Track cycling: The Dutch duo Wim Stroetinga and Yoeri Havik successfully defended their title at the SIX DAY BERLIN. Last year's winners prevailed in an exciting fight against the Belgians Moreno De Pauw and Kenny De Ketele. However, the decision was only made in the last competition of the six-day race. The German duo Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt stayed in third place. The sprinters were victorious - both for women and men. Maximilian Levy can be happy about his seventh title at the SIX DAY BERLIN, while Kristina Vogel won the first women's sprint event with more than ease.
Successful title defense by Wim Stroetinga and Yoeri Havik
Last year, the Dutch duo Wim Stroetinga and Yoeri Havik claimed the title at SIX DAY BERLIN. They aimed to repeat their success this year – but it was a close call. Several teams had a shot at the title until the final chase. The Belgians Moreno De Pauw and Kenny De Ketele, in particular , came close to snatching it from them. However, the Dutch pair confidently countered their attacks in the final chase. After six days, they topped the overall standings with 495 points. Moreno De Pauw and Kenny De Ketele finished their Berlin trip in second place with 469 points – ultimately clearly outscored. Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt (-1 / 412), Nico Selenati and Tristan Marguet (-2 / 415), and Leif Lampater and Christian Grasmann (-2 / 348) secured third through fifth place.
Unbelievable stuff 🙌
🇳🇱 @yoerihavik and @StroetingaWim enjoy a victory lap after coming out on top in a to-and-fro battle over six days with 🇧🇪 @deketelekenny and @depauwmoreno . #SixDayBerlin pic.twitter.com/CQBUiQlTGa
— Six Day (@sixdaycycling) January 30, 2018
Title #7 for Maximilian Levy at the SIX DAY BERLIN
In the sprint, however, the German men dominated the track at SIX DAY BERLIN. While comeback rider Stefan Bötticher set record after record in the early days, Maximilian Levy ultimately proved to have the greater stamina. Staying in Bötticher's slipstream for much of the race, the 30-year-old sped to overall victory. The Berlin-born Levy won five of the last six events, while Stefan Bötticher failed to secure another first-place finish. Thus, Maximilian Levy can celebrate his seventh SIX DAY BERLIN title. With 286 points, he ultimately won comfortably ahead of his compatriot Stefan Bötticher (264) and the Czech rider Pavel Kelemen (192).
💪 Shoulder to shoulder 💪
🚴 Wheel to wheel 🚴@MaximilianLevy storms his way to win a sprint and is edging towards another title in Berlin.#SixDayBerlin pic.twitter.com/ss6vPM9V76— Six Day (@sixdaycycling) January 30, 2018
Kristina Vogel wins 7 out of 8 competitions
As expected, Kristina Vogel prevailed in the women's sprint . The German dominated from the first day, sprinting from victory to victory. Even on the final day of SIX DAY BERLIN, the world champion left nothing to chance. On the contrary, she won the last two events as well. In the 250m time trial and the sprint, she relegated her compatriot Miriam Welte to second place – although it was definitely a close call. In the end, Kristina Vogel sits atop the standings with 135 points, ahead of Miriam Welte (110), the Spaniard Helena Casas (78), and the Czech Sara Kankovska (76).
📸 You couldn't call it!
A photo finish for @KristinaVogel over @miriamwelte gives her a final win and seals the title 🏆 #SixDayBerlin pic.twitter.com/rmjmOAlIL8
— Six Day (@sixdaycycling) January 30, 2018
Source of the cover photo: @ Twitter © SixDayBerlin