The 79th edition of the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent is shaping up to be a thriller with six tandems on the lead lap. Kenny De Ketele and Robbe Ghys are out in front at the halfway mark, defending a lead of just one point.
Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt started day three as the leaders, but after the team elimination the had to cede first place to Yoeri Havik and Jan-Willem Van Schip. The Dutchmen didn’t keep their lead for long, as after the first madison Kenny De Ketele and Robbe Ghys took the command. That madison was won by Jasper De Buyst and Tosh Van der Sande.
Earlier Fabio Van Den Bossche won the first points race ahead of Mark Cavendish. Their respective team-mates would also rake in the points. Van Den Bossche’s partner Marc Hester took down the scratch while Iljo Keisse, Cavendish’s team-mate, lit up the Kuipke track by winning the second derny race. The first derny race was won by Kenny De Ketele.
The French-Danish pair Morgan Kneisky/Oliver Wulff Frederiksen also took home several event wins, by conquering the one-lap time-trial and the 500 metres. At just 19 years of age Frederiksen proved to be the fastest time-trialist at the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent for two days in a row.
In the second and last madison Jules Hesters and Otto Vergaerde claimed victory, with only Van Schip/Havik and Kluge/Reinhardt managing to stay on the same lap. In the closing derny final Jasper De Buyst took a commanding win ahead of Iljo Keisse and Kenny De Ketele.
The mixed results of Thursday resulted in a tantalising classification at the halfway mark, with six tandems on the lead lap. De Ketele/Ghys lead with 144 points. They are chased by Van Schip/Havik (143 points), Vergaerde/Hesters (135 points), De Buyst/Van der Sande (130 points), Keisse/Cavendish (120 points) and Kluge/Reinhardt (87 points).
