KEPOSTI |
number 2 April 2001 |
Quarterly Ketkupolkka club newsletter
The municipal authorities don't make life easy for kicksledders even in the home town of Kickspark. During the winter they have spread ca. 40 million kilograms of gravel on the roads in order to improve traction. This makes friction under kicksled runners unbearable in most places. Now as the spring approaches wind keeps blowing the sand particles into people's eyes and lungs wherever they haven't yet broomed the streets and bike lanes.
Fortunately here and there you still can find a paradise oasis where the kicksled is a most convenient vehicle. Small park lanes might be incredibly icy if they are not included in winter street maintenance. The outdoor paths and XC ski skating tracks in the Central Park are often in great kicking condition still in April. The XC race tracks melt latest, however, it is recommended to use them for kicksledding only after bare ground sees daylight in too many places elsewhere.
| Kickspark in the sunny fields of Haltiala in the Central Park of Helsinki 2.4.2001 |
After night frost you can often go kicksledding with normal steel runners. As the snow gets softer, it is better to mount plastic snow runners. You cannot always find surface solid enough for an extremely sharp kick, but for a more easy pace the conditions are mostly surprisingly suitable. Have you checked out the kicksled routes of the day or have you already taken out your Kickbike ?
In Paloheinä 6.4. there was a 10 km friendly race in good circumstances with steel runners.
During the same week our chairman opened also the Kickbike season by timing the Riipiläntie 10km at 22,38 min.
During summer season 2001 there will be a record number of fine kick events near Helsinki, farther away in the countryside as well as in more south in Europe. Most events suit everybody. Nobody is too young or old, too tardy or agile to take part. Obviously, if you don't make it to the start line then you should kick yourself into a bit more brisk pace.
This newsletter contains our kick calendar Keponakka. However, before you push the link you ought to send your entry to the grand opening of the Nordic Kickbike season.
In Denmark they will arrange for the first time a Kickbike class in the famous recreational cycling event. It is the ultimate opportunity to officially open your summer kick season.
In Kickbike class you can choose between 30 and 50 km distances. You can cover the distance at an easy scenic touring pace or try to reach the limits your kicking capabilities. Kickbikers with a competitional attitude shall kick the first Eurocup race at 50 km distance.
 | Grindsted is located in Jylland. |
If you have spare time so then it's worthwhile to stay bit longer as a tourist. For instance, Legoland is not far from the event location. Who can build the finest Lego scooter or kicksled ?
Don't hesitate to travel overseas to meet the summer season. You ought to decide soon, as the organisers won't accept late entries. Send you entry to Keposti not later than 13.4. Mention whether you wish to participate on 30 or 50 km distance.
Please note that if you didn't get in or even if you did or if you for some other strange reason cannot participate in the full-booked Tjejtrampet Kickbiking in Stockholm so here is a great happening that you simply can't miss !
More information of the star tour of Grindsted from Keposti publishing house or directly at www.kickbike.dk
 | An unique previously unpublished summary of workouts recommended by the world champion. The list was compiled in 1992. |
 | In addition, you should strengthen your abdominal and arm muscles as well as strech thoroughly all major muscle groups. |
If there still is snow and slush on the ground or you otherwise fear that your kicking vehicle will get stained outside, then pump some kick power into your muscles with this verified fitness program. Thus you will be in the shape of your life when it's time for
Let the wheels roll and legs fling ! On consecutive days Helsinki City Sprint, City Maraton and Ladies' Roll. If you don't kick so please volunteer as race official. Mark the weekend in your calendar and bring your buddies, too.
30.1. AM 1.05h fartlek kicksledding on roads
31.1. at Weissensee 15min run + 15min sled and track tests + 15min run
1.2. 10000m race 21.53. I lagged behind Hannu already when accelerating and thereafter the gap grew constantly until the halfway mark. In the end the gap didn't grow any more. Hannu made fine world record 21.18. My own kicking felt somehow tacky. In the evening I trained rotating kick in the banquet tent under tutorship of Hannu. Legs became more sore from that than from the afternoon's race. The athmosphere in the tent was terrific.
2.2. Tactically paced marathon 1.38.40,8. Hannu was 0,4sec in front. We started out briskly but we noticed at 10 km that we were clearly behind record pace so we eased off towards the end. It was amazingly cold in the dusk. Also otherwise it was much colder than during the two previous years.
3.-4.2. Rest and hard travelling with heavy luggage. Some construction work at the ISPO fair in Munich.
7.2. 1.55h to Harsböle and back. At the end 3 x Puustelli hill 2.47, 2.47REC, 2.49 and 2 x TB 2.28REC + Kustaankaari 1.45 + 30min circuit training
10.2. 3.10h kicksledding on lake incl. sprints and 2 time trials Sivari-Beach 4.45, 4.47, some uneven patches on the ice
11.2. 1.30 h on lake. At the end 10 x 1min all-out sprints in tailwind / start interval 3.20 + Sivari-Beach 4.36 + 30min run
13.2. At 6.30 AM terrain inspection at the lake and on the other side. PM 30min kicksledding in front of TV cameras.
SPARKLOV
17.2. Arrived in Otepää, Estonia at 3 AM. Recovering from flu. PM sprints running and kicksledding. 200m with vague timing 23,3 Alpo 23,18. Our difference seems all right anyway. There were about 50 Estonian time trialists. The fastest clocked 30,0. 40min kicksledding afterwards.
 | The ice on Puhajärvi (Holy Lake) was in superb condition. |
18.2. ap. 50min kicksledding in snow. There had been a snowtorm overnight and there was at least 10 cm fresh snow on the ice.
21.2. Kicksledding on lake and behind it with normal runners. I inspected the shape of Porlammi road, it was excellent so I kicked to Porlammi and back = 2.50h
22.2. Cold breeze -12 C . 1.20h via Harsböle and Skogby to Tesjoki. There I stopped at Impi's Inn to get myself warm. Way back took 1.25h in brisk headwind. PM 30min run + stairs
25.2. PM sunny still -15C, 1h snowploughing + 30min warmup + 5 x 10 rounds (11.15, 11.10, 11.03, 11,03, 10.52) anaerobic threshold / 2 rounds rec + one round 1.02. Again I did plough bit too steep curves
26.2. 15min warmup 20 x round/rec 1 round + 15min cooldown = 1.15t and 60 rounds, in the evening massage
27.2. 40min run
28.2. 55min kicksledding in terrain + sharp circuit training 20min
1.3. 1h kicksledding in terraim + 10min run
2.2. rest
3.3. BALCK on a smooth winding 10km track in Kuopio 3.49.23. History of Balck got a new winner as Jan Elmgren kicked away from the Slickedder with his tough 400m end spurt. There was 6 sec difference at the finish. I tried to pull away already 3 km before the finish when Jan fell. I could keep the gap in 20-30 m for only couple hundred meters before Jan slowly came back behind me. Thereafter I was mentally too weak to keep up the accelerated pace. Now afterwards it would have been the wisest alternative. Let it be mentioned that the most eager leader of the pack Alpo bonked at 85 km. I had already twice dropped out from the leader duo's pace, but after Alpo got tired I was again struggling for victory. The race was great and deserves a place among the legendary 100 km races akthough there were only three participants. Everybody got Finnish Championship Trophies.
4.3. 10.000 m world record trial in Jyväskylä. Alpo kept an even but venomous pace on a 2500m track. Jan could follow relatively close but I lagged 40 sec behind. Lots of people cheering, so it was worthwhile even with legs sore from yesterday. After the race sauna & supper at Andy Leaflet's house.
8.3. 9km ski skating + 15min kicksledding incl. towing tests with a rubber band.Preparing for multisport race in Tampere.
10.3. Struggle close to the leading pack until the snowshoe leg where I hit the wall. We did perhaps also some bad route choice because we lost 40 m to the leaders in snowshoeing. My ski-orienteer partner Björn Jordas had more energy left on later stages and therefore pulled me with the rubber band in the XC ski segments in the end. In the opening kicksled leg we hoped to gain some advantage of the rubber band but in the soft skidoo trail it proved to be less useful than in our pre-race tests in faster terrain.
The organisation of the adventure race could be somewhat improved. In ski orienteering the leading pair had to open the track which was not very sensible in athletic sense. In the tacky newly fallen snow the winners used less than 8 hours to complete 12 km kicksledding, 25 km mountain biking, 5 km snowshoeing, 15 km skiing, 10 km tour skating and ice climbing. Our Team Kickspark used 9.30 and placed 12th. Team Kickspark (Alpo & Jan) used 7 minutes less and placed 10th.
13.3. 35min brisk run + 35min circuit + stairs, evening massage
14.3. 1.20h kicksledding on Church Road incl. 2 x 4,7km with 9min kick recovery 12.02 + 11.43!!! The faster one indicates 1.45 marathon time so glide was great.
15.3. 40min carrying kicksled and even some kicking. No more kick conditions diractly from home door.
17.-18.3. MULTIA WC went like last year from my viewpoint. Best result was bronze on marathon.
 | Old champion Hannu was victorious on the shorter distances. |
 | Marathon gathered a strong field on the line. (photo Anne) |
 | The leading pack was quite crowded in early stages. (photo Anne) |
 | Christian Struger from Austria placed ninth and beat several more experienced participants. (photo Anne) |
 | Alpo couldn't get rid of Jan although all others had to yield to the leading duo. (photo Anne) |
 | After finishing Alpo and Ville praised the tough shape of Jan to the press. (photo Anne) |
 | Podium in rank order, from left Jan, Alpo, Ville, Anssi, Hannu and Tomas (photo Anne) |
23.3. 1h brisk kicksledding with Hannu around Malmi airport.
24.3. AM 1h running with Hannu, bit stiff. PM 3.30h kicksled touring on sea ice with Alpo, Antti and Elina. Nice sunshine but quite windy. Some snow on the ice slowed us down. Effectively on the move 2.30h.
25.3. 4.30 AM Walking and jogging in Espoo 2h. PM 14.5 km terrain race in Martilaakso. Alpo was overwhelmoing with his 39 min. I fell on the first lap and the race didn't go vewry well at all. My gap to Alpo was almost 3min on the tough course.
28.3. First KB training 33 km with good feelings.
30.3. 2.05h kicksledding on Church Road 8 laps = 37,6km, last clocked 12.28, bit tacky.
Jan Elmgren is the king of the season on long distances. In his pocket he has victories from Kepo-Hepo marathon, Viktor Balck 100 km and Multia ice marathon. Alpo Kuusisto has won the Jyväskylä 10 km race and the season's final 14.5 km terrain race in Martinlaakso.
The world record of the season was Hannu Vierikko's 21.18 on 10 km. Congratulations ! Hannu won also the marathon at Weissensee as well as 200m and 2000m in Multia. I was left with several good placings and victory in the New Year's multisport race.
Anssi Lehtinen wrote his name in history by outkicking Hannu on Multia marathon. Anssi is now the sixth male kicksledder who has been able to beat all the best kicksledders in the world one by one. However, he has not been able to beat them all in the same race. That remarkable feat has been achieved by Hannu Vierikko, Alpo Kuusisto, Ville Vickholm, Jan Elmgren and Matti Vigren.
There were some other nice surprises in Multia, too. Tomas Porthin flew from Germany to take bronze on 2000 m. Antti Lehtinen won silver on 200m after a tough struggle against his teammate Jussi Ruokonen.
 | 2000 m medalists Jan, champion Hannu and Tomas enjoyed their success. |
 | Andy Leaflet won his 200 m qualification heat with same time as the champion. |
Ladies' races have been a bit anemic during the past winter. In Multia there were only a couple of female kickers with Auli Suomalainen setting the pace. In other Finnish races no lady participants could be sighted.
 | In Estonia also girls tried out the Kickspark. |
This winter was my first one when I have trained only for kicksledding. From this viewpoint the season has been a slight disappointment, thus it seems that I have to reconsider my training schemes when preparing for KB races in the summer season. I logged over 100 hours of winter kicksledding despite the late season start. The winter has been full of great kicksledding experiences.
Slickkedder
One of the rare terrain races during the season, the 10 km race in Vihavuosi, suffered a bit from the unfortunate coincidence that Viktor Balck was moved to the same date due to bad ice conditions in Kuopio. In spite of this the start line was populated by a few old Kepo guys and local athletes.
For the first time they had a circulating trophy in Vihavuosi. The name plate was conquered rather easily by experienced old-timer Ngugi, although the pack led by Väiski tried to follow panting and puffing. Next year's race in Vihavuosi will be 2.3.2002, a great chance to visit a kicksled race with nice aboriginal athmosphere.
 | Ngugi took the lead already in the start (photo Hanhi) |
 | After halfway nobody was even close. (photo Hanhi) |
| 8.6. | Nacht van Hengelo, Netherlands |
| 9.6. | Middelkerke Criterium, Belgium |
| 10.-15.6. | Brugge, Belgia- Plzen, Czech Republic |
| 16.6. | Pilsner Criterium / Plzen |
| 17.6. | Pilsner Open / Plzen |
The Tour begins from Middelkerke international kick race on Belgian coast and during next six days, rolls through best central European landscape to Plzen international race in Czech. You can of course participate in only either of the races or only in the tour, just as you wish.
| Sun | 10.6. | Brugge - Bastogne | 260km (80km kicking) |
| Mon | 11.6. | Bastogne - Trier | 110km |
| Tue | 12.6. | Trier - Kaiserslautern | 110km |
| Wed | 13.6. | Kaiserslautern - Heidelberg | 90km |
| Thu | 14.6. | Heidelberg - Bad Mergentheim | 110km |
| Fre | 15.6. | Bad Mergenth. - Plzen 280km | (70km kicking) |
Route is planned for scenic values and easy kicking. Kickers with local road knowledge along route have contributed to route plan, so thanks for Porthins and Pestas. Below greetings from Tomas in Germany:
"Also this summer there are other kicking events besides tough races. Tour de Europe is a most pleasent way to spend a week's holiday. It is meant for everybody, not only for the most enthusiastic freaks.
 | Odenwald (photo Annika) |
Thursday's etappe "Naturpark Odenwald-Neckartal" is proudly presented to you by Tomas and Annika. The etappe route goes from Heidelberg to Bad Mergentheim along a really nice route. First alongside with river Neckar to Eberbach, then through the hilly woods of Odenwald and finally through many idyllic villages to the etappe finish."
 | Heidelberg / Neckartal (photo Annika) |
Tour is aimed for kick sport lovers who wish to see some beautiful kicking roads, test their spirits for further tours, and participate best kick happenings of the year. Total distance is about 1000km:s. Best roads are chosen for kicking, rest is traveled by train or by car. Daily kick distance is 70-110km. There is several kick sections one can skip to make tour physically easier as well as many chances to make extra detours if you are powered by Duracell.
Supporting car carries equipment to let tourers enjoy kicking without heavy baggage. It also allows more flexibility in route choice and gives kickers extra rest when needed. Supporting car is either rented or it belongs to one of the participants. Costs are shared. Driving turns are shared so that everyone can kick most of the tour.
Accommodation is either in hostels, camping cottages or tents. Accommodation places are, if possible, planned and reserved beforehand. Chosen places should cost less than 20euros. Tour program has to allow some freedom for better and worse kicking days, so plans can always change. Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, mattress) is obligatory, since unexpected weather or breakdowns may force outdoors overnighting.
Average touring kicking speed with breaks is ~10km/h. To make 100km before 7pm requires start before 9am. (Kick speed 17km/h, 4hours breaks for 6hours of kicking). Early afternoon usually features siesta after lunch, evening is free for local pubs etc. Strong breakfast before start and even heavier dinner in the evening are other main meals. Whole pack can't stop when one person wants hamburger so load your bag with cookies, dried fruits or similar stuff that you can eat whenever you feel hungry - even on move. Carry at least one drinking bottle.
 | You will get thirsty sooner or later. (photo Tomas) |
Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Czech all have strong traditional beer culture. Tour route is excellent for exploring old breweries and tasting local specialties. Supporting car driver will have to skip beer for a day.
The total costs will be approximately 200-300 euros / participant.
Unless we are unbelievably lucky or unlucky we will have rain and wind as well as burning sunshine. Use multifunctional clothing. Protecting feet+ankles, hands+wrists and head+neck from wet+cold does wonders. Clothes labeled "100%cotton" are not designed for sports. Take two pairs of shoes. Use helmet.
Do a basic maintenance before tour to ensure your scooter doesn't start to fall apart on the road. Small roads are good for quiet traffic and scenery. For ride comfort, narrowest (20mm) racing tires are not recommended. We try to stay on asphalted roads all the way. hmmm... perhaps some 'pave' in Flanders.
Ride self sufficient. Carry basic tools (pump, patch kit, brake adjusting tools, tape) and money, papers, map and mobile phone in handlebar or waist bag. Should you get lost or drop back to examine ancient castle it causes no bigger problems. And don't forget wallet in handlebar bag if leaving scooter out of sight.
Tour participants get black&white copies of 1/200 000 maps on kick route with planned route marked. If you are interested in geography or making own detours (it's really not obligatory to ride in a pack all the time) I recommend taking own maps. Scales from 1/100 000 to 1/250 000 work fine. Mark planned route on the map to make following it easier.
But what if ...
someone gets lost
Tour info includes mobile phone numbers for participants. Main railway station, or if town has no railroad, central square is meeting point. Regroup towns are marked on tour map.
it rains
If it rains tour keeps kickin' on so take rain gear. (or buy train ticket and miss all the fun) Next night accommodation is if at all possible, indoors.
scooter breaks down
One person assists rider with breakdown repair. Rest of the group waits in next scenic point eating and resting.
accident occurs
At least one person (preferably speaking local language) assists victim until injury is taken care of. Rest of the group continues tour and can be caught again by train. Everyone is encouraged to take travel insurance. Emergency telephone numbers for each country will be listed in participants' info.
More details from Alpo +358-40-5409219
The popularity of miniscooters seems to continue increasing this spring. At the same time kicksledding and Kickbike gain new friends.
 | Skate scooter of Kickbike was the hiphop hit of the winter season. |
 | In SportExpo fair Kickbike was presented in an elegant manner. |
Can you make out what is printed below in Swedish ?
 |
If you are interested in the subject, then you would perhaps like to visit a real kicksled museum. Unfortunately the old kicksled museum of Väiski in Vantaa was demolished by burglars. Therefore the only prevailing kicksled museum that we know of is located in Piteå, on the Swedish coast of Gulf of Bothnia.
On the other hand, when you wander to the opposite direction you may encounter old kicksleds much closer. The kicksled culture of Estonia is many generations old and kick conditions often excellent. Keposti has tested also superb ice kicking in Latvia this season, although no evidence of local kicksledders has been recorded yet.
| April | ||
| 29.4. | Thusis Scooter Race | Switzerland |
| May | ||
| 3.5. | Health & fitness day | Pirkkola |
| 5.5. | Tour de Grindsted | Jylland |
| 19.5. | Tapiola Two Wheels Kickbiking | Espoo |
| 24.5. | Helapotkut | Hattula |
| 27.5. | Tjejtrampet | Stockholm |
| June | ||
| 8.6. | Nacht van Hengelo | Netherlands |
| 9.6. | Middelkerke Criterium | Belgium |
| 10.-15.6. | Tour de Europe | |
| 16.-17.6. | Pilsner Open & Criterium | Czech Republic |
| 30.6. | Markkinapotkut | Jämsä |
| June | ||
| 1.7. | Village Kickbiking | Multia |
| 7.7. | Landespark | Lapinjärvi |
| 14.-15.7. | Puruvesi Round | Savonlinna |
| 28.7.-5.8. | Tour de Suisse & Italia | |
| August | ||
| 17.8. | Stadi Sprint | Helsinki |
| 18.8. | City Marathon | Helsinki |
| 19.8. | Ladies' Roll | Helsinki |
Changes will be notified in www.kickbike.fi calendar. International races will be announced at www.iksaworld.com. Check in often !
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hot fitness hint drawn by Anne-Maria