Six Day Racing

Philip W. Moore said:

catch some six day riding. One of my friends says we have to catch a race
in Munich, but I want to go to Belgium.

I'm no expert, only ever saw one 6-day 'live' in my life. Better ask
Davey.

Belgium has only one 6-day, in Ghent. Holland has 2 in Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, quite nearby. Dusseldorf and Hamburg in Germany are not _that_
far out of the way. Munich is. Check the calendar and your atlas.

--
E. Dronkert

"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Philip W. Moore said:

catch some six day riding. One of my friends says we have to catch a

race

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in Munich, but I want to go to Belgium.

I'm no expert, only ever saw one 6-day 'live' in my life. Better ask
Davey.

Belgium has only one 6-day, in Ghent. Holland has 2 in Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, quite nearby. Dusseldorf and Hamburg in Germany are not _that_
far out of the way. Munich is. Check the calendar and your atlas.

--
E. Dronkert

Thanks, Ewoud.

Munich (Germany) and Gent (Belgium) are where it's at dude

Buy you missed the Boat and there are is only Hasselt left in Belgium this season if it does in fact take place

But of the remaining ones, both Stuttgart and Berlin should see some great action.

http://www.uiv.dk

--
Le vent a Dos
Davey Crockett

As mentioned, the Munich 6-day has already been run. I was in Germany
(for work) when it was going on ... which I didn't know initially ...
and by chance saw a flier for it. Not having seen a 6-day before, I
thought that was too good to pass up. So I drove to Munich and went to
the Sat. night race.

The race was held in the Olympic hall where they held the '72 Olympic
events. (which in itself was pretty cool). Lots of beer, food, beer
.... oh and did I say beer? The infield was sold out, so I ended up
having to get one of the expensive seats (like 60 euro I think). I
gathered that the infield was where the fans go to drink and puke.

There was some amateur racing to start, during which the stands were
empty as everyone was eating and drinking (sense the common theme?)

The pros started around 8:30 and didn't finish until after midnight.
Points race, pursuit, miss & out, derny race, etc. All very spectator
friendly, and they tried very hard to build the fan excitement.
Looking around the filled stands, I couldn't help but think about the
difference between the sport in the US and in Europe. Could we ever
get to the point (again) where such an event could be held in the US?
As an aside, I've been told that the old 6-day track that was used in
Cleveland is still in the basement of Public Hall (don;t know if that
is true or not).

Anway ... it was a highlight to see Erik Zabel and Robert Bartko
racing. Zabel looks so ... "right" on the bike. Very impressive. I
knew only a few of the other names, but then I don't follow track very
much.

I don't know that I would make a trip JUST to see that though. At the
end of the long evening, I couldn't imagine going to another one the
next week. Now ... if I happened to be there while it was going on,
then yeah, it would be great to go see. But maybe you have other
things to plan the trip around. Personally if it were me, and I had
the option, I would wait and go in spring and ride and see one or more
classics.
B.

Quoted post said:

The race was held in the Olympic hall where they held the '72 Olympic
events. (which in itself was pretty cool). Lots of beer, food, beer
... oh and did I say beer? The infield was sold out, so I ended up
having to get one of the expensive seats (like 60 euro I think). I
gathered that the infield was where the fans go to drink and puke.

Yes, the whole complex is _very_ impressive

The infield is where the action is, and Six-Days are not about bike
racing; they're about drinking beer and picking up chicks and
occasionally yelling at the riders to tell them what lazy Wankerz
they are. ('cept alcohol isn't something Davey uses although a
whiff of Derny exhaust still revives fond old memories)

See how it used to be. Scroll down to the Black Cat Cartoon
http://www.velo-retro.com/tshirt5.html

Quoted message said:

There was some amateur racing to start, during which the stands were
empty as everyone was eating and drinking (sense the common theme?)

The pros started around 8:30 and didn't finish until after midnight.
Points race, pursuit, miss & out, derny race, etc. All very spectator
friendly, and they tried very hard to build the fan excitement.
Looking around the filled stands, I couldn't help but think about the
difference between the sport in the US and in Europe. Could we ever
get to the point (again) where such an event could be held in the US?

The USA was the hotbed of Six-Day racing in the closing years of the
centruy before last and the opening years of the last.

Quoted message said:

As an aside, I've been told that the old 6-day track that was used in
Cleveland is still in the basement of Public Hall (don;t know if that
is true or not).

I would imagine there are quite a few tracks lying forgotten in storage
around the USA

Quoted message said:

Anway ... it was a highlight to see Erik Zabel and Robert Bartko
racing. Zabel looks so ... "right" on the bike. Very impressive. I
knew only a few of the other names, but then I don't follow track very
much.

Firkin' Wankerz, didn't they at least have a few races so the Wimmin
could strut their stuff and flash their you-know-whatz?

--
Le vent a Dos
Davey Crockett

Davey Crockett <[email hidden]> writes:

Correction
See how it used to be. Scroll down to the Black Cat Cartoon
http://www.velo-retro.com/teeshirt5.html

OK, so Davey's only half awake this AM

--
Le vent a Dos
Davey Crockett

Davey Crockett said:

The infield is where the action is, and Six-Days are not about bike
racing; they're about drinking beer and picking up chicks and
occasionally yelling at the riders to tell them what lazy Wankerz
they are. ('cept alcohol isn't something Davey uses although a
whiff of Derny exhaust still revives fond old memories)

Well, sad to say, the young chicks don't pay attention to me. (40+ but
not fat Master).

The Derny exhaust is very distinct, and memorable I'm sure. One thing
I found surprising was that the most rotund Derny rider won both the
Derny races. I can't say I understand fully the tactics and techniques
involved there.

Interestingly, the fans were very tuned in to the nuances of the
racing. Sometimes it was quite chaotic, with guys jumping off the
front, trying to get a lap, then others chasing etc. Sometimes hard to
tell who was off the front, who was chasing to get on, etc. But the
crowd would always recognize and give big applause when someone would
take a lap. Late in the last race, Zabel jumped off and took a lap
solo ... pedalling like map (but always smooth). Biggest applause of
the night.

Quoted message said:

The USA was the hotbed of Six-Day racing in the closing years of the
centruy before last and the opening years of the last.

A friend gave me some old programs from the Cleveland 6-days ... from
back in the 40's or 50's I think. They are bit mildewed ... my wife
wants to pitch them so if you or anyone is interested let me know.

Quoted message said:

Firkin' Wankerz, didn't they at least have a few races so the Wimmin
could strut their stuff and flash their you-know-whatz?

Nope, unfortunately not. They did have a cheesy band though. And
brought out a few cuties to give kisses to Zabel.

B.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, sad to say, the young chicks don't pay attention to me. (40+ but
not fat Master).

That just means that you aren't flashing money and/or didn't pull up to the
event in a Corvette!

Quoted message said:

A group of friend and myself are planning a trip to Europe this year to
catch some six day riding. One of my friends says we have to catch a race
in Munich, but I want to go to Belgium. Any suggestions you all might have
about the best six-day races to catch and how to coordinate a trip to see a
couple of them would be appreciated.

Unfortunately there are only 2 6-day races in Belgium:
The six-days in Gent: http://www.sport.be/z6sdaagse/2005/eng/
Which is just finished on the 27th of November and
The 6 days of Hasselt: http://www.sport.be/lottozesdaagse/2006/nl/
9-14 februari 2006

The one to go to is definitely The Gent Sixdays as it has a great tradition
having the 65th edition already. The short track gives spectacular action.
The one in Hasselt is new and has yet to prove its existance, so I can't
predict the ambiance.

When you decide to visit some major road races, the triple "Tour of
Flanders", "Gent-Wevelgem" and "Paris-Roubaix" are the ones to aim for.
In 8 days you will see 3 major races, (There's also a possibility to do the
leisure Tour of Flanders if you bring your bike), you could visit "Flanders
fields", the first world war battlefield, the old flemish cities and even
Paris which is close by.

Just my 2 cents.

Koen

[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

As mentioned, the Munich 6-day has already been run. I was in Germany
(for work) when it was going on ... which I didn't know initially ...
and by chance saw a flier for it. Not having seen a 6-day before, I
thought that was too good to pass up. So I drove to Munich and went to
the Sat. night race.

The race was held in the Olympic hall where they held the '72 Olympic
events. (which in itself was pretty cool). Lots of beer, food, beer
... oh and did I say beer? The infield was sold out, so I ended up
having to get one of the expensive seats (like 60 euro I think). I
gathered that the infield was where the fans go to drink and puke.

No, the infield is where the wealthy sit for dinner and posture for each
other. The bar in the infield is standing only and requires no tickets
to enter. You can still stand in the middle with a beer and crane your
neck around the meatheads waiting for the lame dance club to open so
they can try to get laid, or you can sit around the track and watch the
racing. If you get there early enough you can buy a general admission
ticket and play musical chairs in the expensive seats through the whole
evening. Nobody checks seating.

Kyle Legate said:

No, the infield is where the wealthy sit for dinner and posture for each
other. The bar in the infield is standing only and requires no tickets
to enter. You can still stand in the middle with a beer and crane your
neck around the meatheads waiting for the lame dance club to open so
they can try to get laid, or you can sit around the track and watch the
racing. If you get there early enough you can buy a general admission
ticket and play musical chairs in the expensive seats through the whole
evening. Nobody checks seating.

yeah, I could see that along the track there were the VIP tables.
Those tickets were for sale but for way more than I would spend (over
100 euro, maybe 200?) There were no more gen'l admission tickets left
when I got there. I did notice some ticket checkers but don't know how
closely they were looking. The middle of the infield did appear to be
pretty packed ... and they did seem to be watching the race ... so
maybe the trying to get laid came later.

Quoted post said:

The Derny exhaust is very distinct, and memorable I'm sure. One thing
I found surprising was that the most rotund Derny rider won both the
Derny races. I can't say I understand fully the tactics and techniques
involved there.

The size of the Derny Pilot is a pretty critical factor, given that he is
in reasonable shape and can pedal too.

The name of the game is Draught; firstly the rider is better protected by
a more corpulent rider and secondly, tactically, the name of the game (in a
track event) is to get the top spot on the banking in the turns where your
Pilot can slant his body somewhat and create a slipstream that interferes
with the riders lower down the banking.

There's mmore to it than that, but that's it in a Nutshell.

Joop Zijlaard, Leontien van Moorsel's father in law is rated one of the
best and you should see the size of him. He might be short, but he makes
up for that in girth.

There are several pix of Derny events here, and believe it or not
there are some quite strict rules about the Derny itself and the
Pilot's position thereon:
http://www.fatnick.com/eurderny2003/eurderny2003.htm

The Derny was used extensively in Derby (Ultra Long Distance)
events in Europe but there are few if any left these days,
except perhaps Paris-Brest-Paris which has been adopted
by the cyclo-tourists and is run every 4 or 10 years or
whatever and they certainly don't use Dernys....

Bordeaux-Paris used Derny's extensively until the mid 50's
and each rider had two Pacers for the latter half of the
race and it was quite something to see as the judges
didn't enforce the rules too stringently and the B-P
Derny equivalent of the 'Old Car Door Handle Trick'
was commonplace and mostly ignored by the judges.

Davey rode the farewell B-P in 1988 and felt quite a
twinge of nostalgia going through Chattellerault which
was the traditional pick-up town for the Pacers

Here's some data on the Derny itself:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0266.htm
--
Le vent a Dos
Davey Crockett

Davey Crockett said:

The size of the Derny Pilot is a pretty critical factor, given that he is
in reasonable shape and can pedal too.

The name of the game is Draught; firstly the rider is better protected by
a more corpulent rider and secondly, tactically, the name of the game (in a
track event) is to get the top spot on the banking in the turns where your
Pilot can slant his body somewhat and create a slipstream that interferes
with the riders lower down the banking.

Are the riders and Derny pilots paired up ahead of time? It seemed
like they started up, and the riders gradually picked and got behind a
Derny ... but it didn't appear as though they picked a specific one.

In the first race, the winners came from a pretty long way back. The
Derny pilot waved and signalled, as if to say, "let's go" ... and they
passed a bunch of other teams in the last couple laps. Which was kind
of weird since it didn't seem the pilot's pedalling was a major factor
.... and one would think the Dernys are all the same. So how come he
went faster?

In the other race, they got out front and stayed there.

I have to say, those races were the most interesting part of the event
.... maybe because it just seemed so novel not having seen one before.
I was guessing that some of the Derny pilots were more sought after
than others.

Quoted message said:

Davey rode the farewell B-P in 1988 and felt quite a
twinge of nostalgia going through Chattellerault which
was the traditional pick-up town for the Pacers

cool!

B.

"Davey Crockett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Munich (Germany) and Gent (Belgium) are where it's at dude

Buy you missed the Boat and there are is only Hasselt left in Belgium this
season if it does in fact take place

But of the remaining ones, both Stuttgart and Berlin should see some great
action.

http://www.uiv.dk

The side show at Berlin is something , um......nicely different. :-)

Davey Crockett said:

Davey Crockett <[email hidden]> writes:

Correction
See how it used to be. Scroll down to the Black Cat Cartoon
http://www.velo-retro.com/teeshirt5.html

OK, so Davey's only half awake this AM

Courtesy Peter Hymas at "Bobke Strut," here are a couple
of stories and some vintage illustrations you might like
to see:

http://www.unc.edu/~hymas/2005_10_01_.html
"Edward Hopper's Universe" entry

http://www.unc.edu/~hymas/2005_11_01_.html
"The Lost Generation Found Track Cycling"
scroll down all the way or search for the title.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

Davey Crockett said:

Davey Crockett <[email hidden]> writes:

Correction
See how it used to be. Scroll down to the Black Cat Cartoon
http://www.velo-retro.com/teeshirt5.html

OK, so Davey's only half awake this AM

Courtesy Peter Hymas at "Bobke Strut," here are a couple
of stories and some vintage illustrations you might like
to see:

http://www.unc.edu/~hymas/2005_10_01_.html
"Edward Hopper's Universe" entry

"She was annoyed at the forty-cent tickets he indulged in..." If only
entertainment was still this cheap. Thanks for the link, Ben.

--
tanx,
Howard

The poodle bites, the poodle chews it.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

<[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Davey Crockett said:

The infield is where the action is, and Six-Days are not about bike
racing; they're about drinking beer and picking up chicks and
occasionally yelling at the riders to tell them what lazy Wankerz
they are. ('cept alcohol isn't something Davey uses although a
whiff of Derny exhaust still revives fond old memories)

Well, sad to say, the young chicks don't pay attention to me. (40+ but
not fat Master).

The Derny exhaust is very distinct, and memorable I'm sure. One thing
I found surprising was that the most rotund Derny rider won both the
Derny races. I can't say I understand fully the tactics and techniques
involved there.

I think the Derny rider you were talking about was probably Joop Zijlaard,
as Davey mentioned. I saw him in Amsterdam this year. His tactic seems to be
to cruise along the entire race near the rear of the pack, conserving his
rider's strength, and then putting in a big burst the last couple of laps to
blow past everybody. He also looks over his shoulder at the rider and waves
and encourages him. He won every derny race I saw him in, except when Van
Heeswick was his rider. In addition to being Leontien van Moorsel's
father-in-law, he was also the pilot when the current world derny hour
record was set by Matthé Pronk.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=photos/2005/nov05/munich05/munich051/BU0511100188a_KEISSE

"Philip W. Moore, Jr." <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le
message de news: [email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ewoud and other European RBR-ers,

A group of friend and myself are planning a trip to Europe this year to
catch some six day riding. One of my friends says we have to catch a race
in Munich, but I want to go to Belgium. Any suggestions you all might
have
about the best six-day races to catch and how to coordinate a trip to see
a
couple of them would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Philip

Unless by "this year" you mean the 2006-2007 season, I think that there are
only 2 more 6 day races left on the calander, Berlin and Copenhagen.

trg said:

Unless by "this year" you mean the 2006-2007 season, I think that there are
only 2 more 6 day races left on the calander, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Rotterdam opens tonight, http://www.zesdaagserotterdam.nl/

--
E. Dronkert