A racing sport that I have got to respect

This is one of my rare off-topic posts, but it relates in a way to a hobby I had in college.

I used to rollerblade a lot for commuting and leisure in college around Harvard Square. This was way back in the day when the rollerblade technology was still in its infancy, and you had to pay $300+ to get a pair of blades that didn't wear out or break within a few months. (I destroyed 2 of them in <>

I came across this link on the bike forums webpage today - it's a video of a European inline skating race. It looks remarkably like a bike race, with bike-specific clothing, drafting, and attacks. It's also fast as heck. This is a long ways from the era in which rollerbladers cruised along at jogging speeds. Fast inline-skaters go in excess of 25 mph at their fast cruising speed - or faster than most bicyclists, and as fast as a solid competitive road cyclist! Apparently, some of the riders on the East coast have gotten passed at this speed by fast bladers on a major road bike route.

I have to admit that were this event much more popular in the US, I would certainly give it a try, as I really enjoyed my life as a rollerblader. I'm sure that in the upcoming years I'll find more than a few other endurance activities (paddling is high on the hitlist) that I'll dabble in or even take seriously. For now however, I'm perfectly content with the diversity and demands of the triathlon.

And my final off-topic link: I would never have the ability, fearlessness, or time do ride a bike like this, but my mouth literally hit the floor when I saw this video, which includes an upside-down bike flip with a 180 twist off a tree at 3:06. Unbelievable.