6-Day Bicycle Racing - Forest City - October 2007 6-Day Results

MISCELLANY > Resource Material > Race Results > Forest City > October 2007

Reports - Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
Results - Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
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Night #1

October 20, 2007 - Riders began arriving early to prepare themselves for the night of intense wheel-to-wheel racing on the Forest City Velodrome's 50 degree banked corners. First to arrive was our friends from the United States, Joe Brennan (New Jersey), Martin Rooseboom & Phillipe Raymond (Montreal) and Brian Crosby (Minnesota)..... the track was open and the riders stretched their legs for a solid 90 minutes before the locals began to come through the gates.

A total of 25 riders participated in the action, with the Kids putting some of the most entertaining racing which kicked of the night. The racing was clean and Green with not one rider putting a wheel wrong, clean exchanges in all 4 Madison's with the Elimination races providing the intensity that comes with close quarter racing on the 138m Velodrome.

How the Evening Unfolded

The "B" division is broken into five (three-rider) teams with each team having a new rider on their squad. Everyone gets a chance to race in a Scratch, Elimination and a Madison. Birthday boy Kyle Rupay (Peterborough) who just turned 14, dominated the individual races for the "Stars of the Future", winning both the Scratch and Elimination races. Three young ladies all under 17 are also racing in all the events during this 6 Day. Stephanie Bester, Sarah and Emily McKenzie-Picot all from London are performing at a very high level and we are looking for bigger and better things to come from these riders. New to Madison racing Brian Kelly (London) is accumulating points for the Blue team, he is in his second 6 Day.... one cool thing about Brian Kelly is that since the Velodrome opened in April 2005, he has progressed from a part time Recreational rider to being able to master the art of Madison exchanges and lose 50# at the same time.

At the end of the final Madison it was Team Black Just nipping Team Red at the line... a very tight battle in the points as no team gained a lap during the racing action.

The Elite division saw a very different first night of racing as Team Ontario of Vince DeJong (Brantford) and Danielle DeFranceschi (Double "D") from Windsor stretched the legs of the other teams in all of the point sprints and managed to win the final sprint for double points to take a early lead on points after the first night of action. All teams are on the same lap with Team Quebec 17 points in arrears. They will be able to come back however they will have to be very aggressive on night two.

Winner of the Elimination race was the Can-Am Team of Crosby and Garnett Abbey (Burlington), being able to last until the end was made very difficult as two Teams attacked early in the race to wear down the other riders, it worked with Dejong and Crosby coming down to the finish elbow to elbow with Crosby winning by inches.

The final 45-min Madison with double points on offer came down to a 10-lap shot out with Crosby and Abbey attacking as the final 10 laps began, This can be a great tactic if it works and it looked like it might as with the laps winding down on the final exchange the 1/4 lap lead had evaporated and it was a battle between three teams Quebec had just caught Crosby with 1-1/2 to go, however lurking in third was Dejong just about to exchange with "DD", the exchange happened with "DD" catching the fading teams ahead and no more exchanges on the final lap, Team Ontario scooped up the win and took the early lead in the points standings. Close behind are Team Delhi (Mike Renneboog & Dave Byer) and Team London (Brandon Throop & Scott Lundy)

Night #2

October 21, 2007 - Night 2 of the Forest City Velodrome's 6 Day Racing was again fast and had our spectators on the edge of their seats. The Black team continued to dominate the "B" division and the rest of the teams are very closely matched with only a few points separating the other four squads.

A spill in the Elite race wiped away the advantage the local London team had built up in the final Madison. Throop and Lundy were within 15 metres of lapping the rest of the teams only to have Throop crash during the exchange that would have put them up by a lap. Instead, they lost the $100 for taking the lap and during the final stages of the Madison they required one of the Alternates to fill in to keep the team on even ground.

The evening was very fast and competitive, the spectators loved the energetic pace and the fact that no team seemed to dominate, a big change from the opening night..... it seems that Team Ontario is going to have to be attacked one by one on Night 3. The other teams are going to have to chip away at the points lead they have built up. Team Quebec, Delhi and the Can-Am teams will have to use strategy to gain laps and points.

A special thanks to all the officials who are volunteering their services for the event, and to the spectators who have so generously donated over $1,000 in the first two nights of racing preems for the riders..... for this reason alone the racing will be even more intense on Day 3.

Day 3 starts at 1pm on Sunday afternoon, you still have time to come out and watch the skill of our track riders.

Night #3

October 22, 2007 - There were record breaking temperatures outside, but it was even hotter on the inside of the Forest City Velodrome at the London 6 Day bike races. It was like racing in the middle of summer.

Not only was it hot outside, the hotter racing action, controversy with lapped teams, Team Ontario failing to gain a lap on the entire field, Team London hitting the deck for the second straight night, Juniors gain a lap in the "B" Madison, Teams being relegated for dangerous riding...... I could go on but you need to be in the stands to see some great track racing (yes that was a slap at London Media).

How it unfolded: Day 3 of the London 6 Day

After two hard nights of racing and numerous warnings to all the teams to ride straight lines and use etiquette during the Madison's and elimination races, the "Commies" laid down the law early in the Elite Scratch race as the Team Ontario squad were relegated for rough and dangerous racing in the final three laps of the race. Blocking is a tactic that although tolerated at times in the final sprint can be very dangerous. "It's one of those things," said Danielle DeFranceschi (DD), from Team Ontario who was DQ'd from the scratch race finishing order - for trying to protect his position a little too aggressively.

That penalty got all the teams scrambling to find out what was allowed and what was going to be penalized.... it felt like we were at a hockey game and the teams were trying to plead with the "Commies" for clarification. Louie (the Commie) was having none of it and indicted he was going to rule with an iron fist so he wanted to see bike racing not roller derby.

Back to the real story of the racing, The early part of the first "B" everything was pretty routine, just after the mid-way point sprints the Purple team of Taylor Martin and Joe Brennan (New Jersey) attacked the rest of the teams who were caught sleeping. Team Black who is leading the overall race after the first 2 days of racing had to dig a little too deep to close the gap and the Red Team of 16 year olds (Aitinson & Bester) went over the top of the now gassed leading teams.

The jam continued and continued and time was added to the race as the Red team closed in on the leading Black team to put them down a lap and thus take over the lead of the "B" 6 day. With the intense action the spectators were happy to give even more preems to the "B's" as they were really putting on a very entertaining show for the fans.

At the end of the racing Team Red had a lap lead on the field, Team Black & Team Purple are tied on the same lap, with Team Green and Team Blue down 2 & 4 laps respectively.

Now, back to the "Elite" race that saw the DQ in the opening scratch race, the boy's were on their best behaviour and the racing continued with another $800 in preems on the line during the two afternoon Madisons. Shortly after the racing started Team London (Throop & Lundy) attacked and again could see the back of the pack before the hammer fell for the Can-Am Team of (Abbey and Crosby) and 10 laps latter it was all together and the preems started.

With the flurry of sprints and money being tossed around the riders did not have a chance to recover, late in the session Team London attacked again just before the end of the Madison and quickly gained 3/4 of a lap. Maybe the field took them for granted as they continued to roll, the field waited too long to chase, however the lap was not awarded for another 25 painful laps as team after team had their time on the front to try to pull Team London back. But nnothing worked and in the end Throop and Lundy caught the back of the pack and were awarded the lap and the $100 for being the first team to gain a lap in the 6 Day .

In the second Madison it was survival of the fittest, preem after preem, jam after jam, then a touch of a wheel and Lundy goes down, luckily just scrapes and he will return to racing next week.

Teams were hanging on for their lives, no one was going to give in, the an attack by Quebec put everyone on the defensive, this put the London and Delhi Teams in trouble and eventually lost a lap to the field.

As the race came to a close one last $100 preem was put up and Team Ontario took the pace over the top and all the other teams were left 1/2 a lap down. Now the question was whether (DD & DeJong) could lap the field before the 10-to-go cards went in the air. Upon review late into the night and this morning. it was determined that there are still three teams on the same lap as the lapping process began after the 10 laps to go up. A very close situation for Can-Am & Quebec as they benefited from the commissaries ruling.

Night #4

October 27, 2007 - "Attack", "Attack", it seemed that that was the theme of racing on Friday, night four at the Forest City Velodrome, as the second half of the 6 Nights of competition continued. All of the Elite riders were well rested and seemed to be full of gas as the racing got underway. Team Ontario with the stout pair of Daneille DeFrancheshi (Winsdor) and Vince DeJong (Brantford) lead the way throughout the evening.

Two other teams Can-Am of Garnett Abbey (Burlington) and Brian Crosby (Minnesota) and Team Quebec, Martin Rooseboom and Phillipe Raymond (Montreal) were even with the Ontario pair on laps to start the night. This quickly changed as after the Elite Scratch race, Ontario went over 100 points for the race and gained a lap in the first event.

All of our riders are really showing their professional bike handling skills during every exchange, safe, clean and fast. no mistakes, no riding under other riders or riding between exchanges... it's a pleasure to watch.

As the Madison's continued the top three teams extended their lead by putting Team Delhi (Dave Byer & Mike Renneboog) and Team London (Branden Throop and Scott Lundy) down a lap in the first chase. Speeds were kept high with the first jam lasting over eight minutes from the opening whistle. The pace finally slowed just long enough to have a cash preem on the line for the first three finishers. Team Ontario scooped up the cash and seemed to accelerate at will... that is until Team Quebec attacked for the first of many attempts to gain a lap during the evening.

As they were caught, Can-Am went over the top to separate themselves from the rest. Crosby opened up a sizable gap and Abbey extended the margin. The Can-Am team was up 1/2 a lap and Quebec came charging back to get on the rear wheel of Abbey. Within seconds there was yet another preem and by now all the teams had regrouped and recovered for the $100 offer. With three to go Roosenboom (Quebec) found some speed and came over Abbey, with DD stacked up three deep (not the most advantageous position on our 138m long Velodrome). At the line Quebec earned the preem and the crowd loved the tight close racing.

In the second 45min-plus 10 laps, the Elite division continued to put on a great show. Team Delhi who were suffering from the flu, surprised the rest of the field and stole a lap back from Team Ontario. London missed the attack and had to watch as Byer went to the front to take a well desired lap.

Racing was keep high with the average speed well over 55 kph. There were very few sections of the race with no attacking and the preems kept the riders busy rubbing elbows to take home as many preems as possible. In the final sprint, Team Ontario out-distanced team Quebec in a show of leg speed and bike handling as the riders crossed the line together. The officials had Ontario, but the crowd had Quebec... this battle will continue on Saturday night at 7pm.

Some great news came in this week, as one of our Elite riders Brian Crosby has been invited to race in Europe over the next four weeks in three different 6 Day races. Congratulations Brian, we will be following you in Germany next week in the Under 25, 6 day circuit. This shows the level of competition at the FCV.

We look forward to seeing all you Ontario Cycling fans at the last two days of the 6 Day races - Saturday night at 7pm and Sunday afternoon at 1pm. With three teams in contention for the win, anything can happen.

Night #5

Pain on the Menu

October 28, 2007 - Competitors thought Friday night's slugfest was hard, but the speed was even more intense on night 5 of the FCV Six Day.

Saturday night's racing action started off with a bang. In the Elite division, only a few minutes into the first Madison of the night, the teams were caught off guard as Team Quebec attacked trying to separate the 3-team log jam at the top of the leader board. As soon as they came back together, it was the combined team from Canada and the United States (Abbey and Crosby) who went over the top of the relaxed field to gain a 1/4 of a lap almost immediately. The other squads led by Team Ontario let the attackers dangle in front of the field until the points sprints started. All the teams came back together with London and Delhi struggling to keep up.

Just as the sprints were ending Team London launched a successful attack and pulled Delhi back into contention as both teams managed to gain a lap on the now spent trio of teams who were kicking one another leading up to the sprints. Team Ontario took a preem and split the field again with just a couple of minutes to go before the end of the first Madison. Quebec and Can-Am both took aim at the final points for the 1st chase of the night. During the final exchange, Abbey went over the top of Quebec in the final corner to earn a very gutsy and hard fought seven points in the end.

The Elite division was resting while the "B" racers competed in their Elimination race, 14-year-old Kyle Rupay out-lasted Sarah McKenzie-Picot to win his 5th straight Miss & Out for the Cadets and Juniors during the Six Day event. Sunday we shall see if, Kyle can make it 6-for-6. In the other "B" action the racing has been very clean and competitive with the Red Team of Stephanie Bester, Ryan Aitcheson and Rob Good, holding a slim points lead on the Black Team of Sarah Mckenzie-Picot, Ivan Cernigoy and Lorne Falkenstein. Due to an illness Emily Mckenzie-Picot may not be able to race on Sunday afternoon, time will tell.

Some type of intestinal bug has made it's way to the infield as a couple of other riders have been sick over the last two nights. In the Elite division, the very entertaining Elimination race saw two experienced riders rubbing elbows coming to the line, with "DD" out sprinting Mike Renneboog in the finale. This extra effort sent Renneboog to the showers as his stomach (intestine) issue forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of the night.

The last chase of 45 minutes again saw the teams on the attack, as over and over the three leading teams seemed to be putting the hurt to the London and Delhi Teams. In the end both teams were able to come back, after sitting off the back for what seemed to be the entire Madison, to get the locals cheering as the two teams un-lapped themselves for the second time. This effort was worth $50. The crowd appreciated the stamina of both teams as they were short-handed and two alternates were forced into service on the night. Thanks to Steve Meyer and Chris Vlemmix for competing on short notice.

In the final sprint for double points a late attack by Crosby of the CanAm Team came within inches of being successful to the line. Team Ontario had other ideas and wanted the points for themselves. Daniele DeFranceschi "DD" made a late move back around Crosby in the final 50m to claim victory on a night that saw the momentum change every few minutes. This can only mean more fireworks for Sunday afternoon at the FCV.

Night #6

Primes Set up Finale at FCV

October 29, 2007 - So you think you know bike racing? To the casual observer a bike race is a bike race – wrong! A bike race is where teams of riders continually pound one another into submission and enjoy doing it.

The spectators at the Forest City Velodrome saw just that on Sunday afternoon in London Ontario, witnessing the action close up, getting to feel the pain of the riders while they blew-up, recovered, attacked their rivals, and sprinted for points or Cash (which is the best). The spectators experienced some edge of the seat excitement on the final night of Six Day racing at the FCV.

The Program that has been designed with the spectator in mind provides a variety of races and allows the cycling fan an opportunity to get involved in the action as it happens 20 feet away. Night 6 provided the thrill and a spill that separates the men from the boys. In the end, two teams won their respective divisions, however, it was the enthusiasm of all the riders who put on a clean, safe and exciting show for the spectators that made the event a success. We at the FCV thank all the riders who participated in our Autumn Six Day Bike race, all the Officials and runners who kept the riders ready to perform, and most importantly the spectators, who so generously put up the "Primes" that contributed to a prize pool total of over $4,250.00, which was distributed to the riders at the "after party" that has become a tradition at the FCV.

How the evening unfolded:

The last night of racing saw the most laps gained or lost depending on which side of the lap you were on. In the "B" division, the race was between three teams. Entering the first Madison, the Red team had a lead that was attacked early by the Black and Purple teams. The initial attack put the Red team on their heels until the Black team missed their first exchange. While the pace was full on, the red and Purple teams capitalized and went up a lap each on the field. Minutes later, another attack by the Purple team’s Kyle Rupay and Joe Brennan (New Jersey) caused havoc in the pack, with everyone scrambling to make clean exchanges and bring back the leaders.After what seemed like an hour (really only four minutes), the Purple Boys capitalized on mistakes by the other teams and found themselves in second behind the Red Team of Stephanie Bester and Ryan Aitchenson (who would ultimately win the bike race by two laps).

It was nice to see the Twins (Sarah and Emily) continuing to gain experience and confidence over the Six days of racing. The Black team would end up third in the overall standings, with teams Green and Blue rounding out the top five during the competition.

Now let's look at the Elite division where all the fireworks took place during the three hours of racing. The local favorites, Team Delhi, attacked early in the first Madison and slipped away without any response from the other teams. This would come back to haunt a couple of the higher placed teams by the end of the night. With an early lap in their pockets, Delhi were content to sit waiting for the primes to come up. As the teams watched one another, a $100 prime was announced, signalling the pace was about to go through the roof..... It did. The Can-Am team of Crosby and Abbey, followed the powerhouse Team Ontario through the line for second, then launched what turned out to be the move of the night. They attacked Ontario and really put Quebec (Raymond & Rooseboom) in a world of hurt. As the Jam continued, the distance stayed the same at 1/3 of a lap between the two teams. Five laps went by with very little change, then a huge effort by Crosby sent the margin to 3/4 of a lap, and within a lap, the Can-Am team solidified their hold on second position overall, which they would not relinquish.

All this action happened in the first 10 minutes of a 30-minute chase. Tongues were dragging and the oxygen seemed to be sucked from the building with all the very hard racing going on.... The crowd loved it and offered up even more primes in the final 20 minutes.

Prime sprints make the race, and the motivated riders did not disappoint with excellent thre-wide racing for every prime sprint on offer. The best sprint to the line was the $50 Prime with two minutes left in the first chase. Abbey lead out with six laps to go in the pack. Team London jumped to try to close the 30m gap. Brandon Throop who has had a solid race with partner Scott (don't call me Jeff) Lundy, came over three teams to challenge Abbey in the final lap. With 30m to close and only 138m to do it, Throop dug deep to not only close the gap but surprise Abbey at the line by nipping the Can-Am team for the cash.

In the final 45min Madison of the afternoon, the teams were content to contest the primes, but let the race unfold as the other nights with a hard tempo being set by the ultimate winners of the FCV Six Day, Team Ontario of "DD and Vince DeJong". A few halfhearted attempts to split the field failed during the chase… that is, until less than five minutes remaining in the race. That's when Mike Renneboog and Dave Byer of Team Delhi took the entire field by surprise and proceeded to gain 1/2 a lap while everyone else was waiting for someone else to bring it back. Finally Team Quebec realized that if Delhi took the lap they would fall to fourth position after battling for second the entire six nights. Delhi was within 40m of catching the field when Brian Crosby's tire de-laminated and he crashed (no injuries.... hardly a scrape). We have a rule that when there is a crash the field is neutralized until we get aid to the fallen rider. This put a stop to a very entertaining attack by Team Delhi. The final sprint of the night was again a crowd-pleaser as three riders battled for the final double points on offer with Team Quebec coming home with the victory.

Overall, it was a very good bike race. The riders went home with a pocket full of cash. The Cadets and Juniors in the "B" division learned a tonne about race tactics and how to race – a result of the development that the FCV have been doing for the past 3 1/2 years and will continue to do with all of our up and coming racers.

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