Our favourite velodromes; ‘t Kuipke in Ghent, Belgium

‘t Kuipke is located in the Belgian city of Ghent at Citadelpark, near the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts. This cycling track hosts the yearly Six Days of Ghent (Lotto Zesdaagse Vlaanderen Gent, a world-famous cycling event.

Cycling enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with ’t Kuipke. This cycling track hosts the yearly Six Days of Ghent, a world-famous track cycling event. With a length of 166 metres, ‘t Kuipke is one of the shortest cycling tracks in the Six Days circuit. This means that you as a spectator can see the entire track. At 52%, the bends are exceptionally sharp, which means that Ghent also has one of the fastest tracks in Europe. ’t Kuipke is only open to visit during events.

In the beginning, back in the 1890s, Six Day races were just that, six days or 144 hours of continuous racing, with the rider who completed most laps of the velodrome track winning.

Eventually, riders were put together in teams (usually a pair, but occasionally teams of three), with only one rider in the race at the same time, and exchanges being done by hand-slinging the teammate into the race.

This was first practised in New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1899, and the new discipline acquired the name ‘Madison’ from that venue.

During the heyday of the sport, from the 1950s to the 1980s, there were 30 or more Six Day races each year. Today, only seven remain – London, Gent, Rotterdam, Bremen, Berlin, and Copenhagen – as well as the summer Six Day event in Fiorenzuola.

Three of these – London, Berlin and Copenhagen – are part of the British-owned Six Day Series that started in the 2016/2017 track season.

Cycling enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with ’t Kuipke, which is located

‘t Kuipke is located in the Belgian city of Ghent at Citadelpark, near the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts. This cycling track hosts the yearly Six Days of Ghent (Lotto Zesdaagse Vlaanderen Gent, a world-famous cycling event.

Cycling enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with ’t Kuipke. This cycling track hosts the yearly Six Days of Ghent, a world-famous track cycling event. With a length of 166 metres, ‘t Kuipke is one of the shortest cycling tracks in the Six Days circuit. This means that you as a spectator can see the entire track. At 52%, the bends are exceptionally sharp, which means that Ghent also has one of the fastest tracks in Europe. ’t Kuipke is only open to visit during events.

In the beginning, back in the 1890s, Six Day races were just that, six days or 144 hours of continuous racing, with the rider who completed most laps of the velodrome track winning.

Eventually, riders were put together in teams (usually a pair, but occasionally teams of three), with only one rider in the race at the same time, and exchanges being done by hand-slinging the teammate into the race.

This was first practised in New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1899, and the new discipline acquired the name ‘Madison’ from that venue.

During the heyday of the sport, from the 1950s to the 1980s, there were 30 or more Six Day races each year. Today, only seven remain – London, Gent, Rotterdam, Bremen, Berlin, and Copenhagen – as well as the summer Six Day event in Fiorenzuola.

Three of these – London, Berlin and Copenhagen – are part of the British-owned Six Day Series that started in the 2016/2017 track season.

Cycling enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with ’t Kuipke, which is located