Iljo Keisse is ready to hang up his bike after his last race at the Six Days of Ghent. Despite having won seven times in Ghent, the Belgian knows it won't be easy to mark his retirement with a victory.
"Winning is definitely not what I'm assuming for myself," he told Het Nieuwsblad. He continues, “I start with moderate ambition. In recent years, I have given up too much in the Six Days. Everyone dreams of a farewell like Kenny De Ketele, but you can't make that comparison."
He further adds, "Kenny was a track specialist, which I am no longer. He also quit two, three years too early, in my opinion. While I'm no longer the rider, I used to be. At my age, that's only natural too.”
For his last race, he will be paired with Jasper De Buyst. There is no way he can hope for mercy from young riders like Ethan Hayter and Fred Wright. “If you look at individual qualities, the strongest duo is Ethan Hayter-Fred Wright. But will that be the case in Ghent? They are certainly not used to riding with smaller gears. I mainly look at Fabio Van Den Bossche and Yoeri Havik. A small, compact team. They will be very dangerous customers. Ditto for Robbe Ghys and Lindsay De Vylder," explains Keisse.
He concluded with, "Although it's going to be six days of stress and suffering à bloc again. That is why I am glad I have Merci Iljo the week after. Also course, but with the intention of having fun in the meantime. I am especially happy that I can say goodbye in the Kuipke. That place has dominated the past twenty years of my life."
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