Theo Bos (Rabobank) has been forced to withdraw on the final day of the Rotterdam Six-Days, suffering from bronchitis and fever. The Dutch sprinter, and partner Peter Schep, were just 7 points behind race leaders Ijlo Keisse and Danny De Ketele going into the final night’s competition.
Bos and Schep led the competition by a long after the fourth night, with 206 points and were one lap ahead of Danny Stam and Leon van Bon (151pts) and Robert Bartko and Pim Ligthart (134pts); Keisse and De Ketele were languishing in fourth place, two laps down, on 177 points.
With Bos not feeling well at all yesterday evening though, the pair only managed to collect a further 22 points and they lost their lap lead. A good night from Keisse and De Ketele saw the Belgian pair gain a lap and outscore the others to take the lead.
Schep was introduced to the Rotterdam crowd for the final evening’s racing alone.
Although Bos has now switched to the road he is retaining his track roots; he hopes to represent the Netherlands in the upcoming World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, where he will partner Schep in the Madison.
Bos’ retirement leaves the door open for Keisse and De Ketele to take the overall victory, with Stam and Van Bon sitting 19 points behind them. Bartko and Ligthart are poised on 192 points though, and will be awarded a lap if and when they reach 200.
With the International Cycling Union (UCI) declaring that Keisse’s presence at the event to be illegal though, he will not appear on the official UCI ratified result.
"I will not officially the winner,” the Quick Step rider admitted to Sporza, “but for myself and all those people who have been here, I will be."
While it would give the 28-year-old Belgian a good deal of satisfaction to at least be at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the event, he realises that his “victory” is no foregone conclusion with the top four teams so closely matched.
"It would be a sort of revenge after all the things that have happened,” he said. “But I still need to win, of course. That is easier said than done.”
Rotterdam Six-Days – standings after day 5
1. Kenny De Ketele – Iljo Keisse 235pts
2. Peter Schep – Theo Bos 228
3. Danny Stam – Leon van Bon 216
4. Robert Bartko – Pim Ligthart 192
5. Michael Morkov – Jens Erik Madsen @ 1 lap 203