The VIPs enjoy their beer while the riders are just a blur in the background (Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)
The Ahoy Sports Palace in Rotterdam will be the site of the next round of the European Six Day season, and all the top riders will take to the boards in search of glory from January 7-12.
Bruno Risi will continue his good-bye tour with partner Franco Marvulli, and Danish Madision World Champions Alexander Rasmussen and Michael Mørkøv will also be vying for the win.
But the home-town Dutch crowd will have its hopes in a new pairing between long-time Six Day stalwart Danny Stam and the young Belgian Iljo Keisse.
Stam has won the Rotterdam three times since its revival in 2005, twice with long-time partner Robert Slippens and in 2008 with German Leif Lampater. But since Slippens' retirement following severe crash injuries, Stam has struggled to find the right chemistry with a partner. He paired with Bruno Risi last year, but with the Swiss rider's impending retirement, he has chosen to ride out his last season with Marvulli.
At 37, it seems inevitable that Stam would soon join Slippens in retirement, but instead is looking forward to his pairing with Keisse as a re-birth.
"Last season was great with Risi, it could hardly have been better. ... But this is his last season, he now he only rides with Marvulli."
When Stam heard that Keisse would not be pairing with fellow Belgian Kenny De Ketele, he suggested that Keisse join him for Rotterdam.
"In terms of stature we do not differ much. He is fast, I'm more of a rider for the long haul. We complement each other well. I expect a lot from this collaboration."
Also on the start list for Rotterdam is the last year's winner Peter Schep pairing with fellow Dutchman Theo Bos. Bos, once a crowd favourite in the sprint competition in Rotterdam has changed his focus to the road, and with his new-found endurance, he stepped into the Six Day races last year in Amsterdam with Schep. The pair did well on points, but lost 11 laps and finished 5th overall last October.
Bos will make a last appearance on the track in Rotterdam before joining his new Cervelo team on the road.
1 Michael Mørkøv / Alex Rasmussen (Den) 2 Peter Schep / Theo Bos (Ned) 3 Danny Stam / Iljo Keisse (Ned/Bel) 4 Bruno Risi / Franco Marvulli (Swi) 5 Robert Bartko / Jeff Vermeulen (Ger/Ned) 6 Kenny van Hummel / Andreas Beikirch (Ned/Ger) 7 Kenny De Ketele / Pim Ligthart (Bel/Ned) 8 Leif Lampater / Léon van Bon (Ger/Ned) 9 Michael Vingerling / Nick Stöpler (Ned) 10 Arno van der Zwet / Geert-Jan Jonkman (Ned) 11 Sebastian Donadio / Marc Hester (Arg/Den) 12 Matthé Pronk / Jos Pronk (Ned) 13 Jens Mouris / Bobbie Traksel (Ned) 14 Raymond Kreder / Michel Kreder 15 Roy Pieters / Ismaël Kip (Ned)
Sprint Cup
1 Grégory Baugé (Fra) 2 Teun Mulder (Ned) 3 Yondi Schmidt (Ned) 4 Tim Veldt (Ned) 5 Dean Tracy (USA) 6 Kasper Jessen (Den) 7 Yorick Bos (Ned) 8 Roy van den Berg (Ned)
Women's Six Day
1 Vera Koedooder / Kirsten Wild (Ned) 2 Kelly Druyts / Jolien D'Hoore (Ned) 3 Theresa Cliff-Ryan / Kacey Manderfield (USA) 4 Katie Colclough / Lucy Martin (GBr) 5 Elsie van Hage / Kim van Dijk (Ned) 6 Marlijn Binnendijk / Liesbeth Bakker (Ned) 7 Eva Heijmans / Colleen Gulick (Ned) 8 Amy Pieters / Roxanne Knetemann (Ned) 9 Alex Greenfield / Ruby Miller (GBr) 10 Joan Boskamp / Nina Kessler (Ned) 11 Samantha van Steenis / Pelin Cizgin (Ned)
UIV Talents Cup
1 Gert-Jan Van Immerzeel / Glenn Goubert 2 Martin Hacecky / Vojtech Hacecky 3 Mads Rydichter / Rasmus Damm 4 Jon Mould / George Atkins 5 Thomas Juhas / Theo Reinhardt 6 Dario Sonda / Elia Ongaretto 7 Bob Stöpler / Bouke Kuiper 8 Bram Imming / Willy Heeneman 9 Christian Kos / Patrick Kos 10 Dennis Kreder / Wesley Kreder 11 Barry Markus / Melvin Boskamp 12 Dominik Stucki / Robin Traber 13 Danny Heeley / Ian Moir
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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura's specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
