Elia Viviani and Iljo Keisse win Six Days of Ghent
Nov 19 2018 06:43 am CET
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Elia Viviani and Iljo Keisse have won the Six Days of Ghent. The duo rode under the Deuceuninck-Quick-Step banner at the week in Belgium.
The two riders slipped to the second position of the overall classification on the penultimate night, which motivated them to give it all on the last day to regain the top spot. Viviani took the victory of the team elimination race, then with three races to go, the positioning changed again.
But Keisse won at the scratch which gave them a six-point advantage ahead of the last event of the day, the Madison. Despite the attempts of the other duos to take as many points as possible, Viviani and Keisse did a great job and took the final victory at the Kuipke Velodrome.
"Ghent is the most beautiful six-day race in the world! Ask every rider and you’ll get the same response, they all love the public and the incredible atmosphere," said Keisse. "It’s been three years since my previous win and I was super motivated to get the job done together with the amazing rider that Elia is. We gave everything day after day and to be rewarded with the trophy and the fans’ applause and cheers makes us very happy and proud."
For Viviani, the win at Six Days of Ghent puts the cherry on a remarkable year in which he took 18 victories, including seven at Grand Tours and the Italian national title. "I fell in love with this superb race and the fantastic atmosphere ever since my first participation, a few years ago," explained the first Italian in 18 years to win in Ghent.
"This victory, which I’m glad I could claim together with such a six-day racing legend as Iljo, comes after an amazing season for me and it’s something I will always remember."
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