Dortmund Six-Day

Borrowing from the joke about hockey, I went to a bar and a bike race broke out. Only the “bar” was the Westfallenhalle in Dortmund, where the Dortmund Six-Day Race was held.

A six-day race is an indoor track race. Each night teams of two riders compete in a series of different races. There are Madison races (where riders take turns racing, using hand slings to make the change), elimination races, points races, and sprints. There are the derny races, where riders draft behind motorized bikes at speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph!). The teams try to accumulate points and gain laps on their opponents.


Among racers and fans in the U.S. six-day races have a mystique about them. They were very popular in the U.S. prior to World War II. I’ve read that they were as big as any of the six-day races in Europe. For a bike racer or racing fan, being able to sit indoors and drink a beer while watching top riders race around a track is almost as good as going out and riding, especially at this time of year.

There aren’t any big six-day races in the U.S. anymore, but they are still quite popular in Europe. Bike racing in general is more popular in Europe, but I think a big reason the six-days are still held is that the promoters make them into events that are much more than just bike races.

But then again, I’ve noticed that Germans can pretty easily find an excuse to make anything into an event, with copious amounts of beer and food. It seems every other weekend there is a festival of some sort along the Rhine promenade in Düsseldorf.

The Dortmund race is just a short 45 minute drive for me, so I can’t pass up the opportunity to go.

As a racer, I’m interested in the racing. I’m mesmerized as I watch the 220 lap Madison race early in the evening. When you first see this race, it appears to be complete chaos. All the riders are on the track, but only 1 rider from each team is racing. The other teammate is circling waiting to make an exchange (by doing a hand sling). The riders trade off frequently, and they make the hand slings in the tightest spaces. Other riders pull off the front of the group and ride high up the banking of the track. At the same time, riders are trying to break away and gain a lap on the field – which happens frequently. I’m surprised they don’t crash more often.

I lean back and watch the track without focusing on any single rider. When viewed like this, the race looks like a perfectly synchronized choreography. It’s an amazing scene.



A large proportion of the people haven’t come for the racing though. They are here for the event: the food, the beer, the crappy band playing bad American pop music in the dance hall. The food, as expected, is plentiful: different kinds of grilled wurst, pizza, large pretzels, some kind of fish, Turkish gyros, shish kebabs, frites and mayonnaise, Dutch licorice.

They sing along with the cheesy music played during the race (if you can imagine this, “Take me home country roads”, in English, with a thumping electronic beat). They stand and clap, sway back and forth in their seats as if they were in one of the Oktoberfest tents. People smoke while in their seats inside the arena. As the night goes on, and more beer is drunk, it gets even louder.

Erik Zabel, probably Germany’s most popular racer, is clearly the fan favorite. They are visibly disappointed if he doesn’t win a sprint or if he and teammate Bruno Risi don’t win one of the events.

It all adds to the atmosphere.

By the time I leave, well after midnight, I smell like I’ve been to a bar. My clothes reek of stale smoke and grilled meat and will need to be washed. My throat is scratchy from the smoke. And I’ve eaten too much again. I’m going to have to ride a bit longer the next day.



Zabel and his derny partner: