43. Bremer 6-Tage-Rennen, Day 2

Day two of the Bremen Sixdays finished last night at 2:30 am, and I was there. What's another 36 euros if one is already around, right? First off, let me say that I tried to take some pictures and videos, but that I was not very successful, but I have learned from the many mistakes I made last night and will try to get some better coverage from here on out. It didn't help that the security team was largely made up of fascists who did not want you to linger for more than a second and a half without finding a seat. Flash photography was also stronly discouraged, to say the least.

A view of the AWD Dome during a derny race. Packed infield and empty stands are the norm.

Atmosphere
The Bremen Sixdays are, of course, infamous for their big parties and lack of interest in cycling. Last night was no exception, the party halls were packed, but the stands were pretty much empty. Not completely, but it was still easy to sit anywhere I wanted whenever I wanted. If you are into cycling, it's great because you can see very well. If you are into partying it's also great because there are multiple huge parties going on.

The riders also look to be having a great time. Riding on a 166 m track must be exciting. The only drawback I could see was that riding through clouds of second-hand smoke is suboptimal, but you probably get used to it quickly. On the other hand, the riders have access to some amenities that might be worth adding to our racing scene at the NSC velodrome as well. The following picture is a blurry mess, but does suggest a few volunteer positions that we may want to fill in Blaine.

Erik Zabel is being interviewed.

Racing
The racing was good and hard. Team Milram are the obvious favorites, and are in the lead after last night. While Erik Zabel is my favorite rider of all time, I have to say that Bruno Risi was the better rider of the two last night. Perhaps that is to be expected, as he has much more sixdays experience than Zabel, but Zabel is no newcomer either. Together, they are hardly beatable, though. Watching Risi spin is something beautiful. Smooth as silk, amazing.

There were plenty of other good riders, but the team I will be cheering for is Team Radio Bremen, with Andreas Kappes and Eric Mohs. Part of that is for historical reasons. Andreas Kappes is a rider from Bremen (although he now lives in Cologne), and as a local rider he is quite popular with the crowd. He is now racing the Bremen Sixdays for the 21st time and has won the race six times, which ties him with Rene Pijnen. That means when he was first racing this race, Reagan was still president. His experience really shows when you see him race. With his 41 years, he does not have the same punch as some of the other riders, but he knows when to be where. But I was perhaps more impressed by his partner, Eric Mohs. The kid is 20 years old (which means that he was not born when Kappes first rode the Bremen Sixdays!) and this is his first professional race. He obviously still has a lot to learn, but he packs a mean punch. He won the 20-lap scratch race last night with a commanding sprint that nobody could answer, and that was without his partner Kappes, who was getting ready for the derny final. Also, he set a new track record for a flying lap at 8.864 sec, beating the previous record, set by Marvulli the previous year with 8.942 sec, by almost 1/10 of a second. I think we will be seeing more of Eric Mohs in the future. Remember, you read it here first. Team Radio Bremen is now in 9th place and probably not a serious contender, but you never know. They have a lot of points, will gain a lap tonight for breaking 100 points, and if they can get back a lap or two, they will suddenly be right up there because of their high point score. Don't count them out.

A future for Chris Ferris?
Derny racing is one of the funner events at sixday races. The riders ride behind a derny (a little motorcycle) for ten minutes plus ten laps, six at a time. It looks passive at first, but the riders are in constant communication with their pacers and really give it their all. Having an experienced derny pacer is invaluable. Below you can see Erik Zabel, who won all derny races last night, and his pacer, whose name escapes me, but who won his 1604th (!) race tonight. That's one thousand six hundred and four races won. It takes not only good riders but tons of experience to help your rider win, and this guy obviously has it. Perhaps Chris Ferris would make a good derny pacer. He has a lot of experience and would get to ride a 650 in the front.



Bonnie Tyler Update
I don't have anything to report on Bonnie today, unfortunately. I was so engrossed with the racing that I completely forgot to head over to Halle 5 to check out her show. I promise to get some video footage soon. Please accept this reminder of her awesomeness instead: