Gent six-day lures top teams

The Gent six-day promises to have an even stronger field for the 67th edition of the race on 'Het Kuipke', the historic velodrome in the city's Citadel park. World pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins will pair with his future T-Mobile team-mate Mark Cavendish, while last year's pairing of Iljo Keisse and Robert Bartko will continue this year. World Madison Champions Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli will also appear, while the rest of the teams are yet to be announced.

More than 40,000 spectators are expected to flood the velodrome in Gent for one of the oldest six-days to see their favourite cycling stars as well as musical entertainment from the pop group Reborn and "the voice of Europe", Eddy Wally. Organiser Patrick Sercu vows that the event will memorialise Isaac Gálvez, who perished in the race after crashing into the railing on the penultimate night, but his death will not be the main theme of the event. "It was a fatal misfortune. But the Gent six-day remains a sports competition, a place for for celebration and socializing."

The six-days may be a place for celebration by the fans, but the racers will take this year's competition seriously, as the UCI sanctioned events qualify for points, along with World Cups and World Championships, toward Olympic berths for Beijing.