Parisian-style Rollercops!

BRUSSELS ∇ For a few months, they had stored their inline skates in the closet while waiting for better days. But the dry spell for roller skating fans is well and truly over. Carl de Moncharline and his merry crew have set up a summer 2003 event even more ambitious than the 2002 edition. The Brussels Rollers Parade has become the Belgium Rollers Tour. In addition to the Brussels asphalt, skaters will have the opportunity to skate every evening of the summer in Ghent, Liège, Namur, Mons, Hasselt, and Koksijde. On Friday evening, the very first Rollers Parade took place, in Brussels as it should be, the first city to import this Parisian event. For the occasion, the municipal police of the City of Light was represented by two officers on skates. They opened the parade with their Brussels rollercop colleagues. From 8 p.m., several hundred impatient skaters gathered in the Bois de la Cambre. Indeed, the meeting point is no longer Place Poelaert. This year, the parades will depart from and return to the Carrefour des Attelages. “The ride is not meant for beginners. Protective gear is mandatory for children and strongly recommended for adults,” explains Carl de Moncharline, chief organizer of the inline parade. 9:05 p.m., kickoff. “Stay between the cars, please, over there.” The rollercops, officers on motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles (about thirty men in total), and the Rollers Tour security staff need all the eyes they can get to monitor the participants. The group sets off. Heading towards Ixelles Cemetery and a trendy cafe on Place Flagey. Then, the skaters pass behind the Ixelles Ponds and take Avenue Louise. Before 10 p.m., the bottleneck is crossed. The group plunges into the tunnel towards Gare du Midi. A superb turn to negotiate delicately, exit, and head towards Boulevard Lemonnier. A break will be observed at Halles Saint-Géry. The central boulevards are quickly covered. Then comes the heroic climb of Botanique... On roller skates, that's quite an achievement! Places Saint-Boniface and du Châtelain will only be brief stops before returning to the woods under the stars of a summer evening.