Giuseppe the Steher

Motor paced or Steher racing, as it is known in Europe, is certainly not the most glamorous part of cycle sport. They racers no longer have a recognised UCI World Championship to go for although there is a UIV European Championship but for six days every January in Berlin the Steher boys enjoy equal billing with the Six Day riders and sprinters. Night after night they bring the 10,000 plus crowd to its feet, of course local rider Carsten Podlesch helps but one man who has also contributed to the excitement is Giuseppe Atzeni.

So who is Giuseppe Atzeni?

GA: "I was born close to Zurich in Switzerland in 1978 to an Italian father and a Swiss mother. I still live 40 km from Zurich where I have a small cycle shop. I race professionally for the local team, VC Oerlikon-Zurich, which is based at the Oerlikon track (the track used to host the finish of the Zurich Classic for many years - ed) and is also the team of Franco Marvulli"

I wondered how he came to be a Steher?

GA: "I was racing on the road for a pro team when Peter Jorg who is a friend from the Oerlikon track and a Steher racer suggested I try Steher racing out, so a few years ago I started. I liked it and have had some good success. In 2006 I was European Champion and also won at the Six Days of Dortmund"

I asked how he managed to make a living?

GA: "The money is not great but we have about 30 races on the calendar mostly in Germany but also have some in Switzerland. They are held usually on the big outdoor tracks in the summer. The German races are reasonably well supported but in Switzerland not many people come to watch. The Six Days have been good for us as it's given us an extra 24 days racing over the winter"

Giuseppe had already won the 3 other Six Day events that hosted Stehers in Dortmund, Zurich and Stuttgart. The latter 2 were new for the Stehers and were good news for the riders. One thing that I notice though is that the riders are remarkably slight and seem small and skinny even by professional cyclist's standards. This is really amazing when you consider they push a 66 x 16 here and go to 68 x 14 on the bigger outdoor tracks. Atzeni is the only rider here not on a steel frame, he told me that "aluminium is much better", and so he is breaking with Steher tradition.

In the end Atzeni had to settle for second place but certainly won the crowd with his riding and sporting response to Podleschs win. TBCC's Six Day correspondent will follow him again next January.

Ciao

Extras from Berlin

On Isaac Galvez
Following the tragic death of Isaac Galvez at Gent last November, the Six Day season resumed almost exactly one month later in Zurich. At Berlin I managed to get a few words with two people with strong ties to the city of Gent and it's Six Day Race.

Patrick Sercu was the winner of 88 Six Day races in his career and is without doubt the best rider to ever grace the winter tracks. Patrick is now the Sports Director at a number of Six Day races but Gent is perhaps the race he is most closely connected with. I wanted to know what the future was for the Gent Six.

PS: "There is no question of the race being cancelled so yes of course it will be run again in November. What happened was a terrible tragedy and it affected us all very much. In the days and weeks after the accident the organisation made sure that everything was dealt with correctly and done with the utmost respect and sensitivity to the family and memory of Isaac Galvez. Now we have to move on and as happens in everyday life when somebody dies people still have to go to work. Slowly, normal life returns for the rest of us and my life is working in cycling so we will be back at Gent in November."

Iljo Keisse was riding in Berlin were he finished in 5th place with Olaf Pollack. Iljo is from the city of Gent and his father and family actually own and run the De Karper bar / café which is no more than 500 metres from the track at the Kuipke.

SP: So how was life after the tragedy for Iljo and the other riders?

IK: "Of course it was really hard for all the riders and the people around the Gent Six. For days everyone was walking around with their heads down and of course the riders themselves were in deep shock. I was off the bike for nearly 2 weeks but then thought it was time to start again and get ready for Zurich. But I can't really explain how I felt and what a shock it was, even now".

Heinz Seesing

The event organiser and head man of the Berlin Sechstagerennen is Heinz Seesing. We managed to get a quick word with him (via a translator) prior to Tuesdays Finale.

TBCC:
Can the Berlin Six continue to grow as you have had a full house every day?

HS:
"No, the Berliner Sechstagerennen is not going to get any bigger and no you won't see more people coming in through the doors. The way the event is organised is changing though and has already been changing as we are moving with the times to give people what they want. The people want more entertainment so the event has been slowly going from being solely a sporting event with a lot of constant racing towards having more live music and entertainment. However we are still putting on a sports event here so the idea is that the racing will be shorter but at the same time more intense and we will still have the Sprinters and Stayers programme as well."

TBCC:
But you are not yet looking to be like Bremen which is more of a party than a sports event?

HS:
"Sport will remain the main focus and we are of course still about sport, but we also have to go with the trend and so that's why we are improving the entertainment side of the programme, but no, we are not looking to copy Bremen."

TBCC:
So who does Herr Seesing think will win tonight?

HS:
"Obviously I think that the best will win. We have four or five very strong teams and we know it will be one of them, however, I am not enough of an expert to actually predict who will come out on top!!!"

TBCC:
What about the sporting future?

HS:
"It is of course important that we have young riders coming in and we have a lot of youngsters riding here in this race. It is also important that we have more Six Day specialist's not just guys coming indoors from the road. We want them to get used to racing on the track in the Six Days and gain experience to become regular future Berlin racers."

TBCC:
Danke Herr Seesing

The Life of a Six Days DJ

At any Six day race the music is very important it keeps the crowd interested and involved during lulls in racing and surely keeps the riders going at times of extreme tiredness. With Berlin being the capital of Germany, and one of the top Six Day races on the calendar, you'd expect the organisation to want a top draw DJ who knows the German crowds well. Of course getting into the insular circle of Six day racing in any capacity is difficult and for a DJ even more so as there is only one job at each event. So you'd expect a Berliner to be playing for the Berlin crowd but low and behold the Berlin Six Day DJ is in fact an Anglo who like me hails from Wallasey (near Liverpool), England. Also by a massive coincidence we even went to the same school, although he was their many years before me (sorry PT!!!).

So who is this honorary (scouse) German?

His name is Pete Traynor and TBCC's Six Day correspondant caught up with him before the last nights racing here in Berlin:

TBCC:
First things first, how did you come to be living in Germany?

PT:
"Well I left Liverpool in 1980 and worked as a Disc Jockey all over Europe in Spain, Italy, France, Norway and of course Germany. I spent many years coming backwards and forwards but settled here about 15 years ago."

TBCC:
How did you come to be working at the Six Days?

PT:
"I was working at a Radio station in Hanover and during that time I met Christian Stoll who is the speaker (commentator / announcer) here in Berlin and in Bremen. Christian invited me along to the Bremen Six to have a look and I liked what I saw. A few years passed, then 8 years ago the opportunity came to work here in Berlin and so I've been working here ever since. I no longer work as a radio DJ, I only play music at sporting events. I now have my own company (PT Promotions) that does artist promotion & artist management so that's what I do the rest of the time."

TBCC:
Which other events do you work at on the Six Day circuit?

PT:
"I also do Bremen, were I've been for over 3 years, Stuttgart I've been doing for 4 years, Zurich and of course Berlin. Last year I was also working as a DJ for 14 or 15 games at the Stadium's in Hanover and Hamburg during the 2006 Football World Cup."

TBCC:
Does the music you play vary from place to place?

PT:
"The staple of music is the same but it does vary a little from town to town as every area has its own popular music that people want to hear. Bremen for example is a coastal town and they are sea people who like a kind of sailor's music. In Stuttgart I play everything whereas here in Berlin I will always play a lot of Berlin songs."

TBCC:
What do you think makes the difference in the choice of music?

PT:
"Basically the most important thing at German sports events is that people want to have a good time and if they can hear their favourite song then they are even happier. Remember they are here for up to six or seven hours a night which is why we also have live music that always goes down well, so my job is just to keep them entertained. Knowing the songs that they like is, of course, important as you can see when they hear something they like they sing along which means I'm doing my job. I've been working here in Berlin for 8 years so I know the crowd, I lived in Bremen for a time so know what they like their too."

TBCC:
What was it like for you at the 'new' Zurich Six?

PT:
"Well, Zurich was a first for me and came just after Christmas and over the New Year holidays, we were working on New Years Eve. It was a pleasant surprise as the Swiss have a reputation for being very laid back but people came along and had a good time. They really went with us and enjoyed the music, yes it was good!!!"

TBCC:
Do you have a favourite Six Day Race?

PT:
"It's Berlin, it was the first Six Day I worked at. Bremen is also great although it is a different type of audience to here. It really is real fun at Bremen and it's like a six day party. Here in Berlin the public really like the sport and that is their main focus although they want to have fun too."

TBCC:
Are you a cycling fan?

PT:
"Oh yes of course, I wouldn't do this if I wasn't into cycling. I also do some summer races, criteriums mostly, and so having been involved for a number of years I know most of the riders and it's like spending time with friends. I also do something called the 'coast tour' which is a series of three or four races around Germany over a couple of weeks in the summer, so we spend time with the riders then too."

TBCC:
So do you have a favourite Six Day rider?

PT:
"Well of course Bruno (Risi) is a big favourite but there are a lot of good riders, I know all the experienced and established guys. But there are some good new lads coming up, Franco (Marvulli) is one that springs to mind he is a real showman and knows how to entertain the crowd, and they love him. He's someone I always find cheerful and happy, over the 5 years I've known him I've never actually seen him in a bad mood."

TBCC:
With a lot of the old guard getting older and retiring, how do you see the future of the Sixes?

PT:
"A lot of people were saying that there aren't many new riders coming through but the talent is there, the up and coming youngster's just need a chance to grow into it."

TBCC:
"What about the future of the various events, I can see Berlin is thriving but heard Stuttgart was not flourishing in the same way for example?

PT:
"Well Stuttgart is on the way back up, its just that every town is different and the people have a slightly different mentality. Here in Berlin they come for the sport, in Bremen they come for a party. In Stuttgart though it's just another event and it's perhaps not as important to the local people to go along as it is say here in Berlin or Bremen."

TBCC:
Do you think that the family days are important for the future generations?

PT:
"Yes of course, getting the kids along is very much part of the German Six day tradition. In Bremen they have a Family afternoon on Saturday as well as Sunday with many sponsors in attendance so yes its important."

TBCC:
"So if Pete Traynor was only playing his own choice of music rather than for the Six Day crowd, what would you play?

PT:
"Well I like all the old Tamla-Motown stuff and some new music too but to be honest I've been working with music for so long I don't have a particular musical taste as such. The variety I play at the Sixes, I guess, is all part of my musical taste but having been on the radio I've needed to have a wide ranging taste. Music has become my job and in fact I only really listen to music in the car nowadays. After 4 Six days in a month I can't even hear the music anymore even though I'm playing it!!!"

TBCC:
"In the future will we see you working anywhere else or is that not a particular ambition?

PT:
"My goal is to do ALL the German Sixes but the other events have got DJs and contracts with local radio stations etc., but I'm working on it and if it works out, great, if it doesn't, well, it doesn't, that's just one of those things."

TBCC:
Thanks Pete, see you next year!!!

And so when the presentations are over and the crowd have drifted away chatting into the winter night Pete will finally be able get some proper rest. He has been on the go since the start of the Bremen Six nearly 3 weeks ago and when he leaves Berlin he'll spend a few days getting back into a normal routine and recovering at a Health Spa. It will be much deserved as although it's enjoyable work the hours kept on the Six Day circuit are difficult for even the biggest fan to endure, your correspondent can vouch for that and I only stayed for 3 nights!!!