After six nights of racing the final 18 laps decided the winner of the 31st Rotterdam Six, with a late surge securing the overall result for two riders who had lurked close to the top all the way through. It was Iljo Keisse who attacked and within 10 laps he and Terpstra took a decisive lead on the competition.
“We talked about this,” said Keisse. “Against the sprinters we wouldn’t have a big chance so we had try to lap the field. I am happy for us and for the great crowds here that we managed to do just that.”
Multiple Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy won the separate sprint tournament. Before the final night he had a three-points lead on his compatriot Jason Kenny. The younger of the two British sprinters did everything to overcome the gap by winning the team sprint and the individual sprint event. Hoy, a six-times Olympic gold medallist won the 200 metres time trial and by coming in second in the sprint, he kept a one point lead on Kenny.
The top of the leaderboard was very close before heading into the final event: a 45-minute Madison race plus 50 laps. Five pairs were in the same lap with the points difference between the numbers one and five a mere seven points. Before the final 50 laps started all pairs had taken their turn in taking a lap so it was to happen in those 50 closing laps. If nobody lapped the field, points which could be earned in the intermediate sprints were going to decide the winner.
“The other pairs wasted a lot of energy on the sprints,” said Keisse, explaining tactics. The Belgian attacked in an all-or-nothing attempt after the penultimate sprint. He took half a lap in a mere two rounds and completed the winning manoeuvre in ten laps.
He celebrated his seventeenth overall Six-Days victory with a wheelie. “I race Six-Days to win,” his Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Terpstra said. “It was a hard race. In the final everyone was very tired, including us. I am just very happy to see my name on the victory list of a prestigious Six-Days like Rotterdam. This is a great start to 2013.”
The triumph was Keisse/Terpstra’s second win as a team after Amsterdam 2011. Behind them, Wim Stroetinga sprinted to second place with his mate Peter Schep. The defending champions gathered the most points but were one lap down on the winners. Yoeri Havik and Nick Stöpler finished in third place, having to be satisfied with that after leading earlier in the contest.
Rotterdam Six Day, final overall:
1, Iljo Keisse (BEL) / Niki Terpstra (NED) 256 points
2, Wim Stroetinga (NED) / Peter Schep (NED) at 1 lap, 287 points
3, Yoeri Havik (NED) / Nick Stöpler (NED) at 1 lap, 279
4, Michael Mørkøv (DEN) / Pim Ligthart (NED) at 1 lap, 267
5, Gijs Van Hoecke (BEL) / Kenny De Ketele (BEL) at 1 lap, 222
6, Robert Bartko (GER) / Silvan Dillier (CH) at 2 laps, 175
7, Marc Hester (DEN) / Barry Markus (NED) at 11 laps, 72
8, Leif Lampater (GER) / Dylan van Baarle (NED) at 14 laps, 77
9, Melvin Boskamp (NED) / Wesley Kreder (NED) at 16 laps, 101
10, Michael Vingerling (NED) / Geert-Jan Jonkman (NED at 20 laps, 76
11, Nolan Hoffmann (RSA) / Leon van Bon (NED) at 22 laps, 142
12, Tim Veldt (NED) / Bobbie Traksel (NED) at 23 laps, 164