VeloVeritas

Berlin Six Day 2012 – Day Four (1)

Jackie summed it up best when I asked if he’d slept well; ‘yeah, but just not long enough!’ But Dirk had a take on it too; ‘why can’t we just go straight from Saturday to Monday?’ There’s always a down beat Johnny Cash kind of vibe to Sunday afternoons sessions; ‘the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert.’

But once the shower blasts and the coffee blends, it’s not so bad.

Berlin Six Day 2012 – Day Three (0)

‘Just Another Tequila Sunrise,’ it’s ironic that the covers band who kick off as soon as the racing finishes at gone 01:00AM aren’t half bad – but it’s time for me to disappear down the tunnel to hang up the washing etc. etc.

The track centre party goes on ’til 02:30 am but I hope to be in a coma by then.

Berlin Six Day 2012 – Day Two (0)

I’d forgotten the raw horror of a Frank Zander gig; ‘If I Had a Hammer’ was blasting out at around 11:00 pm and it occurred to me that if you’re a bad musician then Germany is the place to be.

Frank sounds like a guy with a really bad throat infection singing the ‘Worst Europop Album in the World, Ever’ on a karaoke night at the Lochore Miners Welfare – but the crowd love the man, so who am I to criticise?

Berlin Six Day 2012 – Day One (0)

I’m standing on the chair so as I can see over the cabin, Leif Lampater and Roger Kluge are the only pair left to ride in the 1,000 metres time trial.

Roger is smooth, fast, the sling to Leif isn’t perfect but it’s not too bad.

Leif drives but he’s not at his best – it seems like no one is on this first night in Berlin – the digits whirl on the lap board, he sprints up the home straight, 58 seconds.

A Preview of the 101st Berlin Six Day (4)

The Berlin Six Day reached a golden milestone last January with its 100th edition, and the annual festivities will return to the German Capital for the 101st time on Thursday.

Unfortunately Six Day racing continues to be in decline and it’s not something that can solely be laid at the door of the global economy rather just a sad fact of life that times change.

Bremen Six Day – Photo Roundup (0)

Here’s a few photos from the Bremen Six Day that we haven’t used in other articles.

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Six (0)

I’m tidying this piece up on Thursday, we got back at the crack of dawn on Wednesday and I launched straight back into the ‘real world.’

I didn’t have much time to think about anything other than getting round my calls.

But tonight I’ve been taking stock of the Sixes – or in the case of Zurich and Grenoble make that ‘fours.’

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Five (2)

We had Frank Sinatra for the sprint series last night, never a bad thing. Bed was just before midnight and I didn’t get up until 09:00 – just braw. I just about got all of the words and pictures up to date.

It was the usual 20:00-ish kick off; rolling presentation, minor race then into the first chase – it wasn’t a ‘mega.’

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Four (0)

Sunday afternoon at the Bremen Six Day, but no Sunday Post or relaxed breakfast on this watch.

The Dernys drone, the speaker bellows himself hoarse, there’s a wiff of vomit in the air – one of those wasted guys I saw last night must have been creative with where they threw up so the cleaners couldn’t get to it – but there’s a Kool And The Gang medley flowing from the PA – ‘Let’s go Dancin’ and ‘Celebration’ – good sounds, so mustn’t grumble.

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Three (0)

It’s 23:11 and the 500 metre time trial has just finished here at the Bremen Six Day. We’re awaiting the start of the 300 lap chase, and the singer has kicked off. He’s currently butchering ‘Sailing’ – a cool song, not Rod’s version, the original Sutherland Brothers version.

But worse, we just had, ‘Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep’ in Deutsch – it doesn’t come much worse.

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Two (0)

To misquote Shakespeare; ‘that which I greatly feared is upon us.’

Brad hasn’t been taking bottles in the chases thus far and we’d no reason to think he’d start tonight, but he did. Right at the moment his mitted hand clutched that bottle, my heart sank – I’ve lived this nightmare before.

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day One (1)

Bremen, the car park outside the race hall, it’s 02:29 Friday – we’d targeted bed for 03:00 so mustn’t grumble.

First impressions: a nice hall, a proper Six Day venue and despite the fact that an anorak like me thinks that the field is unbalanced, it’s good racing.

Rotterdam Six Day – John’s Photo Album (0)

Our friend John Young, of Fietsenphotography fame, worked at the Rotterdam Six Day this year, and sent us a bunch of photos.

We thought you’d like them!

Rotterdam Six Day 2012 – Day Six (0)

Schep/Stroetinga win, Franco and Mouris second, Stam/Havik third – a result which everyone is pretty happy with.

The Dutch winners are the classic Six Day combo – big, strong, mature, silky smooth Schep and the younger, smaller, more erratic but rapid Stroetinga.

Franco was good – very good, and Mouris is one big, strong, consistent ‘beast of a boy’.

Rotterdam Six Day 2012 – Day Five (3)

Dernys, you love them or you hate them, they’re a big part of the Sixes; and always with a capital ‘D’ – Roger Derny et Fils first manufactured them in Paris, in 1938.

There’s some real Derny history on the boards here – the tall, slim, grey haired man who chases the riders up to their events is Bruno Walrave.