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MISCELLANY > REPORTS > Berliner Sechstagerennen 2006 - The Riders Report
INTRO :: DAILY REPORTS :: STAYERS & PACERS :: THE RIDERS :: PHOTOS
Rolf Aldag |
Jimmi Madsen |
Robert Slippens |
Iljo Keisse |
Leif Lampater |
Rene Wolf |
Scott McCrory
Technical Bits |
Other Bits from Berlin
by Steve Penny, Watford, 03/02/2006
The Berlin Sechstagerennen was the last ever race in the 15 year career of Rolf Aldag. He is fairly well known as a very strong domestique who has spent 13 years of his career in the magenta / pink of the Telekom / T-Mobile teams and has, probably, been their longest serving rider. He has ridden 10 Tour De Frances’, gone well in the cobbled classics supporting Erik Zabel but also has a number of road wins himself including German Road Champion in 2000.
As well as racing on the road Aldag has ridden 27 Six-Day races during his career, winning 10. This includes 8 victories in Dortmund, a record he shares with Patrick Sercu no less, and he won 2 of his 3 rides in Berlin. Dortmund was traditionally his season finisher, as well as his home race, where he won on his final appearance of 2005 with his close friend and neighbour, teamate Erik Zabel.
Rolf was very much in demand in Berlin but I managed to get a few minutes of his time on Sunday afternoon. I asked him if it was a difficult decision to end his career, but he said, "No I’m ready and I actually received 4 good offers to continue but turned them all down". Rolf said that like many pro's he had been a regular winner as an amateur and in his first professional season had won 2 or 3 races but in time decided that he was not the fastest sprinter or a climber, so he concentrated on using his strength to work for the team. He also noted that in most years he had usually managed to get at least one win somewhere on the professional circuit.
We moved onto Six-Day Racing were the Dortmund Six has always been important to him, as its very close to his home. He also said that he was usually able to arrive in Dortmund in good condition, coming out of the road season. He said that "Berlin is a great Six-Days with a very appreciative public but unfortunately with it taking place at the end of January he was usually required to be somewhere else by his team. There are no easy rides on the track and you need a different mentality because someone is always passing you, on the road you can ride for long periods on the flat without anybody passing". On the track his choice of gears is "either 53 or 54 x 16 and peddling about 130 rpm" on the road he’ll ride for hours in 53 x 11.
On the final night the organization put on a special farewell presentation for him with all the riders lined up holding there bikes up and spinning the front wheel (see photos). I think perhaps the only disappointment for him was the crash on the second night, that really left him in difficulty on Sunday he told me, "my knee still hurts" so I think we can take it that although he finished with a smile he was hurting all the way.
Rolf will begin working in the Communications Department of T-Mobile almost straight away.
Rolf Aldag was not the only rider to say farewell to Berlin. Danish Six-Day specialist Jimmi Madsen will also call time on his career at the end of this winters Six-Day season. Jimmi had a very successful spell riding with fellow Dane Jens Veggerby in the mid – late 90’s, however, injury finished Veggerby’s career and their partnership in early 1998. Since that time he has always been a good rider but has had no regular partner, although he won in Gent with Scott McGrory in 1999 and has had a couple of home wins in Copenhagen, his total victory haul of 9 from 120 starts does not really do a rider of his class justice.
I asked him about retiring and like Aldag he said "It was my decision. I decided two and a half years ago that I’d retire this year". He had no regrets about having no regular partner and felt that perhaps "if there was another Dane riding regularly on the circuit it may have been different, but having different partners everywhere makes it hard to get the understanding to challenge for wins". He did not say this in a bitter way more to say that he accepted it as the way things were.
When asked about his favourite Six-Days he said, "Of course Copenhagen is my favourite and special as it’s my home race. Of the other six-days the crowds here in Berlin make it the best. They cheer for everyone which is not the case everywhere you race!!!". He is also confident that at least one or two of the up and coming Danish Six-Day riders Hester, Markov and Rasmussan can maintain the Danish tradition in the winter velodromes, "As long as they work hard and don’t make any enemies they’ll be ok". As for his next move he is not looking to work inside the sport "but may do something with bikes, and will continue to ride a little to keep the weight off"
All in all he seemed a very easy going laid back guy who will be missed on the circuit.
On Sunday Slippens and Stam were already going well, eventually going on to win the Berlin Six. On Sunday we had a brief chat about Six-Day racing, he said that "Rotterdam being the first win of the season and a home race was of course the highlight, Bremen was also good". Although like a lot of the riders he is impressed with the "public’s support for all the riders here in Berlin", however he told me that "Munich was a big disappointment, we were leading but there was a lot of fighting in the final and Bartko / Zabel managed to get the lap and the win". I asked for his thoughts on the possible inclusion of new events in Maastricht and Zurich for next season? "It could be nice but I’ll believe it when I see it" Finally we talked about the Worlds, "of course it’s a big objective but the Worlds Madison is so difficult to control as its just one 50km race, so we’ll try our best and that’s all we can do".
I spoke to Gent winner Iljo Kiesse about some of the same things. Iljo said "I’m very happy, I’ve fulfilled all my 2005 objectives, a road win, the European Madison title and the Gent Six". As for his favourite Six-Days "Of course it’s Gent, I’m from there and so it is my home race. Here in Berlin the public, the organization, the hotels and everything are really good, we are very well looked after, Rotterdam was good too especially the lights!!!" He also noted though that "Gent has the hardest programme, all the riders know that".
Like Robert Slippens, he has the Worlds as a big objective but his answer was the same "It’s very difficult over one 50km race so we’ll see". As for the rest of this Six Season Iljo will miss Copenhagen as he has raced all the four sixes this year with three days rest and has "been feeling sick for about 10 days and needs some rest". He is also keeping his feet on the ground as he is still "very young for a Six-Day rider" and is worried about "burn out by racing too much", he is generally happy but taking things as they come. We also talked about Belgium and the fact that "if you’re a track rider they just say oh!!!, they want to see every rider on the road, including me" although he also said that he is lucky with his current team Chocolate Jacques because Patrick Sercu’s son, Christophe, runs the team.
A rider that has had an impressive 2006 so far is Leif Lampater, I did read somewhere that Bruno Risi had tipped him for a big future and following a win in Stuttgart and 3rd place in Berlin, it looks like Bruno had it spot on. I got five minutes with him between races in Berlin.
Leif is from a town 15 kms from Stuttgart so that was his "main goal and home race" although he did say that he is also very motivated in Berlin with the "special public, and its Guido’s (Fulst his partner) home race". At the Bordeaux Worlds his main goal will be the team pursuit but maybe also the points or Madison. He thinks that Germany will have a very strong Team Pursuit squad with Fulst and Bartko also riding.
Leif also does some road riding but "mainly with the National Track team in German stage races, also some criteriums but the road is not a big strength". As for next season he hopes to continue to progress and has ambition to ride in some of the other six days outside of Germany.
I hope so as I think we need to see some other talent get to ride in places like Gent. With Madsen going we need not just new talent but competitive riders over six full days.
The sprinters in Berlin always put on a show for the crowd this year was no exception, one of the main guys was Rene Wolf whom I caught up with him on Monday.
Like everyone (myself included) Rene noted "that the public are special here, in the Stuttgart Six day it was completely different, the crowd was dead!!!. We appreciate the crowd support and know we can’t fool this knowledgeable crowd by arriving out of shape. Iin the former GDR, sprinting was very big". Rene’s main goal is to "retain the World (sprint) title". He also noted that as sprinters don’t get to race that often, Six-Day events are "a chance to test form and see were you are against your rivals". After finishing in Berlin he will leave for warm weather training with the German Track squad. He is also studying at University in his spare time!!!
Rene said that in Berlin he was riding on a 48 or 49 x 14 gear.
Scott McGrory was again absent in Berlin but I spoke to his close friend Erik Weispfennig who confirmed that Scott has again been ill with a mystery virus and has had no strength to even train. However, Scott is missing the scene and keeps in touch regularly with Erik to see what’s happening in the races. His intention is too come back as he is motivated, but this is the 3rd year running that he has missed the January / Febuary Sixes, due to injury or illness. It may be difficult to get back to his form of old.
I certainly wish him well as he has always been a friendly and chatty rider with no inflated ego like one or two of his colleagues.
The majority of the Six-Day riders were racing on aluminium frames. Out of the thirty-six starters the only difference was five riders on full carbon fibre frames. Everyone rode with the now traditional carbon forks, although these varied between the straight and the curved style.
As for the gearing most riders have: 53 x 16 for Madisons, 52 x 13, 54 x 14 or 55 x 14 for the Derny races and 52 x 15 for the 1000 metre time trial (where each rider does 2 laps)
Among the noise, the beer, the (often dodgy) live music, the food, etc., the Berlin Six also takes time to introduce VIPs to the crowd.
On Tuesday night they had a presentation to CSC’s breakaway specialist and former East German rider Jens Voight.(link pic) He was presented with a special trophy by the Berlin organization in recognition of his winning the ‘German Rider of the Year Award’.
As I said in my preview, the crowd in Berlin really are something special and this was noted by all the riders I spoke to. Its almost as if they are kings for a week because of the crowds reception. Other Six-Days have crowds but they tend to only really get into it when local favourites or well liked riders such as Bruno Risi get on the attack. Here you could be 18 laps down and an unknown Czech but they’ll still cheer and blow whistles for you.
Berlin really is a candidate for the title ‘home of track racing’.