The Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent will feature the reigning Olympic and world madison champions, Denmark’s Michael Morkov and Lasse Norman Hansen. Jasper De Buyst will also take part in the 16-21 November event in the Kuipke velodrome, the two-time winner will team up with his Lotto-Soudal teammate Roger Kluge.
Morkov excels as sprint leadout for Deceuninck-Quick Step, but the 36-year-old Dane has a mighty palmares on the track. In his long career he has already taken 14 six day wins, including two wins in Ghent (in 2009 with Alex Rasmussen and in 2015 alongside Iljo Keisse). Next month Morkov will join Lasse Norman Hansen in his quest for a third win. Norman Hansen, the 29-year-old Team Qhubeka NextHash rider, took a world championship gold at Berlin 2020 with the Danish team pursuit team, and took the world madison title with Morkov. In Tokyo Norman Hansen and Morkov also claimed an Olympic gold medal in the discipline.
Jasper De Buyst and Roger Kluge will give the Danish duo fierce competition. At Lotto Soudal they lead Caleb Ewan to sprint wins in the Grand Tours, but in the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent they get their own chance to win. De Buyst (27) knows how to win in Ghent, winning the 2013 and 2014 editions as a youngster. He later added two third places and one second place to his Ghent resume. 35-year-old Kluge is also a big name in track cycling, the world madison champion in 2018 and 2019 was third in the last Ghent six days in 2019 alongside Theo Reinhardt.
As previously announced the 2019 winners Kenny De Ketele and Robbe Ghys will defend their title next month. For 36-jarige De Ketele, a four-time winner of the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent, it will be his last appearance, the crowd favourite retiring from cycling in December. Needless to say ‘Ketelke’ will receive a fitting farewell at the 80th edition of the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent.
D’hoore, Kopecky and Bossuyt
So too will Jolien D’hoore, who competed in her last race in Paris-Roubaix afew weeks ago. The 31-year-old Belgian cycling icon, an Olympic bronze medal winner in Rio 2016 in the omnium, will be honoured on Saturday 20 November. That night her Belgian successors Lotte Kopecky and Shari Bossuyt will contest the same discipline. On Friday night Kopecky and Bossuyt will also take part in the points race.
Last tickets on sale now
The 80th edition of the Lotto Six Days of Flanders-Ghent takes place from Tuesday 16 until Sunday 21 November. The event is almost sold out, but a few seats are still available via Uitbureau and the website www.lottozesdaagse.be. Companies can still inquire about VIP options for their clients or employees.
