Sixdays cycling - Sechs Tage Rennen

Munich's 42nd Sixdays track cycling competition starts at the Olympiapark on Thursday - 10.Nov.2005.

This is the largest track cycling event in Europe and one of the highlights of the Munich sporting year. Now, you might be thinking, "What on Earth is so interesting about watching cyclists going round and round in circles? More boring than F1 surely?" Well, actually, track cycling is interesting and this "6 Tage Rennen" event makes for a great spectator event.



About track cycling

Track cycling is a form of cycle racing held on specially-built banked tracks or velodromes. The bikes used are 'fixed wheel', i.e. they have no gears. This means that the cyclist must choose his gearing carefully before the race. The gearing must allow them to cruise at 60 Km/h, but also to accelerate from stand-still. At full speed the legs are flying like you wouldn't believe!

There are numerous formats to the races. There is the Individual Pursuit, the Team Pursuit, Sprint, Points Race, Madison, Keirin, and the Devil-Take-the-Hindmost race. None of these races are timed. Instead the cyclists race against each other and the first to cross the finish line wins. This leads to all sorts of tactical play as the racers move in and out of each other's slipstream. In the team events two competitors from the same team can grab hold and give each other a 'sling shot'.

There is even a certain race where the cyclists actually stand on the start line, stationary, with feet in the pedals, for as long as possible before racing off. The idea is that the first person to start is usually the one who looses. So they all hang back deliberately and try to psych each other out. The first to break will lead initially. But the followers will be carried in his slipstream only to overtake at the last minute. Apparently the longest ever race took nearly an hour! For something like 59 minutes the cyclists were stationary then the race was all over one minute and one lap later.

Other entertainments:

In addition to the racing there are a whole bunch of other entertainments. DJ Karsten Kiessling from Radio Gong will be taking care of the PA and warming up the crowd. There will also be various light shows, BMX bike acrobatics, and music.

Dates and times:

Thursday to Tuesday inclusive, 10th to 15th November 2005.

Doors open 6.30 on weekdays, 12 noon on the Saturday and 2.30pm on the Sunday.

Tickets are €10 to €40 depending on day, time, and seating. They can be bought online in advance (see weblink below) or at the door.

Olympiapark München, Olympiahalle
Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21, 80809 München
Take the U-Bahn U3 North to Olympiapark.

Website: 6 Tage Rennen

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Some comments posted to TT about last year's event...

Just a couple of corrections: the keirin is not in the schedule, but the derny is. The derny is a race consisting of individual racers being paced behind mopeds driven by fat Belgian men. It's noisy and smelly, but the fastest-paced of the events.

The madison takes two formats. One format is is a set lap distance, but the other is timed, often 20 minutes plus 5 laps, sometimes longer. The first across the line is not necessarily the winner, as riders are not always on the same lap--in fact, the ultimate goal is to gain laps on your competition, and points in intermediate sprints throughout the event (and at the finish, which is double points). These laps and points accumulate over the 6 nights to crown an eventual winner at the finish. Events such as the flying lap, derny, pursuit, miss and out (devil take the hindmost) are all opportunities to gain points. 100 points gives the equivalent of a gained lap and teams on the same lap are ranked according to points to establish a hierarchy. Confusing? At first, but if you watch carefully and pay attention to the scoreboard it all becomes clear as muddy water. I love it, and will be there at least twice. I must be a strange one because I go for the racing and not for the party. This year is special because Eric Zabel will be competing--Eric is the most consistently best German rider of his generation on the road, and I'm looking forward to seeing him on the track, where he is no stranger.

The sprints are a separate competition, with separate riders and a separate classification. Most competitors are olympic medalists.

I'll probably be going, but I'm not sure on what days. Anyone else want to go with?

i went last year and thought it would be kinda boring but it was actually a lot of fun

i'll be going because my wife is a professional cyclist (road, not track). What's the deal with the prices? Is it 10-40 for one day? Or can you buy a ticket for the whole event and come back for several days?

@joelion...who does your wife ride for?

I'm sure there's a package price for all 6 nights but you'd have to be a big fan to see that much roundy-round racing. Otherwise, single day tix are definitely available.

There is a couple of British guys riding Rob Hayles and Mark Cavendish

Standing room only I think is the way to go. theres snough to drink and see, without the racing. If you plan on watching all the races, get a seat. otherwise, Its really not worth it.
Kit and I went last year, and we sat for 20 min out of the 3 hours we were there.

Kera, Kit and I are heading out in a few minutes. My lady decided having a place to sit was what she wanted. Got to do what the women want when they're willing to go to bike races. No?