Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Berlin Six Day 2013 – Day Six

-

HomeDiariesBerlin Six Day 2013 - Day Six

Everything is irrelevant on the final night at the Berlin Six Day, except the last chase – and it wasn’t a bad one. Going in it was Kalz/Bengsch topping the board – great time trial riders and strong in the chases – but a Six is almost always decided in the avalanche of points sprints in the final laps.

Neither rider – for all their power – is a great sprinter.

I had been thinking that maybe Roger Kluge wasn’t quite as smooth and fast as he used to be, but in that last chase he was good, very good.

And Peter Schep is one of the best, too – a former World Points Champion, he never loses the wheel or comes out of that perfect crouch.

They had just too much horsepower for Kenny De Ketele and Luke Roberts with Franco and Andreas Müller in third spot.

Berlin Six Day
Glitter surrounds the final podium. Photo©Ed Hood

A good finale with winners who looked worth it, something you couldn’t always say about the last chase at Berlin.

Gut the track cabin, stack everything in the downstairs cabin ready to load the camper; but they won’t let us bring the camper down until later, damn!

Take Guy’s jerseys back, fly up to the press room and send my podium pictures, back downstairs

The camper is in, get loaded, let’s go, we have 350 K to drive to the ferry.

But then the man in the white trousers and sports jacket lurches out of the darkness, high on drink and God knows what else – he grabs our wipers and hangs there, eyes staring, mouth open, blood trickling from a wound on his forehand, like an extra from ‘Zombies, Dawn of the Dead.’

Behind, horns blast – everyone wants out of here.

There’s a cop car over to the left, I jump out and run across to them, ‘mein herr, ein problem!’ I say in my worst German as I point to the gentleman dangling from our windscreen.

The cop shrugs – oh well, here goes.

I grab our chum by the collar and drag him off the camper; trying to be as gentle as possible I attempt to sit him down against one of the concrete pillars.

But then he spots the cop car and lurches off to land on their bonnet – this has the desired (for me) effect and the cop is out of the car like a ferret on speed.

On go the cuffs, and that’s our cue to scarper.

It really is time to get the hell out of Berlin…

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Giro d’Italia 2011, Stage 9: Messina – Etna 169km

'Tutti per Vincenzo' said the Gazzetta, on Sunday. 'All for Vincenzo' - but that little blighter from Madrid put paid to that. We got the benefit from the mad breenge after Saturday's stage - the Messina start was just five minutes from the hotel and it gave us time to have a wee skek at the porto, before we headed to Etna.

John Pierce – Some More of the Ace Photographer’s Track Images

Ace photographer John Pierce, not content with sending us those cracking shots of 70’s/early 80’s Six Day men, has sent us another batch of track images which bring us right up to the present day. Again, we thought you’d like to see them...

Gent-Gent & Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2009 – Day 2

Saturday morning dawned bright and mild; this gives rise to mixed feelings - on the one hand you want a freezing, wet, death race, but on the other, it's no fun standing in the cold and wet for hours. One thing is sure - sunshine would have been of no use to Viktor at the Kuurne Brussels Kuurne!

Trinidad & Tobago – Day Nine, Back to School

Tobago is hot, real hot, damn hot - it's just the strong breeze which is preventing certain parts of me from spontaneously combusting. We're staying in Viola's at Lowland, which is the flat coastal strip between the capital of Scarborough and where we are now - Pigeon Point at the south west tip of the island.

At Random

Kenny De Ketele, World Madison Champ – “Track racing is my passion”

Just before his dominant performance in the Four Days of Grenoble finale with Iljo Keisse, World Madison Champion, Kenny De Ketele took time to talk to VeloVeritas. De Ketele has been around the track scene for a long time, always there and knocking on the door. But it was the winter of 2011/12 when the man from Oudenaarde finally arrived.

The Gent Six Day 2012 – A Preview

Englishman Steve Penny is a long time track enthusiast and writer - this will be his 17th consecutive edition of Flanders' mythical Six Day; Gent Six Day 2012. Here's his take on the 72nd edition of what is now unquestionably the hardest Six Day race on the calendar. VeloVeritas will be there for Sunday afternoon's Grand Finale. Champions of the World, or The Prodigal Son - that's the question which can only be answered on the steep bankings of the Kuipke velodrome.'

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke – “Ifs and Buts Don’t Win Races”

It's no surprise that Endura Racing's 'man of the year' Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has today signed for Team Sky. Anyone who thought that Englishman’s top six GC placing and King of the Mountains win back in the 2011 Tour of Britain was a freak result had their eyes opened this spring when the 27 year-old from Plymouth won the first stage, fourth stage and GC in this season’s Tour of the Mediterranean – a race dating back to 1974 and which boasts Eddy Merckx as one of its winners.

Giro d’Italia 2009 – Day 7: Stage 20, Napoli – Anagni

How is it that a country which spawned Campag, Ducati, Ferrari and Armani can't get the plumbing to work? Last night's hotel had the electrical switch for the shower just a couple of inches from the shower head; the difference between being scalded and freezing was two microns on the control.