The Gent Six Day may serve up a party atmosphere, but the Ethan Hayter has dismissed the idea that the racing is any less intense than the highest echelons of track and road.
Speaking after the fourth night of competition in the famous ‘t Kuipke velodrome in Gent, the British rider revealed his heart had never had to beat so fast.
“No, it’s definitely not relaxing,” Hayter said during a live TV interview with Sporza (opens in new tab).
“I hit my highest ever heart race the last three nights in a row, so it’s full gas.”
Hayter, the British time trial champion and a world champion on the track, is racing the Gent Six Day during the off-season alongside fellow Londoner Fred Wright.
He said he has come “for the experience” but that’s not the extent of it. As well as providing a gruelling workout, it’s also serving a purpose as Hayter looks to break his string of near-misses in the Madison in major competitions.
The 24-year-old won bronze at the 2018 European Championships, silver at the 2021 Olympics, and silver again at this year’s Track Worlds. The paired format of the Gent Six Day provides some training, albeit on a tighter track in a different format and more chaotic environment.
“It’s really nice to think about the different tactics. You ride differently to a World Championship. I’m really enjoying the challenge,” he said.
“It’s a Madison and a track race, and that’s as close as it is. The style is very different but you can definitely can learn something. In the Madison I’ve been 2nd in the Olympics and Worlds and I’ll try to win one time. I’m learning some things every day and hopefully I can take that into the biggest races.”
Hayter and Wright, hopes dented by a crash on the opening night, currently sit in sixth place on 127 points, four laps and 110 points down on leaders Lindsay De Vylder and Robbe Ghys.
They are unlikely to come out on top when the event concludes on Sunday night but will enjoy it nonetheless, with a large crowd from their old cycling club expected to make the trip from London to Gent for the weekend’s racing.
“I’d never raced here but came to watch one time when I was 14 or 15, so it’s really cool to be on other side of the track,” Hayter said.
“There’ll be a big crowd of people we know and hopefully we can put on a good show for them.”
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