Good on you for making the most of what should have been a hour long GCN+ documentary. I already miss them a lot. Mitch is always great, keep this partnership up in some way.
@@gcn With the classics season at the doorstep, a video about the cycling culture in Belgium would be great. We all know Flanders and Liege but there are the smaller races and kermesses and a lot more to talk about. I loved the „Cycling Heartlands“ series on GCN+. Something similar to that.
Classic understated Mitch. "Have you ever did madison before?" "Yep......... I rode the World Cups, I rode against youyou wouldn't remember though" LOL.
Thanks for covering some 6-Day racing. It was already struggling as a cycling event before the COVID epidemic, but it nearly died after that. I've never had the honor of seeing one in person, but I hope to some day.
love that GCN introduces me to cycling disciplines I previously know nothing about. this video also reminds me could we PLEASE make the GCN+ documentaries and films available somewhere to watch? one can also dream that GCN will continue to make new ones...
Such a fun event, and the geography means you can typically mix a couple of days in 't Kuipke with some CX to get that full on Flemish cycling overload.
Personally, what I’ll miss most about the demise of GCN+ are the documentaries presented by the likes of Mitch, Jack Thurston, Alec Brigs (amongst others). Hopefully this is representative of what’s to come, not just a remnant of what never got broadcast. If so I’ll be a happy boy
We loved shooting with all the contributors to GCN+ , We're hoping it won't be the last time you see them no the channel. We would love to get them back on RU-vid for some crazy challenges!
Used to go to the Skol six day in London. It wasn't as crazy as Ghent, but still mad. I remember in the foyer the one year was a bike covered in gold leaf, for sale £2500. Seems really cheap now with the price of bikes. The mullet wasn't stylish then either.
Very well explained! It's great fun to watch, and to ride it yourself too! It's sad that the race in Berlin only has two evenings left. It used to be a full 24 hours six times.
I'm an old amateur track racer from the USA, and I loved riding Madison races. Hardest thing you can do on a bike... and the most fun. I attended the Copenhagen 6-day in 2019, and it was a real eye opener. The pros are so fast and skillful. One sessions I was sitting in front of a group of twenty-somethings who were travelling the world, following the 6-day circuit, Berlin, London, Melbourne, Hong Kong, what a life. They said, "Oh, you must go to Ghent! It's just different from all the others." Maybe I will someday. Thanks for this intimate look.
What a tremendous film Mitch thanks so much. I remember the Ghent Six with such fondness being a spectator over many years. I was there when Cav and Sir Bradley dominated. An absolutely awesome event. The Primus Hacht free beer vouchers also helped! I love it though - no atmosphere like it!
This was so nice to watch as it brought back good memories to my visits to the Gent Six over the years. I received an all-access credential one year, as a friend and I were helping with a couple amateur USA riders as their "Coach" and Verzorger'. They were riding against the likes of Marcel Kaltz, Tosh Van der Sande and Roger Kluge, and were a bit outgunned, but we enjoyed the time. I had the good fortune to sit next to Iljo Keisses' father and family the first year Iljo won the race, He turned to me an simply said :" am so happy!" It's also nice to see my good friend DVH with you at 18:35. I hope to get back there soon, as it is the hometown of my wifes' great-grandfather - small world.
Bloody hell, that would have been an awesome + video! You did an awesome job of the edit to convey all the excitement and history into 20 mins, but would have loved another 40 mins of Mitch and a deeper dive into the mayhem
For those wondering ... You've got to be fast to score some tickets. Especially for the closing nights. Oh and don't dress to warm :) Temps could get up really fast.
Is anyone sad that, in the US, we now have to pay for not only a Max subscription at $9.99 per month but also the B/R sports add-on for another $9.99 per month just to watch cycling which GCN+ so excellently and creatively brought us before being shut down? (Currently, the B/R add-on is free "for a limited time." I doubt it will be free in February of 2024)
Still seems to be basically a local event, main won by Belgians. In 2016 the Brits put up a team with Cavendish and Wiggins, who predictably won, but since then it's been Belgians all the way.
I went to Ghent in 2015. As I remember it - my friend and I went to a party - it was in the middle of a velodrome - we drank lots of beer and had a fantastic time along with everyone else - and I think we saw some cycle racing too.... Thoroughly recommended!
How do you do it gcn? I don't like racing but I clicked and am I ever glad I did! This was a fascinating insight into super short track racing! Thank you to Mitch for being such a good ambassador! (And proving he's still got it!!
This is what it's all about! Getting people interested in cycling 🙌 It's not all about racing though, we've got some great videos on epic rides and silly challenges... this one is a firm staff favourite 👉ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xlb0DllsC-c.html
Patrick Sercu ran the Gent Six till his passing. It was common to bump into other legends; Merckx, Maertens, Van Looy, Boonen, Van Petegem and many others.
I thought that Derny's had a roller on the back of their bike, so you could bump into it and not crash. I never raced behind a Derny, but I've done training rides behind one, where your team lined up behind a Derny, on the track, and when you were behind it, instead of just pulling off, you had to sprint to get your front wheel up next to the Derny's before dropping back to the back of the group. Every few minutes, the driver would kick up the speed two mph. My cycling Mentor raced 6 Days up in Canada, and over in Europe, in the late 50's, and early 60's.
The big motorcycles for motor-paced/stayer/steyer/demi-fond racing have rollers, and the bikes are special. Not practiced much anymore, outside of Germany. Eliminated from the world championships in the 90s. Too bad. I like the big motors.
@@randyshoquist7726 Yes, those motors with the drivers in a very upright position (actually standing basically) for maximal drafting effect, and the crazy huge gearing/specialized geometry/reversed front fork and smaller front wheel of the stayer bikes enabled some insane average speeds for 100km races on those board tracks.
The ancient, 'old school' ones in Madison Square Garden in NYC (and elsewhere) WERE 24 hours a day for 6 full days. One member of the team had to be out on track at all times while the other one ate, or slept, even if it was just rolling around through the night, slowly, when there were few to no spectators. Then both members were out there for the peak hours during the Madisons (how that slinging team race originally got it's name, BTW) and other full racing events.
@@nofascistsonmywatch Sounds cool, can you compress the entire event into 6sec of TikTok to inspire a modern audience? (It's for my son, he can't comprehend a 40hr working week). ty emoji emoji hashtag lol
