Slippens and Beikirch out of Rotterdam Six Day

Robert Slippens tried his best to overcome his pain and ride the Rotterdam Six Day, but he was forced to pull out. The Dutch rider had been suffering from a saddle sore which had caused him to also drop out of the Zürich Six Day, but he had hoped to be fit again for his "home" race.

However, after suffering through the first night, he went to the hospital Friday morning for an examination and was discovered to have serious bruises to his tailbone, which will force him to drop out. "That is too bad, of course," he said. "I thought that I was well enough to ride again. Rotterdam is really my favourite Six Day and I hate to miss it twice in a row. To let things heal, I will also skip Bremen next week."

He wasn't the only one forced out of the race. Germany's Andreas Beikirch gave in to knee problems, saying, "With an eye to the upcoming German Six Day races, which are of course very important to me, I have decided to give my knee a rest."

The race is not over for their riding partners, who have now joined forces. Danny Stam, who rode with Slippens, and Leif Lampater, Beikirch's partner, will now ride together, going into Friday night's race in fifth place, two rounds down with 31 points.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1