Jasper de Buyst and Kenny de Ketele lead the Rotterdam Six-Days after two nights. The Belgian Topsport Vlaanderen duo took important laps on Iljo Keisse/Niki Terpstra in the final madison. The Omega Phama-Quick Step riders should be the main rivals for the remainder of the race, with Dutch Madison champions Jens Mouris (Orica-Greenedge) and Wim Stroetinga, and Michael Mørkøv and Alex Rasmussen as important outsiders.
From the first Madison race in the Ahoy Arena, it became clear that it would come down to a battle between young talent Jasper de Buyst and his experienced partner De Ketele, and last year's winning pair Keisse/Terpstra. The intermediate sprints were fiercely contested between them but the overall victory went to Yoeri Havik/Nick Stöpler, who were the only team to take a lap in the race.
Still in the same lap but still behind on points, De Buyst/De Ketele started to come back during the other events of the night. The team elimination came down to a sprint between the two teams. Jasper de Buyst, only 20 years old, won it. It were Keisse/Terpstra however who broke the 100-point mark and took a bonus lap.
With the Belgians scoring more points in the time trial and winning the derny race, De Buyst/De Ketele also broke the 100-point mark and were on the same lap again as their Omega Pharma-Quick Step rivals. Both pairs didn't win any points in the second elimination to prepare for the final, 200-lap Madison race.
Only two points separated the two teams before the start of the last event. De Buyst/De Ketele were quick to gain a lap but Terptra/Keisse came back with a doublette, lapping the field twice in only 16 laps. In a late move with Mouris/Stroetinga and Havik/Stöpler, the Belgians took back a lap and outsmarted the defending champions. De Buyst sprinted to victory against Stroetinga and took the overnight lead by one lap and a margin of eight points.
“We took an early lap which gave us the advantage”, said De Ketele. “We were in control for a long time but the double lap by Terpstra and Keisse put us under pressure. Fortunately, we were able to straighten things up with a late attack.”
Mørkøv/Rasmussen and Stroetinga/Mouris also sit in the same lap as Keisse/Terpstra but the points difference between the leading teams and the rest of the field is getting bigger.
Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny De Ketele / Jasper De Buyst (Bel) RTV Rijnmond | 151 | pts |
| 2 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) / Iljo Keisse (Bel) Flanderijn Incasso | 143 - 1 lap | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
| 3 | Michael Mørkøv / Alex Rasmussen (Den) VD Valk Hotel Ridderkerk | 112 - 1 lap | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
| 4 | Jens Mouris / Wim Stroetinga (Ned) Vlasman | 68 - 1 lap | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
| 5 | Barry Markus (Ned) / Leif Lampater (Ger) Peinemann | 73 - 3 laps | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
| 6 | Yoeri Havik / Nick Stöpler (Ned) AA Drink | 65 - 5 laps | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
| 7 | Franco Marvulli / Tristan Marguet (Swi) Mako Cleanng Service | 60 - 6 laps | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| 8 | Robert Bartko / Marcel Kalz (Ger) Tacx | 40 - 6 laps | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
| 9 | Vivien Brisse (Fra) / Marc Hester (Den) Werkgevers Servicepunt | 38 - 9 laps | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
| 10 | Michel Kreder / Wesley Kreder (Ned) AD | 12 - 9 laps | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
| 11 | Guy East / Daniel Holloway (USA) Island 200 | 10 - 9 laps | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
| 12 | Melvin Boskamp / Jesper Asselman (Ned) Metec | 22 - 10 laps | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
| 13 | Arno van der Zwet (Ned) / Nolan Hoffmann (RSA) Holland Werkt | 18 - 11 laps | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
| 14 | Didier Caspers / Melvin van Zijl (Ned) AM Recycling | 0 - 11 laps | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
| 15 | Theo Bos (Ned) / Graeme Brown (Aus) Belkin | 28 - 12 laps | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
-
Demi Vollering kicks off 2026 season this week with Setmana Ciclista Valenciana title defence
Dutch racer faces off against world champion Magdeleine Vallieres, Cédrine Kerbaol, and Pauliena Rooijakkers at four-day race -
Exposure Sirius 11 review: Big performance in a small and refined package
Exposure’s stunning build quality is paired with a excellent light performance and features -
'It's not like you can easily replace someone like Simon' – Sepp Kuss to retain same schedule and priorities for 2026 following Yates' sudden retirement
US rider 'really motivated' to return to Giro d'Italia in support of Vingegaard, but may miss Vuelta a España for first time in his career -
Best cycling jerseys 2026: We test 23 of the best short and long-sleeve tops for road and gravel
Our picks of the best cycling jerseys, from aero racers and bikepacking options to budget choices that are easy on the wallet
