‘Icon’ London roller skater who raced bus is a mum-of-two who learned to ride with pom poms
A skater who raced a bus caught on a video that went viral said ‘she wasn’t even going full pelt’ revealing that she started skating aged 6 and trained to become an ace, blasting around the streets of London.
Sarah Connelly, 27, a mother of two from Kentish Town was captured on footage challenging a bus driver in Chalk Farm to a race after joking that he should drop his fares.
The driver agrees to the challenge but is amazed when Sarah, in the cycle lane, easily outpaces the bus doing tricks as amazed bus passengers look on.
The fitness instructor told Metro that her friend had called her to say the video had gone viral to which she replied ‘wow’.
She said: ‘I couldn’t believe it, I’m all over social media and I saw it in the paper today and it’s a madness.’
The footage had two million page views on X.
She continued: ‘It’s gone crazy, absolutely mad.
‘I can’t believe it. The funny thing is I could have gone much faster, I was just playing around. I was doing tricks.
‘The driver was loving it he was going up and down in his seat and laughing. It was all good fun and a good vibe for London, that’s what the am skating community is all about.’
She said that she often raced buses and other vehicles but had a ‘sixth sense’ when it came to safety.
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Sarah added: ‘Skaters have to have a sixth sense – it can be dangerous but I started skating aged six with skates that had Pom poms on and flashed.
‘Now I skate with my daughter, it’s a great thing to do. But you have to be careful.’
Sarah, who is 5ft 2 and has hearing aids in both ears, is one of a community of skaters across the capital.
She added: “We are a nice positive bunch who add to the vibe of London. I’m very passionate about my skating. Even if you are careful you can get injured and I broke my tibia in May but I’m back on my skates now and I love it.
‘I reckon I could even go faster than the bus backwards on my skates! To become an internet sensation is just amazing. Just wow … everyone is contacting me it’s putting skaters on the map.’
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