#adidasunderground: Rollapaluza Competition - Day 1

As droves of tourists and travelers begin to descend on London for the 2012 Olympics, a decidedly different route is being taken by adidas that offers something for those who perhaps are locals or are just in search of something a bit more organic. Less “sponsored” or overtly branded in favor of simply facilitating, the crew from adidas have transformed an unassuming warehouse space within the Shoreditch area of London as a means to play host to both locals and travelers looking for a nice change of pace from the other chaos that has hit the city. With stripped down walls, custom metal paneling, a wheat-pasted entrance, DJ booth, and six HD projectors to paint the expansive wall space, the environment created blends the lines between industrial and chic with an effortlessness that makes it hard to believe that only two weeks ago the room was literally and figuratively, an empty canvas.

While athletes are right at this moment prepping for various games, a unique competition began to take shape last night in Shoreditch, as the #adidasunderground-hosted event kicked off a bout of two-week-long festivities with a little bit of Rollapaluza Roller Racing madness. As the aptly-titled moniker implies, Rollapaluza pits two stationary bicyclists together in a head-to-head round to see who is the fastest. With plenty of drinks to go around, music turned up, and no shortage of cycling camaraderie, the first day of #adidasunderground has set a good trajectory for what can be expected from the ongoing events. Check out the stills above and the video below and of course, stay tuned for more as HYPEBEAST tracks the events from the ongoing #adidasunderground.

Photography: Harleymoon Kemp/HYPEBEAST