14 ROLLERBLADING I f you’ve ever crossed paths with the Barcelona Friday night group skate, you’ll know that in this city, rollerblading is more than just a sport. Hundreds of skaters dominate the streets as they burst through the city togethe r, weaving their way around the tiny corners of the Gòtic neighbourhood and stoppingtraffic as they navigate Eixample’s grid. The weekly event is the brainchild (and hard work) of APB, or the As- sociació de Patinadors de Barcelona. Formed in 2003, APB now has over 600 members, and it runs a pretty tight ship when it comes to organisingthese, and other, events. Group president, Juan Carlos García, lights up when he starts telling me about the Friday night skates. “This is really a great way to explore the city”, he said, explaining that there are seven dif- ferent routes, which they rotate every week, and that each route takes you through differen t, but equally scenic parts of the city. “The routes are each about 15 to 18 kilometres, and usually this takes us about one-and- a-half to two hours to get through,” he explained. “We pass the Sagrada Família, go through El Gótico, skate along the beach. We go at a fairly relaxed pace, so everyone socialises and chats along the way.” Juan Carlos gives me a quick rundown on how the weekly event works, explaining that in winter it attracts about 150 to 200 skaters, whereas in summer as many as 300 pitch up. “It’s a very organised activity,” he said, “in that we have the support of the Ayunt amiento, and that about 25 ofthe more advanced members volunteer to help. They act as marshalls, controll ing the traffic, and skating in front of and behind the group in order to keep everyone together.” He added that as long as you have an intermediate level (you need to know how to brake, turn and jump pave- ments), you’ll have no problems taking part in the routes. A week before meeting Juan Carlos I’d gone on my first skate with a bunch of friends, so his casual mention of jumping pav ements far from passed me by. Rollerblading is probably the most fun I’ve had on my feet in years, but it’s definitely not as easy as it seems. Everyone I tried skating with were novices, bar one, who still has his original Eighties’ roller skates. Despite not having skated in over 20 years, he still managed to swish around like a reprobate teenager, and thanks to Every Friday night, rollerbladers take over the streets of Barcelona. By Roberta Coci. Photos by Richard Lee Owens.
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