Words and Photos by Eric Deakin
I woke up late in the top bunk of a hostel dorm on the last day of Summer. I quickly put myself together, had breakfast consisting of French bread, fruit, and marmalade, then hit the streets. The weather was sunny with a bit of a breeze, so I opted to skate across the 3rd Arr. to the East Bank of the River Rhône. That’s where I ran into some fellow skaters, skitching the back of a homie’s bicycle until we made it across the Gallieni Bridge, to Venice.
Fourvière overlooking Grand Hôtel-Dieu and the River Rhône
There’s nothing like skateboarding in Venice… the weather, the water, the world-renowned scene. But this isn’t California, and it certainly isn’t the floating city of Italy; No, this is the heart of Lyon, France.
Formally known as Pont Gallieni, the Gallieni Bridge crosses the River Rhône and bridges the gap between the 2nd and 7th districts (or Arrondissements) of Lyon. Just off the bridge to the North on the 2nd Arr. side lies a stretch of hundreds of feet of rounded, waxed curb, nearly identical to those “twix” curbs found on the Venice Beach Ocean Front Walk. Hence the name, Venice, Lyon.
Fred in Frame
The location was popularized and developed into a community skate spot with help from the great Jérémie Daclin, longtime resident of Lyon and founder of Cliché Skateboards. For years, Daclin and friends have hosted the annual Lyon Slappy Challenge, a longest-highest-furthest popless grind contest which was birthed out of the spot’s long, slippery terrain. I found out about the Challenge earlier this year, and figured it was a great way to get a taste of some European skateboarding. It was, and the day went a little something like this …
The clock strikes four and they’re off. A household name in the game, master lensman French Fred (also known as Fred Mortagne) held the front line and didn’t skip a beat. An inspiration to anyone and everyone capturing the chaos.
Ace Pelka – Bluntslide
First up, slide tricks. Certified crowd-pleaser and tenured slappyer Ace Pelka came through with a bluntslide over the bump and made it look easy. Mind you, the bump is a section of twix curb that’s been cut, raised, and filled in underneath. A testament to the community surrounding the spot and the skateboarder’s desire to do it yourself.
Jules Ragonneau – Pole Jam
I hobbled down towards the cobble riverbank, where things get crusty and a little rusty. In this case, an old bollard and a couple skateboards come together to create a substantial pole jam; Jules Ragonneau shows the boys exactly how it’s done, as this one’s no booze cruise.
Etienne Turnbull – BS Noseblunt
After an hour or so of toying with curbs, the heavy hitters were ready to go big or go home. The main attraction was now a bump to bar, made possible by Marshall Amplifiers, who laced up the best of the best with portable speakers, headphones and other goodies. Etienne Turnbull made quick work of this back noseblunt with the steeze to send ‘em running.
The crowd showed continuous energy as Lawrence Ravail battled this hardflip; Eventually, he reached his triumph, concluding the bump to bar sesh as things calmed down.
Lawrence Ravail – Hardflip
When the smoke cleared, the lot of us mashed over to the local Carhartt WIP store for Pepe Tirelli’s “I love my friends” capsule release party, and later, to the infamous Le Voxx bar for shenanigans a la Lyonnaise. I’m told that next year marks a decade of the Lyon Slappy Challenge… Vive le slappy!
Pepe Tirelli for Carhartt WIP