All Six Days of Ghent we had the opportunity to “rediscover” and admire the derny up close, both the specialty and the motorcycle from which it takes its name. The track cyclist gets behind the rider and races along for the entire race (opening photo: Sei Giorni Lotto Flanders).
The derny also enters the scene at the Olympics for the Keirin, the only specialty that requires the use of a motorized vehicle in the entire Games programClearly, the vehicles must meet very strict performance and usability standards. In short, the aim was to eliminate the variable relating to the technical means.
Speed and tactics
In Ghent, derny was one of the hardest specialties due to the characteristics of the track: short (166,66 meters) and with super steep curves (52 degrees). It goes without saying that Once they reached the center of the curve and at the exit, the athletes were very squashed on the bike, especially considering that they were also going at 70 km/h. Therefore the derny heats, also by virtue of the fact that they were inserted within a very busy evening programme, were much shorter than the 25-40 kilometres foreseen by the regulations. UCI.
The starting pace was set at 40 km/h and gradually increased. For this challenge, the track cyclists used the highest gears of the entire event. The Dutch Havik for example used a 58×15 which, we're told, was quite long on the specific Flemish loop. But on the other hand, the final speeds were very high.
A bit of a motorbike, a bit of a bike
The derny takes its name from the motorcycle itself, Derny precisely, a French brand that was born in the early decades of the 1900s. It was a “light motorcycle”, basically an engine was installed on a more robust bicycle frame that was aided by the push of the pedals. At the beginning, specific competitions were organized there on the road. There was a Ventoux time trial, for example. And the derny was always one of the symbols of the legendary Bordeaux-Paris, which among other things will return next year.
Apart from a few sporadic appearances, the arrival on the track took place in the post-war period, in 1948 in Japan. And it is no coincidence that over the years many high-level riders were from the Land of the Rising Sun. But also Italy, with Guido Bontempi, Claudio Golinelli, and Ottavio Dazzan, had interpreters of absolute value.
The pilot counts
In Ghent, the dernys were internal combustion-engined. Today, in velodromes and at the Games, they're electric, but the concept of gradually increasing speed remains the same.
«It's the athlete who decides the pace – he told us Michele Scartezzini - if he says “Op” the pilot has to slow down a bit, if he says “Alè” he has to speed up. It's a very tactical race; they always say you don't start fast, but then you increase your pace more quickly than you think. The rider's sensitivity also counts a lot, and in certain phases he must at least be good at not pulling away."
However, this last statement no longer holds true for the latest-generation dernys. These are in fact electric and remotely controlled to increase speed, thus eliminating the driver's variable.
In the Six Days, however, we remain faithful to the old line, as one of the pilots told us. Kuipke: "Runners prefer this type of derny and not the electric one, Because they hear the noise, which helps them regulate their pace. They can better understand the gaps. And, last but not least, the sound of the engine revving up gets their adrenaline pumping."
And this is absolutely true, we too were captivated by this motorized crescendo on the first evening.
How does it work?
The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line at the end of the designated laps. The rules state that the bike must not be overtaken, but a distinction must be made. There are variations. In official trials, world championships, and the Olympics, the rider, the only one for the finalists, moves 750 meters from the finish line: this is precisely the Keirin specialty, reserved for sprinters. In the Six Days, however, the derny remains on the track until the end and is in fact an integral part of the challenges.
In fact, the pilot is often more involved than the athlete himself. At least that's how it seemed to us in Ghent. When they won, the drivers shouted louder than the riders! But it's true, after all, knowing how to evaluate distances for comebacks, speeds and spaces above all is also thanks to them.
«It seems easy but it is not – he said Ron Zijlaard, One of the most experienced riders – we also need to get familiar with the track. We arrive a day early to do some laps. It's important for the athlete to feel comfortable.
"We riders also need to be able to understand others. If they move a lot on the bike, we can attack. We need to sit well so they don't get too much air. It's also important not to get caught up in the turbulence of those ahead." In short, there is more tactics than you might imagine.
