and entertainment event, which it is, definitely,” concludes Jakub Bostl.
