A mosaic made up of thousands of portraits of people who completed the Elfstedentocht eleven cities tour is seen on the Elfstedenbrug (Eleven City Bridge), in Lekkum on Wednesday.

Dutch army is deployed on the alternative route of the Eleven Cities Tour (Elfstedentocht) to prepare the alternative route over the Hegemer lake in Woudsend on Wednesday. The Eleven Cities Tour, at almost 200 km, is the world's largest speed skating competition and leisure skating tour, and is held in the province of Friesland, Netherlands only when the ice along the entire course is 15 cm thick.

Skaters ride a stretch of the 11 Cities Tour itinerary as they pass through the village of Hindeloopen, northern Netherlands, on Wednesday.

The Dutch army is deployed on the alternative route of the Eleven Cities Tour (Elfstedentocht) to make the alternative route over the Hegemer lake in Woudsend, Netherlands, free from snow.

A worker wearing skates measures, by means of radar beam, the thickness of the ice at a canal in Balk, a village in the route of the Eleven Cities Tour.

People skate on ice near Lytse Wielen, in the north of the Netherlands, on Jan. 31, 2012. Weather forecasters predict a week with winter snow and temperatures around freezing.

Afghan skateboarding school students skate along a street on the third annual 'Go Skateboarding Day' organized by the 'Skateistan School' in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 21.

An Afghan student performs at the skateboarding school on the third annual 'Go Skateboarding Day' organized by the 'Skateistan School' in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 21..

Afghan students perform at their skateboarding school on the third annual 'Go Skateboarding Day' organized by the 'Skateistan School' in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 20. 'Skateistan' is Afghanistan's first co-educational skateboarding school. Operating as an independent, neutral Afghan NGO, the school engages growing numbers of urban and internally-displaced youth in Afghanistan through skateboarding, and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education and personal empowerment.

A child rides his toy bike on the frozen Lac de Joux lake at Le Pont in the Jura region in western Switzerland, January 30, 2011. The lake, when completely frozen, is among the largest natural ice rinks of Europe and is a popular spot during the winter months for skating.

People enjoy the frozen Lac de Joux lake at Le Pont in the Jura region in western Switzerland, January 30, 2011. The lake, when completely frozen, is among the largest natural ice rinks of Europe and is a popular spot during the winter months for skating.