The end of the inaugural evening found the Belgian and his Italian teammate in second place overall, after a strong ride all-around.
Defending champion Iljo Keisse and Elia Viviani got off to a winning start as soon as the pistol announced the opening of the 76th Gent Six Day in the 't Kuipke arena, taking a convincing victory in the points race. It was a sign of what was to come later in the evening, as the pair shined in the first derny race and the supersprint, adding two more successes to their tally. In addition to these wins, home fans' favourite Iljo and his Gent Six Day partner came on the podium in the team elimination race, both Madison events and the derny final.
These impressive results, which underline the consistency that is paramount in six day competitions, helped the duo amass 76 points at the end of the first night, a total score which places them in second position, just 14 points off the leaders. For Iljo, a six-time winner of the Gent Six Day, Tuesday's showing was an encouraging one ahead of the key moments that lie ahead this week, in what's his first track competition of 2016, a season which saw him race 76 days on the road and make his Tour de France debut as part of the Etixx – Quick-Step team.
General classification:
1. Kenny De Ketele/Moreno De Pauw – 90 points
2. Iljo Keisse/Elia Viviani – 76 points
3. Bradley Wiggins/Mark Cavendish – 72 points
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
