The hundredth anniversary edition of the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent will also be Iljo Keisse’s last. The Keizer van het Kuipke is entering his last weeks as an active rider. The 39-year-old from Ghent wants to have one last blast in his Kuipke and will attempt to secure his eighth final victory with Jasper De Buyst at his side.
In 2005, Iljo Keisse won the Lotto Six Days for the first time with his teammate Matthew Gilmore. This was followed by six victories with a foreign teammate: in 2007 and 2008 it was German Robert Bartko, in 2010 Dutchman Peter Schep, in 2012 Australian Glenn O’Shea, in 2015 Dane Michael Morkov and in 2018 Italian Elia Viviani.
From 15 to 20 November, Keisse will be paired with Jasper De Buyst in search of an eighth overall victory. De Buyst also knows the ropes. The 28-year-old rider from Flemish Brabant won the Lotto Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent together with German Leif Lampater in 2013 and a year later he repeated the feat with Kenny De Ketele.
Last year, De Buyst took second place together with Roger Kluge. This year, the German will team up with compatriot Theo Reinhardt. Kluge and Reinhardt are the reigning European team race champions. At the past World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, Kluge took silver in the points race. The names of the other participating duos in Ghent will be announced in the coming weeks.
The hundredth anniversary of the Lotto Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent – the first edition dates back to 1922 – will be an exceptional and festive edition. Numerous distinguished guests from the rich history of the Ghent Six Days will make their appearance. Het Kuipke itself will be completely decorated in a ‘centenary theme’, both the velodrome and catacombs.
A limited number of tickets and VIP tickets are still on sale. For those who do not have one yet, be quick. Order them on www.lottozesdaagse.be
Four days after the Lotto Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent, Iljo Keisse will really say goodbye to cycling during Merci Iljooo. He will ride together with many top riders such as Ganna, Cavendish, Morkov, Fabio Van den Bossche… And Jasper De Buyst. Iljo will also be feted extensively; in short, it will be one big party. For more info and tickets, go to www.merciljo.be.
