Six Day London

A Six Day race is an elite track cycling competition featuring some of the world’s best professional riders. Six Day events also offer a unique, party like atmosphere, providing great music and entertainment as a backdrop to the drama on the track.

The Competition

Teams of two riders fight tooth and nail over six consecutive evenings.

Each evening, there are multiple races across a variety of sprint and endurance disciplines.

In some disciplines it is possible for teams to lap the field. This is known as ‘taking a lap’. Taking laps lifts a team up the overall standings.

As well as trying to take laps, teams also race to accumulate points in each discipline. These are vital to establish the overall lead, known as the ‘general classification’.

The team that has taken the most laps on the rest of the field will lead the general classification, but should teams find themselves on the same number of laps then the number of points will decide who wins.


Types of Races

Madison

The Madison is the backbone of Six Day Racing and can feature twice during each evening session. Riding in pairs, each team member takes turns to race at high speed until he brings his teammate into the action by means of a ‘hand-sling,’ a skill originally developed in the early days of Six Day racing. Highly tactical and supremely skillful, the opening Madison requires the riders in each team to fight for points in a series of intermediate sprints and at the finish line whilst attempting to pick their moment during the race to catch the rest of the field unawares and take a lap. In the second Madison, often the closing event each night, riders are freed from the need to chase points in intermediate sprints and can concentrate solely on taking laps over the opposition.


Elimination Race

Unlike every other discipline in Six Day, in the Elimination race the action is all at the back of the race. After a short warm-up, every two laps the last rider over the line is eliminated until only two teams remain. Once the final two teams remain, an exciting cat and mouse sprint ensues to take maximum points. Typically, only one rider per team takes part and riders cannot take a lap on their opponents in the Elimination.


Derny Race

In the Derny race, a single rider from the top eight teams lines up behind a motor-pacer piloting a specially designed moped or ‘derny’ for a straight race to the line. The slipstreaming effect of the derny means that high speeds, and phenomenal changes in pace characterise this discipline. Tactics are sometimes decided in advance between the rider and the pacer, as communication on the limit of physical endurance can be tricky. Two heats take place per night for each team member and the overall result decides which team takes away the most points.


Team Time Trial

For the Team Time Trial, all out speed and the perfect hand-sling are the ingredients necessary for success against the clock over two-laps. Each team takes to the track alone. The first rider will go ‘all-out’ to get up to top speed before throwing in their teammate who, having gained the speed advantage of slipstreaming his partner, will finish the effort. The team with the fastest time earns maximum points.


Super Sprint

The Super Sprint resembles the Elimination Race. Teams have to be smart to stay close to the front as the last riders are removed from the race on Elimination laps. Unlike the Elimination Race though, six teams remain to fight it out in the ‘Super Sprint’ to the line for full points.