Join thousands of people, from Scandinavia and the rest
of the world, for this once-in-a-lifetime historic
event.
This Summer, Sweden will be connected to the
rest of Europe for the first time since the ice age.
A new bridge, called the
Oresund Fixed Link
will make it possible, for the first time,
to drive between Sweden and the rest of
Europe. The bridge runs between Malmo in Sweden
and Copenhagen in Denmark, and it will be
opened to automobile traffic in July of 2000.
To celebrate this historic event, there will be a
four day festival from June 9 through June 12 in
Malmo and
Copenhagen, with music and dancing and races across the bridge.
On June 10th, there will be an inline skating event that is being
billed as "the largest inline race in the world",
with a maximum limit of 25,000 skaters.
This will be your only opportunity to skate on this bridge,
because no skaters will be permitted after it opens
to automobile traffic in July. IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though
this will be a race for professional and amateur speed skaters, it
is more of a celebration than a race. Most of the participants
will be recreational skaters who consider the event a Fun Roll
and a big party.
The Race
The Oresund Link Inline Skating Race is being produced by:
THE ROUTE AND DISTANCE:
The race will start in Copenhagen,
Denmark, at the
entrance to the longest drive-through underwater tunnel in the world,
and the finish line will be in Malmo, Sweden. The distance is approximately
18 km or 11 miles:
-
4 km through an underwater tunnel,
-
4 km over Pepparholmen (a man-made island)
-
8 km over the bridge, at 70 meters above sea level.
-
2 km in Copenhagen and Malmo
STARTING TIME:
Up to 25,000 skaters will be allowed to register,
and since they will not all fit on the bridge at once,
starting times will be staggered.
It will be an evening race, and the
first starting time will be at 6:00 p.m.
After that, skaters will start continually until 10 p.m.
(the professional and elite speed skaters will all start at
6:00 p.m.).
Every participant will
have to cross the finish line before 11 p.m.
STARTING WITH A FRIEND:
If you would like to start at the same time as a companion
you must pay both of your fees at the same time.
Please note that you will not be guaranteed a particular starting
time, or that you and your friend will be assigned the same
starting time.
REGISTRATION FEES:
The starting fee for the race is 375 Swedish kroner
or 340 Danish kroner, which was about $44 American dollars
in March of 2000.
About 15% of this money will go to the Red Cross.
Note that no registration fees will be returned,
even if the weather is poor
(the race will be held in any weather conditions).
HOW TO REGISTER:
Registration information is on the
BroRullet Information Page, in the
How Do I Register section.
You will be asked to register on-line, and follow up with
a payment made as a wire transfer
from your bank to a Swedish bank.
You can also register and pay for
the race at the Danish ticketing Web
site,
BilletNet.
For more information about race registration, telephone
Broløbet at +45 35 26 69 00.
SAFETY
Traffic will be blocked from the start and finish areas,
and all participants will be required to wear a helmet.
Other protective gear is highly recommended.
THE SKATING SURFACE:
The surface of the bridge is rather rough asphalt.
This will cause some rolling resistance for skaters,
so they will not gain great speed on the downhills.
SKATING IN THE TUNNEL:
There are many lights in the tunnel, and there is no problem
with oxygen.
SKATING ON THE BRIDGE:
The bridge is 8 km long and the highest point is in the
middle of the bridge. The bridge will be lit because the
race is held in the evening. The rise to the top is not
steep but it is long. When at the top you will be 70 m
above sea level with a wonderful view.
The Bridge:
The Oresund Fixed Link Bridge will open to traffic on July 1, 2000,
approximately nine years after the Danish and Swedish governments
first agreed to construct the link.
This opening is considered a major event in Europe, because
it connects the Scandinavian peninsula to the European continent
for the first time in 7,000 years. This physical connection will
allow Scandinavia and Europe to cooperate more fully in
many areas including education, research, culture, and economy.
The opening of this link will also create the
Oresund Region,
an economic area jointly established by Sweden and Denmark, that will
include among its specialties,
biotechnology, medical devices, telecom, and electronics.
The Oresund Region is also known as the
Medicon Valley, because some people believe
this area will become as important to medical research
and production, as the Silicon Valley is to the
semiconductor industry.
The bridge is the result of 46 months of
construction which started in October of 1995 with
dredging to make room for the underwater tunnel, and
formation of the artificial island of Peberholm.
In December 1996, the first segment of the
immersed tunnel was cast in Copenhagen Harbour
and in July 1997, the first bridge pier was put into position south
of Malmo.
You can see some interesting photos of the bridge, in
various phases of construction,
at
