Gent Six help

durhamwasp
durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
edited November 2012 in Track
Hi,

Has anybody been to Gent Six? Seems a fairly small velodrome so all seats should have a decent view.

Are there bars all the way around the concourse, or should i look for a certain section to be closest to a bar? :roll:

We were at Rotterdam Six in January gone, great event but totally different set up by the looks of it - big arena with a concourse all the way around the seating area and overlooking the track.

Thanks for your help
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Comments

  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    I’d also like some info on this. The wife says we can go! But where’s best to get tickets? My Flemish is a little rusty so a site in English would be good
  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    The place is pretty small - you can walk around (under the track) the whole thing in just a few minutes and you get a good view from pretty much anywhere.
    There are bars (and food - hot dogs etc) setup at regular intervals, as well as a separate permanent bar under block C if I remember rightly (see plan). In the centre of the track there are also bars. You have to buy tokens at a booth which you exchange for drinks, but there are also plenty of those. The only downside is that the beer is fairly rubbish (Primus).

    You can get tickets through the above site - I have done it before & it works perfectly well. You might want to get a move on as there's not too many left (for the weekend anyway). If you use Google Chrome, it can translate the pages to English.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Booked!

    Centre of track on Sat night, Block K on Sunday! Can't wait...

    Fingers crossed Wiggo competes!

    RISI - do u remember roughly how much a token was for a beer? Guessing its for the usual 250ml Dutch/Belgian serving!
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    Good. Also booked, but I didn't do it, so no idea where we are.

    I can't remember exactly how much the tokens are - I asked my mate that I go with & he guessed €2 each which is what I had in mind. That may be complete cobblers though. 250ml sounds about right.

    It's a good weekend though & you get all sorts of people there - I was last there 2 years ago and was stood next to Dean Downing for a bit and Barry Hoban seems to be there every time. If/when Iljo Keisse wins, get yourself down to his Dad's bar (De Karper) for a bit - it goes a bit mad once Iljo turns up as you can imagine.
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  • Ghent 6, oh dear.
    Drunk.com! beware the lure of trapiste!
    Many years since I've been, but walking into the undertrack bar as Merckx & Sercu walk out was akin to a religious experience!
    Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Great stuff! Meeting some one like Merckx is unthinkable...

    Rotterdam Six was fantastic last year, great stuff on the track, load tunes and loads of stuff to do in the concourse (cycling up the Muur on a tacx, 1km challenge like on The Bike Show, Track Stand competition etc). Im expecting this to be quite different, but much more authentic and better!
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    Pah - I cycled (for about 10 miles) with Merckx last year in Dorset. Just me and him for a bit & then a couple of others joined. He's not much of a talker...

    Anyway, the Gent 6 is pretty much just about the racing - the venue is not big enough for anything else (no naked ladies like Grenoble etc). There's a break for 'music' (I use the term loosely) which is the cue for a mass exodus to the bars. Last year Pip Gilbert showed up to do a pursuit - wonder if he'll do something similar this year given his recent win. And there's the Noel Fore cup in (about) the first hour every night which is a Juniors event. Recently there's always been a Brit pair - think they won it last year.
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  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    It's a great experience, I went a couple of years ago and am booked to go this year. We're evengoing on a trip to the Merckx factory.
    @JaunePeril

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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    No Wiggo then unfortunately...

    Gilbert opening the six days in his worlds jersey... Hope something special is planned for the last day :D

    Can't wait!
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    It would appear that there is a women's omnium woven into saturday night. Maybe they'll coax Laura Trott over.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    risi wrote:
    It would appear that there is a women's omnium woven into saturday night. Maybe they'll coax Laura Trott over.
    Fingers crossed!

    Where can i see the schedule?
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    Here you go: http://sport.be.msn.com/z6sdaagse/2012/nl/programma/

    The omnium actually appears to be omnium lite - only on Saturday with:

    20.40 Dames-omnium : voorstelling + scratch (presentation of riders + scratch race)
    ...
    21.35 Dames-omnium : Puntenrit (points race)
    ...
    22.30 Dames-omnium : 500 m. tijdrit + huldiging (500m tt + ceremony)

    Also, from a news item on the site, some riders names:
    Iljo Keisse, Gijs Van Hoecke, Kenny De Ketele, Robert Bartko, Lasse Norman Hansen, Bryan Coquard, Nolan Hoffman

    I assume that Van Hoecke & De Ketele would ride together as they're Madison World Champs.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    thanks again!
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Anyone know any sports bars, or generally decent (and maybes cheapish!) bars that will be showing the Cyclocross World Cup event (from Belgium) on the Saturday? Im sure plenty of bars will be, just wondering if anyone has any they can especially recommend? Keisse's dads bar perhaps?
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    There are certainly TVs in De Karper so I would imagine it will be on. Some guys from PEZ cycling help out at Gent and their favourite bar is the Vivaldi, quote:

    "Our favourite Gent bar, the Vivaldi is on the way to the paper shop - good pils at sane prices, great 70's and 80's sounds, a voluptuous hostess and open 'til . . . I don't really know - we've never made it that late."

    Full story

    It's here, which is handy for the Citadelpark (as is De Karper), but no idea whether the 'cross would be on.
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  • giropaul
    giropaul Posts: 414
    The 'cross is on mainstream television, it just depends who's asked for what in the bar. It will be on the TV in your hotel room anyway, and probably in the bar there as well.

    De Karper does get a tad full - especially during the 6.

    Alternatively it's easy to get to the 'cross at Koksijde on the train and back on the Saturday
    http://worldcup.veloclubkoksijde.be/
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Yeah, looking quite likely we will be attending the cross.

    We are going over in a motorhome, and arrive in Calais at 10am so should be good timing to get to the Cross, then drive to Gent afterwards for the Six.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    anyone know/guess when the line ups will be released? Wondering if any British girls might race...
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    Main participants just gone up today: http://sport.be.msn.com/z6sdaagse/2012/nl/deelnemers/

    Nothing on who is in the omnium yet. Thursday sees a pursuit between Ludo Dierckxsens and Astrid Vandenberghe (a Miss Belgium candidate it would appear). Sadly, not going 'til Saturday...

    Edit: News article says:

    Er is het vrouwenomnium met elf Belgische rensters en we nemen deze editie ook afscheid van dernyrijder Joop Zijlaard

    which translates as

    There is the woman omnium with eleven Belgian riders and we take this edition also farewell derny rider Joop Zijlaard

    So it looks no Brit ladies. Joop is a bit of a legend.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Aye, a very Belgian feel! Wonder if there will be a presentation for Joop on the Sunday then? Shame i wont get to see Astrid either!
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Is there a public cloak room in the velodrome? Guessing its gonna be roasting inside and freezation on the walk in and home... (im in the track centre, so putting jacket under chair isnt an option)
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Is there a public cloak room in the velodrome? Guessing its gonna be roasting inside and freezation on the walk in and home... (im in the track centre, so putting jacket under chair isnt an option)

    Yes there is. Much like a nightclub cloakroom where you stand in a big queue and eventually hand over your coat in return for a ticket. Then you do the reverse when it's time to leave. I have a seat so will be using the space under it.
    Also, make sure you have a stack of change for the toilets - you have to pay to use them @ 20 cents a pop if I remember rightly.
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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    cheers for that, very useful!

    Paying for the bogs? weird... thanks for the tip off.
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  • More importantly local crooner Garry Hagger will be singing. I saw him play this "gig" a couple of years ago...what a legend!

    See you all there, this is an absolutely fantastic cycle meeting and I would certainly bet on any first timers going back again. The atmosphere is fantastic
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    Saw him a couple to years ago too, and Eddy Wally. Looks like we are spared the singing on Saturday with the womens omnium taking up the slack time.

    This will probably be my 6th time, always look forward to it. If you see someone wearing a faded version of this, say hello.
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  • I'll be looking out for you Risi. Looking forward to a few good days...and nights.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Detailed schedules for each day are now online, and it looks as if their is no ladies competing? If i understand it correctly their is juniors (Chris Lathem and Samuel Lowe from GB) for the first 1hr15 then its the Mens competition with presentation gaps inbetween?
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  • risi
    risi Posts: 231
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Detailed schedules for each day are now online, and it looks as if their is no ladies competing?
    The women's omnium is still shown on the programme for Saturday. The Live section only shows the day to day regular stuff, not the 'specials' (like the Gilbert/Meersman pursuit too).
    durhamwasp wrote:
    If i understand it correctly their is juniors (Chris Lathem and Samuel Lowe from GB) for the first 1hr15 then its the Mens competition with presentation gaps inbetween?
    Yep.
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