As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was quintessential Six Day drama, and at the end of the night, it was the duo of Morkov and Rasmussen that found their way to glory, one lap up. Stephen Penny takes us inside for a closer look...
- Contributed by Stephen Penny -
The last chase ran for 60 minutes with bonus sprints every 10 laps over the final 50. Danny Stam and Peter Schep held the lead, but they had all the pressure on them with the Bartko/Kluge partnership certain to go on the attack in front of their adoring crowd. Rasmussen/Morkov and Marvulli/Aeschbach started the ‘Finale’ likely needing to gain a lap on Bartko/Kluge and two on the Dutchmen so they’d really need to go for it.
Bartko and Kluge put on a huge effort in a fruitless attempt to come equal on laps, but there was nothing doing against the immense power of Morkov and Rasmussen.
Marvulli and Aeschbach were solid, but a notch below the top two pairings.
As the final chase got underway, it was clear that Stam/Schep had an uphill battle on their hands as their lead was wiped out within the first few minutes. For the next 35 minutes the top teams marked each other lap for lap. At one point Stam did have a chance to work with Marvulli to get back on terms but seemed reluctant to do so and although Marvulli/Aeschbach were willing, the strength of the German and Danish teams were too much for them, and the Dutch, on the 250 metre championship sized track.
There were plenty of fans in the stands and cheerleaders on the floor to keep the track ablaze with noise.
After the first bonus sprint with 40 laps to go Stam/Schep did try to get away, but they couldn’t do so with Bartko fairly easily reeling them in. The race, and the building, caught fire with 33 laps to go though when Rasmussen jumped away with Bartko/Kluge unable to respond. The Danish World Champions were close to catching the bunch when Kluge went off in pursuit. The Danes re-joined the group and had a lap advantage but they had to go straight to the front of the peloton to begin what was in effect a 20 lap pursuit match.
Morkov and Rasmussen are rapidly becoming the preeminent duo in Six Day racing.
The German team were roared on by the home crowd and it was nip and tuck for the next 15 laps as the Germans hung at about ½ a lap behind. With 5 laps to go Kluge somehow managed to summon some extra strength and got to within 50-60 metres of the main field when he handed over to Bartko with 3 laps left. The former World and Olympic Pursuit Champion kept hammering away, but with the field within what seemed like touching distance at the bell the erstwhile strongman could do no more and conceded defeat to the ‘Danish Dynamite’.
Young Roger Kluge put on a fine display in Berlin, but ultimately, Kluge and Bartko couldn't outlast the Danes in their 30 lap pursuit match within the final madison.
In over 25 Six Day races, I’ve never seen one that saw the team who were going for the win chasing the bunch to get level on laps. With points not an issue, the bonus sprints were in effect null and void. The Danes really have learned how to win tough Six Day races after blowing a couple in the past during the final chase. Their last gasp sprint win in Ghent and this late attack and subsequent 5,500 metre chase confirmed they’ll go home to Copenhagen for the Six and 2010 World Madison Championship as the team to beat.
Danny Stam and Peter Schep finished a solid 3rd.
Kluge's Focus bike has a venomous snake adorning its front end. No comment.
What They Said
Alex Aeschbach 4th with Franco Marvulli: “Those guys like Kluge, Rasmussen and Morkov were just too strong on this long track. We tried, but we just couldn’t match there strength!!!”
Franco Marvulli and Alexander Aeschbach were in good spirits. Is Marvelous ever NOT in good spirits?
Michael Morkov (winner): "We had a really hard battle with Robert and Roger and at times I didn’t believe that we could hold on for what was it?.....30 laps. They then attacked at a really good moment and this track is very fast so we were having trouble just to get through the peloton and chase, but we managed to do it and I’m really, really happy we could win this race. I’ve been here every year for the last 10 since racing as a junior then amateur and now as a pro so Berlin is always a big place for me.”
FINAL STANDINGS:
Alex Rasmussen - Michael Morkov (Den) 273 points
@ 1 lap:
Robert Bartko - Roger Kluge (Ger) 310
Danny Stam - Peter Schep (Ned) 188
@ 2 Laps:
Alex Aeschbach - Franco Marvulli (Switz) 225
Leif Lampater - Christian Grasmann (Ger) 164
Andreas Müller (Aut) - Erik Mohs (Ger) 128
@5 laps:
Robert Bengsch – Marcel Kalz (Ger) 142
@ 9 laps
Andreas Beikirch (Ger) - K De Ketele (Bel) 82
Elsewhere Around The Velodrome
Erik Zabel and his wife were in Berlin for 3 nights as the Zabel family was represented in the Junior 3 days (Under 19s) by their 16 year old son Rick. He finished 2nd in this event and has ambitions to race professionally on both the road and track. It was perhaps one of the stranger sights of the last few days watching 6 times Tour green jersey winner carrying his son’s wheels for him, but then again being a parent comes before anything else.
Erik Zabel was a very welcome guest in Berlin.
Also in attendance tonight was none other than ‘Didi the Devil’ of Tour De France fame complete with his full outfit and trident. Fortunately he resisted the temptation to jump on the track and run alongside the riders as he does in the mountains but he remains an unmistakable figure none the less.
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