Wind and snow scupper hopes of Elftstedentocht skating race
Monday 21 January 2013
The weekend's strong winds and snow have probably put paid to hopes of staging the classic 200 km Elfstedentocht skating race, Nos television reports on Monday.
The wind and snow have created patches of weak ice and most bridges are now free of ice altogether, local experts told the broadcaster.
'I am very, very disappointed,' Auke Hylkema, said. 'The way things are now, we can't do anything. We had wonderful ice but now it can start all over again.
Tour
Nevertheless, the first organised tour is set to take place in Overijssel on Friday over routes of 15 and 35 km.
Ice club Blokzijl has applied for official permission to stage the tours with the Dutch skating organisation KNSB.
'The snow can still cause us problems, but if the freeze continues, it will go ahead,' club spokesman Marco Gorte told RTL news.
© DutchNews.nl
|
Scupper? Put paid? What century are we in? Are ye British, perchance?
By Jeff | 21 January 2013 5:29 PM@ Yea Jeff! - Thy timely inquisition on this our article, in the year of our lord 2013, is fair game for our readers of the magical online Dutch News town crier. 8)
(Scupper is a nautical term & has little to do with skating.)
Lol!
By The visitor | 22 January 2013 9:46 PMA more grittier "F***'s up chances" might have worked too.
In Britain "scupper" is sometimes used informally to refer to something being thwarted, usually by the sort of person who says "cheerio!".
By Darren | 23 January 2013 9:55 AM