A spectacular professional cycling demonstration of skill and precision is the highlight of this year’s Jelsa Biciklijada on October 1, 2016 – would you put your child in this position?
As October arrives and thoughts for many turn towards winter, the Indian Summer on Europe’s sunniest island continues, and there was an additional treat to greet the new month in the northern town of Jelsa today, with the annual charity cycling event, or Biciklijada, organised by the local Rotary Club.
The event, which includes a bike race through the surrounding villages, as well as various biking challenges for kids of all ages, is a real family event which brings the community together on the pretty main square, whose cafes are teeming with locals and tourists alike.
And with October weather like this, it was not surprising that the turnout was very high.
The highlight was some quite incredible skills by a professional German cyclist who was staying in nearby Zavala, as he wowed the crowd with the tricks he performed on his seatless back.
You can see some of the rest of his amazing performance in the videos below, but this heart-stopping trick above must have had some parents worried. As a child lay on the square with a balloon on the ground below his leg, our cycling pro, perched on one wheel on top of several pallets above the child’s head, attempted to burst the balloon without touching the child. See how it was done in the video above (with thanks to Dali Plenkovic for the videos).
The Hvar Rotary Club is extremely active, and its work and initiatives are strongly supported by the island’s local businesses, and there was an impressive list of prizes in the ensuing lottery.
And as this correspondent sat with his two young daughters, who became increasingly distraught at their lack of success as the prizes were claimed by others, it was with a sense of relief that he watch a young 8 year-old run the full length of the square with her winning ticket held aloft for all to see, to claim the third top prize, a weekend for two with breakfast at the island’s leading hotel, Adriana.
“I will give it to Mummy for her birthday,” declared the prize winner. Whether or not this correspondent will be in a position to report on that weekend remains to be seen.
An excellent event as usual. And now, for more crazy biking skills, check out the videos below.
