"Track cycling has become a different sport" - Iljo Keisse on his final pro race

At the Kuipke in Ghent, Iljo Keisse will hold his farewell party after his last official ride, Six Days of Ghent. Jasper De Buyst and the Belgian have teamed up for the race. His goal is to give it all one more time.

"It's not going to be easy. But of course, I'm going to try to bring myself as much as possible," Keisse told Het Nieuwsblad. He has already won the event seven times in his career but is sceptical about this time. “Track cycling has become a different sport. We rode with smaller gears, which gave a very different way of racing. Nobody rode in the lead with the idea: I'm going as fast as possible. The pace was slower," he explains.

Keisse knows the race will be hard and does not hold himself to any expectations. "There is a new generation of pisteurs who can all ride very fast. Yoeri Havik really impressed in Copenhagen. Those young guys are really not going to give anything away. Those guys are riding in Ghent for their future,” said Keisse.

Furthermore, he discusses his farewell party, which will take place after Six Days of Ghent. It will be a celebration with his fans and fellow riders. "I'm especially looking forward to my last day. That's where I'm going to have fun. During the Six Days, I also try to do that, but the past few years it has been too much pain too often," concluded Keisse.