Stijn Steels and Tosh Van De Sande (Image credit: Daniel Simms)
The second night of action in the UIV International Six-Day Talents Under-23 Madison Cup (UIV Talents Cup) in Gent, Belgium, saw a change of leadership thanks to the superior scoring power of the Belgian pair, Stijn Steels and Tosh van der Sande, the junior world champion in the points race.
The overnight leaders, Americans Guy East and Austin Carroll, stayed on the same lap in the night's Madison, but were outscored 18-8 in the points sprints by the Belgian duo in the Madison. The American pair lost a further two points to the Steels/van der Sande in the flying lap, which was won handily by the Czech duo of Jan Dostal and Jiri Bares.
The night's Madison saw the Belgians hit out strongly, taking the first two sprints and forcing the American pair to go on the attack. The Belgians faced a long, hard chase, but succeeded in bringing back the Americans in time to take the final sprint. They now lead the race by seven points.
The event was down to eleven teams after the night one crash of Belgian Kevin Lava did not result in any serious injuries, but the doctor advised him to abandon the race.
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