After almost a decade away from the ice—carefully avoiding anything colder than a gin tonic—I finally made my not-so-glorious (and slightly wobbly) return to the 24th International Speed Skating Masters Cup in Berlin. And what a comeback it was.
First of all: hats off to the organizers. Running an event that gathers a bunch of Masters skaters—people who willingly wake up early to suffer on ice while pretending it’s fun—is no small feat. Everything ran smoothly (except my first quartet), the atmosphere was fantastic, and the venue was simply perfect. Great ice, great facilities, and just enough space to catch your breath after realizing that the younger Masters are… too fast.
But let’s address the true highlight of the competition: the cake selection. I’m not entirely sure whether this is a skating event with cake or a cake festival with occasional skating races, but the balance felt absolutely right. In fact, I’m fairly confident several season bests were powered by excellent German baking.
On a personal note, coming back after so many years was a real joy. The Masters skating community has that rare mix of competitiveness and camaraderie where people will absolutely try to beat you on the ice—and then happily share coffee and cake five minutes later. Find the protocol here >>
If you’re a Masters skater and you weren’t in Berlin this year, you missed something special. Fix that in 2027: put it in your calendar!
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who made the event possible and memorable—especially:
- Rene Van Bernum: for allowing me to skate the 3k
- Volker Hanning: for bravely recovering my blades after 10 years of no maintenance
- Mircea Vranceanu: for being -still, after +20 years- my role model
- Monica Cais: for the nice pictures and simpathy
See you on the ice in 2027! 🧁⛸️
Congratulations Marcello and welcome back to the ice! Hope to see you at more events next season.