DAY 5

Day 5,

Just had a talk with a relaxed Glenn O’Shea. Few hours before the start of the fifth session, he is the only pro rider on the track. Don’t have to say that he has the right mentality and is really motivated to bring this mission to a happy end. I can see him already with his mate Iljo on the podium. And if you ask me it should be the top spot.  Keisse and O’Shea are really strong this week, but they must look out for De Ketele-Van Hoecke and Dillier-Bartko. But also the Danish boys Hansen-Hester are still in the running. But they are two laps down.

An extra motivation for Glenn O’Shea is the fact that he will be living in Belgium next season, cause he just signed for the Belgian-Irish team An Post – Sean Kelly of sport director Kurt Bogaert. Let’s hope Glenn can get used to our unpredictable wonderful (lol) summer weather.  

The actual situation before the fifth night:

1 O’Shea – Keisse (308pts), 2 Van Hoecke – De Ketele (305pts), 3 Dillier-Bartko (-1 lap / 205pts)

At the moment the U23 madison has just started, and there are still seven teams in the running for the victory. Although the German team might be the strongest in this field. But it are the Czech riders Kraus-Rugovac from Dukla Praha who started the race in yellow. About five meters away from me I can see a very concentrated coach of the Germans. His name? Lutz Hesslich, the former East German who won two gold medals, sprint, at the Olympics in Moscow and Seoul.

The ranking:

1 Kraus-Rugovac (29pts), 2 Hesslich-Horstmann (16pts), 3 Boudat-Barbeau (-1 lap /87pts)

Tonight the pro riders have following races to ride, they start with a sixty laps points race, which is on now and is won by Tosh Van Der Zande-Leif Lampater. Other races tonight are a missing out, a fastest lap, two Madison races, derny races and a scratch race. In between we have a women’s omnium as well.

So lot’s of fun till 1.15am