The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, the Ballerup Super Arena, I heave Franco forward as the opening one hour chase gets the last six day of the 2009/10 season under way. Once again, Ed Hood is on the scene, working hard, and doing his best to take us inside that one of a kind world known as a Six Day.
Speaking of big guns, they're all here - classy Leif Lampater; six day king, Bruno Risi in his last race; Franco Marvulli - when Bruno is gone, he'll be the Daddy with 29 wins from 90 starts; bear on wheels, Robert Bartko; class personified, Iljo Keisse; 'Flying Dutchmen' Danny Stam and Peter Schep and last, but certainly not least - world and defending Copenhagen six day champions Michael Morkov and Alex Rasmussen of Denmark. Oh yeah, and Colby Pearce with the inimitable - Daniel Holloway.
It's a luxury gig for us runners - a hotel room with a shower; they'll spoil us!
Former six day king, Danny Clark drives dernys now and sits opposite us at breakfast; with 74 wins off 236 starts, he's second only to Patrick Sercu in the wins stakes, but with 236 starts, he's the man who did the most laps - not including this race, Bruno has ridden 185.
Danny drives a derny at the Six now, but he still finds time for a little riding as well.
There's work to do, the big cabin has been sorted out, but the track cabins all need to be set up - and Alex and Michael's jerseys need Saxo Bank logos heat sealed on to them - all 12 of them; that's three 'Danmark' number 7 jerseys each plus three rainbow jerseys each for the chases and presentations.
Franco has missed a flight connection in Prague and Kris tells us that our Swiss hero might miss the start - oops!
Former winner, Jimmi Madsen is on the race staff and such a nice guy; I remember when he won here in 2005, I was terrified of him - and his evil eyes.
Jimmy Madsen with Mini-Morkov and Smith Larsen.
There are all the loose ends; Alex's shades, we need more Coke - but Franco breezes in and that stress evaporates. The tension cranks up as the hour approaches, Michael with his usual attention to detail has new socks and mitts ready - top men have to look tops.
The early chase music is good; Rick James, Sylvester, The Tramps but it soon gives way to Europop - meanwhile, up on the pine, there's a lot of hurt going down. Nobody is sparkling, the field look like cyclo crossers slogging through mud; trouble is that there's no sprint series or points race to loosen the legs - this is Copenhagen, home of a traditional six day and six days start with a one hour chase!
Daniel Holloway.
Daniel Holloway is streaming the race live on 'YouStream' - whatever that is; us old guys struggle to keep up with all this new technology.
I just hope no one was taking lap times.
As well as Michael Morkov, we have his younger brother, Jesper (aka 'Mini-Morkov') up on the boards, he's paired with Andreas Muller of Austria; we also have youngest brother Jacob helping in the cabins - until the blonde cutie with the pony tail turns up, that is.
Alex and Michael take the flying lap, but they're outside 13 seconds.
As well as Jimmi Madsen, we have other Danish stars of yesteryear in the house; Rolf Sorensen, Michael Sandstod, Soren Lilholt, Gert Frank, Bo Hamburger - all good bike riders (if some a little 'colourful')
If you've worked a few sixes, the dernys wash over you; you don't even notice the noise - the crowd loves them, though.
Speaking of the crowd - where is it? Maybe Friday will be better, folks don't have to get up for work, next day.
You might not be able to quite pick it out, but the lady in the stands is knitting.
Thre's an unusual event on the programme, a 15 lap derny, like a 'mega keirin' with half the field up, the derny winds it up faster than keirin for a dozen laps, then pulls off and the mad charge starts - it works well, I can see that one catching on.
During the last chase, once the pee pails are emptied, the bottles washed and the first of the washing sent down, I get to chatting about beer with the Belgian mechanics.
The one and only: West Vleteren Trappist.
A year or two ago, the Flemish beer, West Vleteren Trappist was voted the best beer in the world; but before you head for the exotic hooch shop, you should be aware that you must phone the Abbey where it is brewed to make an appointment, give them your car registration number and arrive at the appointed hour to collect your allocation of the brew. Arrive late, in the wrong car or try and make more than one visit per month and it's 'red card.' Get Googling!
And then it's the all over; I've forgotten that Michael will need a clean rainbow jersey for the TV interview after the race - they're all in the wash, oops!
Did I tell you we have ten riders?
No?
I'll tell you about it tomorrow, then.
ciao, ciao.
Day Two
Who says that there's no sentiment in pro six day racing? Bruno Risi has just presented a beautifully engraved Swiss Army knife to his mechanic Eddie, thanking him for all the work he's done over the years - nice.
Bruno: one last six and then it is done.
I was going to tell you about our ten riders - Alex Rasmussen and Michael Morkov (Denmark), reigning world madison champions and defending their 2009 Copenhagen Six crown; Franco Marvulli (Switzerland), only Risi is more successful of the present generation of six day men; Daniel Kreutzfeld (Denmark), the world points silver medallist; Jesper Morkov, Michael's little brother, who's off to race in Paris for 2010, thanks to former Gent - Wevelgem winner and fellow Dane, Lars Michaelsen; Danish world team pursuit champion, Michael Faerk; fellow team pursuit gold medallist Jens Erik Madsen is also with us; yet another two Danish Michaels - Berling and Smith Larsen; Berling was second in England's answer to Paris - Roubaix last year, the UCI rated Rutland Classic, a race which includes farm yards in its parcours and actually has spectators; and last, but not least, Germany's six day specialist Christian Grasmann.
Two Michaels: Berling and Smith Larsen.
Good news for Ed and Martyn, Michael Morkov has talked the organiser out of the two different jerseys routine - nice one, Michael.
Michael was telling me about his Saxo Bank programme today: Paris-Nice, Milan-Sanremo, and the Tour of Romandie all lead him to the Giro - he's delighted that the team has the faith in him to let him ride these races.
Morkov and Rasmussen engage in a roller duel.
It was a rolling presentation tonight, much better than last night's individual job, it lets the guys warm up properly, before the big efforts.
The first madison wasn't too savage and a better crowd helped the atmosphere, including some diners at the track centre tables; their enjoyment of the racing aided by some nice red wines.
Martyn had me under strict instructions that I had to get pitures of him rubbing world champion's legs; Marvulli, scratch and madison; Madsen, team pursuit - will that do, boy?
There's a sprinter's competition here, with local guys who warm up and down, endlessly but don't race much and don't seem to be going that fast.
I remember at Berlin, a few years ago, the home boy sprinter, Laudberg won the flying lap every night; it was like the Trans-Siberia Express passing.
The band, this year is Ole Steens, I don't speak Danish, but I think this translates as; 'there's no song we can't murder!'
The Noise, I mean, band.
I asked Martyn if he'd done any derny pushing off; he had, at Munich, under the auspices of soigneur and Endura Racing DS, Gary Beckett.
Martyn had asked for guidance from Gary; 'it's not rocket science, son!'
Iljo arrived at the cabin with a plumb line and a measuring tape, I immediately thought that maybe one of our bikes was illegal and Iljo was going to trim the field with the help of the UCI commissaire, but it transpires that he likes the look of Alex and Michael's Principias and would like Eddy Merckx to build him something similar, for the Worlds.
Iljo Keisse measures Alex and Michael's Principias - he likes them.
Michael Morkov won the derny and Martyn wanted the glory of taking the winner's hat and bottle round to the finish line for the presentation, but it was Jacob who muscled in and got to stand next to the cutie who presents the flowers, for a couple of seconds.
A thing that I didn't realise, until Gent, was the amount of oil that the little two stroke motor bikes pump out through their exhausts - Michael's new custom Specialized shoes needed a good clean after that one.
Hollywood arrived, just after that and told me that I missed some bits on the shoes - that dude is trouble!
Hollywood.
Jeez! is that noise an animal being slaughtered, somewhere? no, it's just Ole Steens' second gig of the night.
Grasmann felt a little sick, race official and ex-winner Jimmi Madsen was very sympathetic; 'what's this about you supposed to being sick, Grasmann?'
The flying lap; Michael launches Alex - 13:03, no contest, and Martyn even got to take the hat round.
Clean shoes? World Champion Morkov displays his beautiful Arc en Ciel shoes.
Another of those 15 lap derny sprints, Argentinean singer/song writer/Hammond organ player/cyclist, Sebastian Donadio won it; I've seen less fuss at world champions laps of honour - as he rolled round wrapped in the pale blue and white of the Argentinean flag.
Time for the 'Gigant-Spurt' this used to be called the 'Ballustrade sprint' and involves the whole field tracking the fence in line astern, lead by Hollywood impersonating an F 16 as Dario G's 'Sun Chyme' blasts out - you have to be here, but it's cool.
'Cara mia mine, must we say goodbye?' and it's chase time, but a different chase from last night, fast, concentrated - good racing, with a super fast finale.
As Iggy Pop's 'Real Wild Child' blasts; the tyre noise lifts to a roar and men fight for their lives, a lady sits knitting - Kris ain't happy!
Early in the big chase, I made the long march to the toilets to empty and sterilise the pee pails; I had them laid out on the floor when a blind guy with a stick and no English came in; 30 seconds of me trying to second guess his next move and avoid a real messy accident ensued - it's not easy, this job.
'You wore a tie, like Richard Gere,' pumps out of the PA - profound lyrics from Alcazar; as up on the boards it's going critical mass.
'It's a bit on, now' observes Martin - damn right!
Bruno matches the music; 'an oldie but goodie,' his arm raises in victory, seconds later, Franco crosses the line and gives us his best Lou Ferigno pose.
Franco practiced his best Lou Ferigno earlier in the day, then unleashed it in earnest at the end of the night.
That was more like it!
Split session tomorrow; afternoon and evening - feel sorry for me !
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