Thrilling final Madison comes down to the final sprint
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GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Podium Tosh Van Der Sande of Belgium and Team Captains of Cycling Jasper De Buyst of Belgium and Team Captains of Cycling 2nd Place Kenny De Ketele of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance Robby Ghys of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance 1st Place Roger Kluge of Germany and Team Soudal Theo Reinhardt of Germany and Team Soudal 3rd Place Celebration Miss Hostess during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Kenny De Ketele of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance Robby Ghys of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance Celebration during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Roger Kluge of Germany and Team Soudal during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Robby Ghys of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Tosh Van Der Sande of Belgium and Team Captains of Cycling Jasper De Buyst of Belgium and Team Captains of Cycling during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Kenny De Ketele of Belgium and Team Baloise Insurance during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
GENT BELGIUM NOVEMBER 17 Mark Cavendish of United Kingdom and Team The Wolfpack Maes 00 Iljo Keisse of Belgium and Team The Wolfpack Maes 00 during the 79th 6 Days Gent 2019 Day 6 Track Kuipke Track Velodrome zesdaagsegent ghent6day on November 17 2019 in Gent Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images Sport)
Belgians Kenny De Ketele and Robbe Ghys claimed a thrilling finale to the Gent Six Day on Sunday, with De Ketele winning the final sprint of the last Madison of the race to win the overall title ahead of compatriots Jasper De Buyst and Tosh Van der Sande.
The reigning Madison world champions Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt came into the last race one lap ahead but behind on points, with three teams - De Buyst and Van der Sande, De Ketele and Ghys, and Mark Cavendish and Iljo Keisse - all within 10 points of each other one lap behind.
Keisse and Cavendish hit out first to take a lap and move ahead of the German team in the standings, but Kluge and Reinhardt quickly responded, stealing another lap to move back into the lead. Keisse and Cavendish countered to snatch yet another lap, but then De Buyst and Van der Sande pulled themselves back into contention.
There were so many attacks and changes to the lead, the spectators and commentators struggled to keep up. At the midway point, Kluge and Reinhardt sat atop the standings and there was a brief lull as teams regrouped for the final push. Keisse and Cavendish were again the first to resume hostilities, but this time they were unable to get around.
Ghys kept the pressure on, winning the sprint with 30 laps to go and De Ketele followed 10 laps later to add to the team's tally. But De Buyst put his team back on top by a single point with only the final sprint remaining and four teams on the leading lap.
De Buyst hit out early on the final lap but Ghys slung De Ketele with half a lap to go and the experienced Belgian lunged for the line to take the sprint by a tire's width ahead of De Buyst.
Keisse and Cavendish lost a lap in the chaotic finale and finished off the podium behind the world champions.
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Thrilling final!!! @deketelekenny and @robbe_ghys bring home the final victory in the madison :rocket::rocket::rocket: @JasperDeBuyst @Toshvds 2nd #zesdaagsegent #Ghent6Day pic.twitter.com/9rVEQktdKuNovember 17, 2019
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Final standings
Pos.
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Kenny De Ketele / Robbe Ghys (Bel)
301
2
Tosh Van der Sande / Jasper De Buyst (Bel)
296
3
Roger Kluge / Theo Reinhardt (Ger)
212
4 (-1 lap)
Mark Cavendish / Iljo Keisse (GBr/Bel)
268
5 (-2 laps)
Jan-Willem Van Schip/ Yoeri Havik (Ned)
299
6 (-3 laps)
Jules Hesters / Otto Vergaerde (Bel)
211
7 (-11 laps)
Marc Hester / Fabio Van den Bossche (Den/Bel)
116
8 (-17 laps)
Jonas Rickaert / Roy Pieters (Bel/Ned)
111
9 (-22 laps)
Lindsay De Vylder / Wim Stroetinga (Bel/Ned)
87
10 (-26 laps)
Morgan Kneisky / Oliver Wulff Frederiksen (Fra/Den)
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