Iljo Keisse finished the Six Days of Gent in third position together with Jasper de Buyst, and has called it time on his professional career as a cyclist - a month after saying goodbye to the road. He has received a tribute in his home country in a way that few riders have.
“I want to thank everyone who supported me in my career. It all started here in 't Kuipke for me. About thirty years ago I sat here as a child in the corner watching what happened on the slopes," Keisse told Belga. "It made me dream of becoming a six-day (track, ed.) racer as well. I've come quite a long way to get there. In 2001 the time had come. I rode my first
Six Days of Ghent with the pros. I was very last in forty laps. But that was no problem. I was here to learn.”