Six-day racing

The six-day race is a popular event in track cycling. Various competitions usually between twelve and two more teams will take place over the span of six days, including as the main competition, the two - team approach ( also internationally Madison or Americaine called ).

• 2.1 Madison / Americaine (two - team approach)
• 2.2 ratings

History

The beginnings

The idea of ​​a six-day race originated in England, where it was discharged as a " product test " for high wheels in Birmingham since 1875. Initially, only single riders at the start, who drove a car from Monday to Saturday, twelve hours a day were. Because of the Sunday rest the races were limited to six days.

1879, the six-day race was exported to the U.S. and found there as well as a one-man race around the clock instead. Each driver drove for themselves and could decide when he wanted to go or rest. At the end of the six days of drivers won with the most kilometers covered. Often the races were decided after a few days because the drivers were 100 kilometers and more apart. Already in 1881 a one-man Six Days was on high wheels in Australia, in Melbourne, discharged. In the United States there were in 1896 a six-day race with female participation, a year later in the UK even a twelve- day race, but in which the participants drove only two to four hours a day. The winner was the driver who had traveled to the six days, the longest distance.

However, this form of the six-day race, proved to be unattractive for spectators. The organizers of the New York race prevalent in 1898 in the press that the driver had gone mad because of the inhumane effort. The spectators themselves would take a picture, so that the Madison Square Garden was well attended on the following day. In the long run, however, was seen in the individual competition no way to inspire the audience. Therefore, scattered the following year by the organizers of the rumor that the NYPD would no longer tolerate such Menschenschinderei. For this reason, one is now forced to start teams of two.

Six Days as a two person team driving

The first six-day race in today's conventional shape with two teams took place in 1899 at Madison Square Garden instead (hence the names Madison and Americaine for the two - team approach). In fact, the two - team driving is not only the core competition of today's six-day race, but was in the early days of the six-day race the exclusive form of competition.

In Europe, the first six-day race was held on 15 March 1909 in the exhibition halls at the Berlin Zoo. 15 riders competed for 144 hours on a 150 -meter-long wooden path around the doped with 5000 Goldmark victory to Floyd MacFarland and Jimmy Morgan shared. In a former book on the Six Days says:

" Six Days? What's this? Is it sport, it's game, it's a miracle or it is a delusion, a need, an evil or a necessary evil? Maybe a bit of everything in its basic form, at least a reflection of the struggle, we unconsciously and consciously lead in everyday life. Everything we experience in our existence to good and evil, of ups and downs, to hopes and disappointments, to fulfillment and redemption takes place within the framework of a race from which, over a working week protracted, the last required of the one who will remain winner in this fight against the other, against fatigue, against the serpent of failure and despondency. "

In Berlin in 1914 introduced by the Berlin journalists and cycling functionary Fredy Budzinski the score for the two's team driving, which was known why for a long time as the "Berlin Score ": In Appreciation sprints had to be fought for points, the number of the ranking of the teams certain at the end of the long race. It proved to be crucial for the further development of the two team driving from a mere six days discipline towards an official track cycling discipline.

In the United States, this rating system passed through the driver MacFarland. The Illustrated racing sports describes the system: " So you did in Berlin [ ... ] at the end of the race still lying together teams extend 10 rating spurts and thus determined the victorious team. This method [ ... ] is [ ... ] in America finally advanced so that not less than 195 rating fights were extended during the last Newyorker six-day race. "

Period of National Socialism

After the German Cyclists' Federation ( DRV) had adopted new competition rules on 1 January 1934, the six-day race for riders and spectators were in Germany unattractive: Driver salaries had been unified, it was not allowed to be driven around the clock, jersey advertising was prohibited. Stars from abroad remained out because of low salaries, and thus the viewers. Two still carried out in Germany in 1934 races were therefore deficient for the organizers. In Germany took until 1949 for the first six-day race after the war instead.

Six Days Today

Until the 1960s, the races were actually discharged six days without interruption. Due to the enormous burden of the driver and a change in viewing behavior find races now take place only during the evening hours. In addition to the two - team driving a mix of team and individual competitions will be offered.

Each six-day race has individual character and its own history. Social programs are sometimes so abundant that some current events are classified as more than folk festivals as sports competitions, while in others the sporting event clearly stands in the foreground. The riders accomplish though in each case sporting excellence.

Rules

There are various "disciplines" be played in two - team trial over 30, 45 and 60 minutes (so-called " hunts " ), Derny race, points race, elimination race. The core competitive form still stick to the rules of the two - team driving discharged " hunts ". The in other competitions such as ( Points race, Derny race, excretion driving, lap record, driving, etc.) the results obtained are respectively added to the other points.

The number of contracts to be in the individual competitions points differs according to their importance and is statically defined in the regulations of the International Cycling Union.

• Madison, for 45 minutes or longer: 25, 15, 10, 6, 4, 2 points.
• Madison less than 45 minutes: 15, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 points.
• Special competitions ( without Dernyrennen ): 15, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 points.
• In Dernyrennen the score changes also depend on the number of participants between 15, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points.

It can be achieved in the hunts round profits by lapping the entire field of drivers. The winner is the team " in the clear round " with the most points, which means: Round profitability before point gain among the teams that are approximately equal in leadership ( = " freeze " ), with the most points wins. So a team is with 20 round wins and 150 points, ahead of a team with 18 round wins and 300 points. As soon as the latter creates the missing two round wins, she is ahead.

According to the regulations of the International Cycling Union for Six Days Around profits receive additional compensation for each 100 points. This provision only applies to the last "hunt" the final eight, are extended in the ratings with double points.

Madison / Americaine (two - team approach)

Two drivers form a team (for some events, such as Stuttgart, Rotterdam, formerly Zurich is also driven in groups of three teams). In principle, the race works like a relay race in track and field. Of the two (or three) riders there is always only one in the race, that is in the standings. The driver peel away, in principle, the separation distance according to any done. However, since both riders remain on the web in general, constantly lapped the one driver to the other and the separation is due to the velocity ratio - 35: 50 - about every two to two and a half rounds.

A particular technical difficulty is the two - team driving the replacement dar. Since the present in the race driver usually approaches the detaching driver at a much higher speed, it is more efficient to give him the " momentum " in any form, as the energy as in detachment of wasting "on sight". Today, this is done by the so-called spin handle, wherein the high speed coming from behind the driver pushes the front driver who holds on to his outstretched hand or " subtract " the race / pulls ( " throws ").

Since the decisive round gains and losses achieved in the Madison, it is in these competitions to the heart of a six day race. In general, these competitions are also referred to as hunts.

Ratings

Among the points that will be scored in the Madison and special competitions listed above, the points of the so-called votes are counted. Originally points were awarded alone in these ratings. It ( calculated after rounding ) at predetermined time points extended points ratings. The team reached their drivers as first the finish line the lap in question, receives 5 ​​points, the next 3, 2, 1 points.

In part, sprinting in Madison be integrated.

• In Madison's within the six day race with the same number of laps then that team is the winner that has scored the most points sprinting, not necessarily the team that wins the final sprint. This assessment points are thus only basis for calculating the Madison and not for the general classification. The top ranked teams will receive points but according to the above scheme.
• In the last " hunting " of a six-day race, the votes take place with double points ( 10, 6, 4, 2 Ptke ). These points count full to Total scores as normal rating points also. Moreover Around profits can be made here.

Venues

In Germany currently only two six-day race in Bremen and Berlin are held. First, a revival of Cologne Six Days in November 2012 was planned. In February 2012, the race was canceled due to a serious illness of the organizer Christian Stoll and announced in 2013, but even this new edition has been canceled .. In recent years, the same had several traditional competitions such as Dortmund, Stuttgart or Munich due to lack of main sponsors, image problems of professional - cycling or lack of support of the venues are set. Also for 2011, the newly announced race in Hannover had to be canceled as well as the already in the status of preparation befundene in 2011 race at Herne regarding the opening times because of differences with the approval authority for the above- mentioned disease of the organizer Christian Stoll. The town of Herne wanted to approve the event only until 23:00 clock.

Among the other European venues of Six Days include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Fiorenzuola d' Arda, Copenhagen, Ghent, Grenoble and Zurich. As a prelude to the 2012 Olympics, a six-day race was the first time in about 30 years back planned in London from 2 to 7 March 2010, which had to be canceled but also due to lack of sponsors. After 2014 the Olympic velodrome can be used for such events at the latest, a six-day race in London is also planned for the six-day season 2014/2015 again.

In October 2013 was held the Hollywood Cycling Championship of Cycling Sports Center in Carson, the first multi-day track cycling competition after the Six-Day kind in the United States after 40 years (the last six-day race took place in 1973 in Detroit ). The organizer is the former U.S. Six-Day rider Jack Simes, who himself had occupied the second place in Detroit. Among the starters are located next to American young drivers known names such as Franco Marvulli, Christian Grasmann, Leif Lampater and Marcel Barth.