A final report from the Zuidlaren Six:
Daniel Holloway and I survived the 6 days of Zuidlaren (or the ‘Zesdaagse van het Noorden’) to finish in 8th place in the final classification. In completing our second 6 day as a team (my third ever), we have now ridden 53 less six days than Bruno Risi has won in his career. See Bruno’s list of palmares and his authentic European style mullet. This guy is the real deal. He has been winning bike races at the world level since before I was a junior.
Just for entertainment, I will throw out some fun 6 day stats:
So on the last night here in Holland Saturday, we were all set to take home the flowers and win the final team elimination of week. In this event, one team is eliminated from the back of the peloton every three laps until there are just two left, and the last teams standing sprint for the victory.
The race was down to us and the Dutch team of Slippens/Stam (who also finished the overall winners of Zuidlaren). Then Daniel skipped his rear wheel hard during an offensive maneuver. When his wheel struck the track, he ripped his tire off the rim and went down. He was a bit banged up but otherwise just fine, but it was a bummer. He hung tough though with a very sore shoulder for the final chase of the night.
Our next chapter begins in Switzerland on December 11, with the 6 days of Zurich. Zuidlaren is supposed to have been a “baby 6″ with shorter program each night, as many riders came straight from Gent. (Not even a day in between!) However, Zurich is known for having a demanding schedule and long racing hours (until 3AM on a few nights, or until the last train of the evening leaves). No doubt it will leave an impression on us.
Stay tuned for more 6 day fun!
