The Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent has added four world champions to its entry list with Lotte Kopecky, Shari Bossuyt, Yoeri Havik and Ethan Hayter. Dutchman Havik will form a duo with Fabio Van den Bossche from 15 to 20 November. Hayter will team up with fellow Brit Fred Wright. Belgians Kopecky and Bossuyt are the crowd favourites on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 November in the Fiberklaar Ladies Cup.
The women will get plenty of moments to shine at the Lotto Six Days. The Fiberklaar Ladies Cup starts on Friday with a points race, followed on Saturday by a scratch, elimination and another points race. Belgians’ two leading ladies have confirmed their appearance. Lotte Kopecky is the reigning European champion on the elimination and points race and added a world title on the elimination at the recent world championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. Paired with Shari Bossuyt, the duo also took the world title on the madison. On the road Kopecky also enjoyed an outstanding season with wins including the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche.
Ethan Hayter too had a stellar season on both the road and the track. The 24-year-old Brit won the Tour de Pologne as well as two stages in the Tour de Romandie, took a second consecutive British time-trial title and just fell short of taking a time-trial medal at the world championships in Australia. At the world track championships in France, however, Hayter did claim two gold medals. With Team Great Britain he took the title on the team pursuit and individually he grabbed the rainbow jersey in the omnium.
At the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Hayter will form a tandem with fellow Brit Fred Wright. The attack-minded 23-year-old was a prominent fixture of the Tour de France and established his arrival with seventh place in the Tour of Flanders. As an under-23 rider Wright collected several European titles on the track.
Yoeri Havik is the new points race world champion. In Ghent the 31-year-old Dutchman is paired with the 22-year-old Belgian Fabio Van den Bossche, who took the bronze in the same points race.
