On Wednesday, Iljo Keisse became a father for the first time; amidst all of the swirling uncertainties in his career and the upcoming decision that will decide his fate for the near future, the native of Gent saw all of that fade away for just a moment.
"This makes me forget all the problems," said the 27 year old to Sporza.
Of course, the birth of his son, Jules, was a moment of great joy, but the date of Keisse's decision looms, and while his 'problems' took a backseat for a little while, they still weren't too far off of the former Gent Six Day winner's thoughts.
"I should know no later than November 15th. It can be before then though - at this point, I expect it at any time," said the track specialist on Belgium's Radio 2.
Keisse is not the only one looking forward to the upcoming decision. Gent Six Day director, Patrick Sercu, is waiting eagerly to see if the event's native son will be able to take part in the race, which is held November 23-28.
"We do not know if Iljo will be able race. His participation remains a question mark," said the Six Day legend in a conversation with La Derniere Heure.
Since testing positive at the Gent Six two years ago, Keisse has fought the decision by all legal means, at one point, he was allowed to return to racing, but then that decision was overturned, resulting in the Belgian resuming his suspension. The decision, expected no later than the 15th from the Belgian Court of Appeals in Brussels, will be the final word in Keisse's saga.
Whether or not Keisse will be able to race, Sercu can, as always, promise a glittering field for arguably the most prestigious Six Day race on the calendar.
"There will be the latest winner, Danes Rasmussen and Morkov, Kenny De Ketele and Tim Mertens, the Germans Robert Bartko and Danilo Hondo, Franco Marvulli, Peter Schep, Morgan Kneisky…"