Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish confirmed for Ghent Six Day
Sir Bradley Wiggins will bow out of cycling at the Ghent Six Day where he will team up with fellow world Madison champion Mark Cavendish
Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish will ride together at the Ghent Six Day this November, with the 2012 Tour de France champion describing it as the logical place to end his career.
Off the back of their successful Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where Wiggins won his fifth gold medal and Cavendish a silver, the pair will return to the track for the iconic race.
Born in Ghent in 1980, Wiggins remembers the first cycling race he watched was the Ghent Six Day in 1986 and says it is a great way to bring the curtain down on his career.
"As far as I can remember the Gent Six Day in 1986 was the first race I ever saw," Wiggins says, quoted on Sport.be. "When I was 19 I drove myself there for the first time, so the circle is complete when I my last ride.
"There's so much nostalgia in the Kuipke [velodrome: [Eddy] Merckx, [Patrick] Sercu and all the greats of the slopes. [For that] reason it is logical that Ghent will be the end for me."
Wiggins rode the Six Day first in 2003, winning with Matthew Gilmore. Cavendish, meanwhile, just missed out on victory when riding with Iljo Keisse in 2014.
"It's always great to ride a historic event such as the Ghent Six Day, but together with Brad, as reigning world [Madison] champions and in his farewell event, it will be something very special," says Cavendish
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"After my narrow second with Iljo two years ago, a victory would be the perfect way to top off my association with Brad on the bike."
The Ghent Six Day runs from November 15 until November 20 at the Kuipke velodrome.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
Knog Blinder 1300 review - excellent visibility for you and other road users
Solid performance, great mounting options and a respectable price point make the Blinder a great competitor for long nights this winter
By Joe Baker Published
-
Everything you want to know about the Q Factor
What it is and why it matters, how to measure it, what the Q stands for, and more
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
'Finally, you broke the world record' - Inside reaction to Mark Cavendish's historic Tour de France revealed
Astana Qazaqstan have released Project 35, a documentary which shows the journey to triumph
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I haven’t entirely committed to what I’m doing' - Mark Cavendish refuses to rule out racing more, but will run a marathon next year
The Tour de France stage win record holder says that his plan is to head into cycling management
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish to conclude professional cycling career in Singapore
Tour de France stage win record holder to bring curtain down on racing career at ASO end of season criteriums in Asia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish set to end his career at Tour de France Singapore Criterium
Event will be Cavendish's final appearance for Astana Qazaqstan after he won a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage in July
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I've lived everyone’s dream': Mark Cavendish hints at snap retirement after last ever Tour de France stage
The Manx Missile is the 2024 Tour's lanterne rouge
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
'I'm so tired': Emotional Mark Cavendish thanks teammates after surviving Tour de France time cut
The Briton is just two days away from finishing the Tour de France for an eighth time
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish makes time limit on stage 19 - and four other tales of riders who survived the Tour de France cut-off
Brit finishes with more than five minutes to spare on Isola 2000
By Tom Davidson Published
-
End of an era: Witnessing Mark Cavendish's last ever Tour de France sprint
The Astana Qazaqstan rider finished 17th in Nîmes in what is almost definitely his last ever sprint at the Tour. Cycling Weekly was there to see it
By Adam Becket Published