250 inline skaters take a tour through Hasselt

• HASSELT The Roller Parades, which are organized every Monday evening in July and August in Hasselt, are a great success. Around 250 sports enthusiasts strapped on their inline skates on Monday evening to complete a trip of more than 19 kilometers through Hasselt. The tour started at the Kolonel Dusartplein and went via the Kunstlaan, the Kroonwinningstraat, and the Boksbeemdenstraat in Godsheide, rolling back towards the Kolonel Dusartplein. The group was accompanied by twelve 'roller cops', police officers on inline skates. Fifteen officers completed a special training course for this over the past few weeks. They stopped car traffic at intersections during the ride. As a result, the 250 skaters were able to fully enjoy their ride through Hasselt. Willy Bosmans from Hasselt brought along his two young sons Jeroen (12) and Pieter (10). "Fortunately, they skate through the city at a leisurely pace," says Willy. "That way I can keep up fine. My children are better on inline skates than I am. I especially have trouble stopping." While father Willy tells his story, the children spontaneously start laughing. "Dad obviously won't tell you that he's already fallen a few times at home," the children giggle. Hilde Coppens and her friend An Vandeweyer from Genk are big inline skating enthusiasts. "Last year, we even drove especially to Brussels to take part in the Roller Parades there," the two friends say. "We wisely made the journey from Limburg to the capital by car. When we heard that the Roller Parades would also take place in Hasselt this year, we jumped for joy. You hardly ever get the chance to skate peacefully on the street here. And the fact that you can now do it in a large group makes it even more fun. So you will be seeing us here often during the summer."