The duo inched closer to the overall lead thanks to a sumptuous show of strength.
Victory at the 79th edition of the Six Days of Gent looks to be a four-team affair ahead of the final two days, one of the pairs still in contention being that made up of Iljo Keisse and Mark Cavendish. The two former trade team mates began the night sitting fifth overall, but two flawless victories bumped them onto the podium, just 25 points behind the current leaders.
One of the most spectacular and, at the same time, emotional moments of the day came in the Madison, which paid tribute to Patrick Sercu – a legend of the track and winner of an astonishing 88 six-day events – who passed away earlier this year. Keisse and Cavendish rode a smart race, countering their opponents’ attacks and patiently biding their time, before moving decisively in the final laps and snatching the win in the applause of the large and boisterous crowd in ‘t Kuipke.
A second victory, delivered by the 2011 World Champion in the penultimate Derny race, contributed to the Maes 0.0% – The Wolfpack’s impressive haul of points and brought the duo closer to the top of the general classification. With around twenty more races to be run over the weekend, everything is still possible at the Six Days of Gent, and it’s expected for the competition to come down to the wire on Sunday, when it will conclude with a highly-anticipated Madison race.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen/ Getty Images
