Bike Life Balance

The Six Days of Ghent is special. The history, the intensity, the music, the commentary, the air horns, the hot dogs – it’s all brilliant. Zesdaagse Gent (as it’s known locally) represents everything great about track cycling. It’s accessible, high-octane, world-class bike racing with cheap beer, a liberal dose of cheesy entertainment and none of the corporate rubbish that taints more “polished” events like the recent Six Day London event.

They’ve been racing the Six Days of Ghent on the same track since 1927, and it is onlyused for this event. Everyone in the small crowd (3,000 seats) is there because they love cycling. They want to see their heroes up close and personal. The riders recognise that and play to the crowd with dancing, fist pumps and selfies. This is perhaps the biggest six day event on the world stage but it is played out in a noisy…