7:42 am
84 kilometers into the tour. The leaders are 'somewhere' between Stavoren and Hindelopen. It is still dark. The TV station's chopper hasn't taken to the air yet so the skaters can't be seen outside the towns and checkpoints.
7:55 am
The field arrives in Hindelopen. Piet Kleine is on top but it appears he doesn't get his card checked at the checkpoint! Hulzenbosch gets his checkmark first... Further back Ruitenberg, Jan Bakker, van Duin, van Mechelen.
8:00 am
The second group about to arrive at the checkpoint.
8:13 am
The leaders arrive at the checkpoint in Workum. Eric Hulzenbosch in the lead, then Piet Bakker, Arnold Stam, Yep Kramer, Jan Bakker, Hagen, Henk van Benthem, van Mechelen. The race is headed by a group of 12 skaters.
8:18 am
The second group arrives at the checkpoint in Workum. The time difference between the leaders and this group has grown to 4 minutes and 47 seconds. The quality of the ice is very good. But the skaters do have to struggle right up against the wind. It's starting to get lighter and the helicopter has taken off to provide views from the sky. Riding along with the skaters is a motorcycle with camera. The cracks in the ice are easy to spot. There haven't been many falls so far, at least not where we could see them. We don't know at this time what happened on the long, dark stretches of the early morning.
8:40 am
'Klunen' on the way to Bolsward. Fastest here: Arnold Stam.
8:42 am
Arrival at the checkpoint in Bolsward. 1 Stam, 2 Hulzenbosch, 3 Kramer 4 Angenent 5 Bakker 6 Ruitenberg R 7 Ruitenberg H 8 van Meggelen 9 Verduin 10 Hagen 11 Kleine 12 van Benthem
8:45 am
The first skaters are on the Witmarsumervaart headed for Harlingen. At Bolsward they hit the half-way point; in Harlingen they'll have covered 120 kilometers. Piet Kleine leads.
8:47 am
Second group arrives at the Bolsward checkpoint. Time delay
has grown to 5 1/2 minutes.
© Digital Region Friesland 1997