November 23, 2005 – There is something special about the energy and drama at a six-day race. First is the whole idea of racing at maximum for five hours per night and then on top of that having to do it for six days in a row. The pro racing begins at 8 pm but is preceded by the young aspiring 6-day racers who compete for two hours each night and follow a similar format as the professional six-day racers.

The racing finishes at 1 am as exhausted riders complete their last event a 60-lap (about 10K) Derny Final. The Derny heats and finals are exciting as the racers follow an unusual motorized machine – part bicycle, part motorcycle. The riders keep their bikes less than 12″ behind the rear wheel of the derny. The speeds are amazing, in the final sprint they approach 80km/hr. This is not for the faint of heart. There are two Derny heats and a final as only six riders (stayers) and derny drivers (gangmakers) can fit on the track at one time.

Last night’s racing was tight and fast. World Track Madison Champion Robert Hayles of Great Britain took a rough tumble coming out of last corner in the first Madison of the evening and had to be helped off the track for first aid and x-rays. He returned to race about 1-1/2 hours later after the first intermission. The team of Hayles/Cavendish (GBr) went on to win the 500m Supersprint.

The second night finished with the local track stars Gilmore/Keisse (BEL) in first with 132 points and one lap ahead of Bartko (GER)/ McGrory (AUS) who have 123 points and in third the Dutch duo Slippens/Stam with 116 points.

Results
Points race

1 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 10 pts
2 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel) 9
3 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 8
4 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 8
5 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned) 6
6 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 6
7 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita) 5
8 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa) 5
9 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger) 3
10 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr) 3
11 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den) 2
12 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi) 1
13 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)

Team elimination

1 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 15 pts
2 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi) 10
3 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned) 8
4 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 6
5 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den) 4
6 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 2
7 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger)
8 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita)
9 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa)
10 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
11 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel)
12 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger)
13 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr)

One lap time trial

1 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 15 pts
2 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned) 10
3 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 8
4 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 6
5 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa) 4
6 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 2
7 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel)
8 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi)
9 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den)
10 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
11 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr)
12 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger)
13 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita)

Madison

1 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi) 15 pts
2 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 10
3 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned) 8
4 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 6

One lap behind

5 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita) 4
6 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 2
7 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
8 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa)
9 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned)
10 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger)
11 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel)

Two laps behind

12 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den)
13 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr)

Derny 1

1 Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 5 pts
2 Kenny De Ketele (Bel) 4
3 Matthé Pronk (Ned) 3
4 Juan Llaneras (Spa) 2
5 Christian Grasmann (Ger) 1
6 Gerd Dörich (Ger)

Elimination

1 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel) 15 pts
2 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel) 10
3 Alexander Aeschbach (Swi) 8
4 Marc Hester (Den) 6
5 Steve Schets (Bel) 4
6 Marty Nothstein (USA) 2
7 Robert Hayles (GBr)
8 Kurt Betschart (Swi)
9 Robert Bartko (Ger)
10 Peter Schep (Ned)
11 Danny Stam (Ned)
12 Marco Villa (Ita)
13 Matthew Gilmore (Bel)

Derny 2

1 Iljo Keisse (Bel) 5 pts
2 Bruno Risi (Swi) 4
3 Scott McGrory (Aus) 3
4 Robert Slippens (Ned) 2
5 Franco Marvulli (Swi) 1
6 Mark Cavendish (GBr)

500m time trial

1 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 15 pts
2 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita) 10
3 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 8
4 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 6
5 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa) 4
6 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 2
7 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned)
8 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr)
9 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den)
10 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
11 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel)
12 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger)
13 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi)

Madison 30 min + 10 laps

1 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 15 pts
2 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita) 10
3 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi) 8

One lap behind

4 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi) 6
5 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa) 4
6 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 2
7 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned)
8 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel)

Two laps behind

9 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den)
10 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger)
11 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned)

Three laps behind

12 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger)
13 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr)

Supersprint

1 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr) 15 pts
2 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 10
3 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel) 8
4 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger) 6
5 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den) 4
6 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 2
7 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa)
8 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
9 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel)
10 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned)
11 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus)
12 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi)
13 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita)

Scratch

1 Robert Slippens (Ned) 15 pts
2 Matthew Gilmore (Bel) 10
3 Steven Deneef (Bel) 8
4 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel) 4
5 Robert Hayles (GBr)
6 Christian Grasmann (Ger)
7 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)
8 Peter Schep (Ned)
9 Marty Nothstein (USA)
10 Alexander Aeschbach (Swi)
11 Franco Marvulli (Swi)
12 Kurt Betschart (Swi)
13 Robert Bartko (Ger)

Derny finale

1 Iljo Keisse (Bel) 5 pts
2 Bruno Risi (Swi) 4
3 Kenny De Ketele (Bel) 3
4 Scott McGrory (Aus) 2
5 Matthé Pronk (Ned) 1
6 Andreas Beikirch (Ger)

Overall Standings after two nights

1 Matthew Gilmore/Iljo Keisse (Bel) 132 pts

One lap behind

2 Robert Bartko (Ger)/Scott McGrory (Aus) 123
3 Robert Slippens/Danny Stam (Ned) 116
4 Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart (Swi) 71

Three laps behind

5 Franco Marvulli (Swi)/Marco Villa (Ita) 91

Four laps behind

6 Kenny De Ketele (Bel)/Alexander Aeschbach (Swi) 48

Five laps behind

7 Steven Deneef/Steve Schets (Bel) 59
8 Marty Nothstein (USA)/Juan Llaneras (Spa) 44

Six laps behind

9 Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel)/Matthé Pronk (Ned) 48
10 Peter Schep (Ned)/Gerd Dörich (Ger) 29

Seven laps behind

11 Dimitri De Fauw (Bel)/Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 97

Eight laps behind

12 Christian Grasmann (Ger)/Marc Hester (Den) 48
13 Robert Hayles/Mark Cavendish (GBr) 36