I have a huge capacity for watching bike racing on TV. I’ll watch hours of it even when nothing is really happening. I’m certainly not bragging. So I’m quite certain I could sit in the cramped, possibly smokey, noisy, Gent velodrome and watch an evening of six-day racing. I bet the ratio of men to women (who actually want to be there) is 10,000 to 0. Add the availability of beer and frites and I’m sorry to say, we have a pretty damn fine night out in Belgium.
I have never been to a six-day event. It’s on the big list. It will take considerable alignment of the planets for it to ever happen but I sure hope it does. If one goes on the Keepers Tour in April one could ride in two velodromes, neither of which are the Gent velodrome and by April the six-day season is long over.
But right now, while Bjarne is climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, Boonen is clubbing in Monaco and the rest of us are months away from Milano-Sanremo, many people just like us went to bed at 3am and will be back in a velodrome by 6pm tonight to do it again.
Here is a brief explanation of a modern six-day race.
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I live in Ghent and have visited the six a few times. First time was a school trip, I was 10. Merckx teamed up with Sercu that year. We all went to the Prophet's tent and got his autograph. I don't have it anymore. The only thing I rember vividly are his legs and the huge veins on them. Happy days.
Het Kuipke is a non smoking venue, Ghent has no city bikes.
Derny racing....WTF!!!!
Het Kuipke is definitely non smoking, everything is here.
There will definitely be 1 women at the zesdaagse who wants to be there (and 1 man who doesn't).
There are city bikes (Blue bike), but you have to bring them back to the same location you took them (different from most other cities). A more common approach if you want a bike, is yelling at any student that he's riding your (stolen) bike and chances are high he will give it to you...
@Juliana
Brilliant all around. Glad to hear you are dragging your "man" out to give him a dose.
@Steven
Wholly Molly, Merckx AND Sercu - that just boggles the mind the combined number of wins for 365 days is off the charts! No need to ask who won that six...
Man, I'd love to experience a 6 day... if only they had them in Spring.
20 odd years ago I took my dad to the Ghent 6 day - a brilliant evening. Had tickets right on the finish line in the home straight. Ghent apparently is one of the shorter indoor tracks that adds to the noise, excitement etc.
It was only a few years before he died, and I was so pleased we went as one of my earliest cycling memories is of going him taking me to see the Skol 6 day at Wembley for a few years in the 70s.
Full circle, as it were.
Gent will be revisited one of these years.
David
Considering I've given up on most American sports, but do love going to the local auto track a few times each summer ($5 entry, BYOB, always a fight in the crowd)...I could easily spend some time enjoying a six day race.
Yeah... as a dedicated trackie I would love to see a 6-Day in person. Thankfully internet streaming allows me to watch a few of them live as they happen.
@Ron
American sports are losing their appeal to me, not completely, but I don't make an effort to watch unless it's the home town team. Even then a bike ride or family time will win. Track racing and spectating bike events though... I find the time.