GHENT STAR KEISSE WON'T GET IT ALL HIS OWN WAY

Ghent track
By
published

Home favourite Iljo Keisse and his German partner Robert Bartko will find themselves playing catch-up at the Ghent Six tonight.

Friday's fourth night was a thriller and has left the event on a knife-edge. The second Madison of the evening saw Swiss duo Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli take an all important lap on Keisse and Bartko.

Ziljaard's trademark is to turn to his rider and make an exaggerated gesture as if to say: "Come on, let's go."

Wiggins did his fair share of 'come on, let's go' gestures too and at the finish it was a little tighter than he would have liked but he edged the win over Belgium's Steve Deneef.

Third place in the second 40-minute Madison showed Cavendish is getting better ever night - which bodes well for next weekend's World Cup meeting in Sydney, where Wiggins and Cavendish will again team up for the Madison.

Wiggins highlighted how quickly Cavendish's track form is coming on after an end-of-season break and a holiday.

"This is like a stage race for him, he's getting stronger every night and hopefully this week will really pay off when we get to Sydney," he said.

"We've had a couple of very good Madisons and the partnership is beginning to gel."

Rod Ellingworth, who coaches Britain's Olympic Academy squad, has been a demanding task-master for the young British pair Adam Blythe and Peter Kennaugh, who lie second in the UIV Cup for under-25 riders.

Ellingworth brought Cavendish to ride the under-23 event with Matt Brammeier in 2004, an experience the coach remembers with a smile. "He had a bit of a torrid time that week, I remember, but he's come on a bit now, eh?"

They led after the first night but now find themselves behind Belgians Davy Tuytens and Tosh Van der Sande. The format is a series of flying-lap time trials and 200-lap Madison races and now Britain's best hopes of victory are to take a lap in the Madison, but it's going to be difficult.

"They're learning so quickly," said Ellingworth, who believes in the educational value of the Ghent Six. "They're both strong but they need to work on their decision-making at times, and that's what we're doing. We've been videoing each session and watching it back the following afternoon but really it's all about them seeing for themselves where they're going wrong and learning from it every night.

"It will be hard to take a lap but they need to pick their moments carefully by waiting and making the other teams make the moves or do the chasing."

Cycling Weekly

Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.