Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish have added the Six Days of Ghent to their palmares. In a high quality and thrilling madison, Bradley Wiggins pulled out all the stops, and with five laps to go, they got the decisive lap. Moreno De Pauw and Kenny De Ketele were second.

It was the last chance to change things in t’Kuipke. De Pauw and the Ketele went into the final madison as leaders. Iljo Keisse and Elia Viviani were just five points behind. In terms of number of points, the British favorites Wiggins and Cavendish could not keep up with the leaders and so had to gain a lap and that’s what they were looking for throughout the race.

Just a few minutes into the race, Brits went on the attack. Just as they got the lap, De Ketele/De Pauw counterattacked together with Keisse/Viviani counterattack and so reclaimed the lead. Again Wiggins/Cavendish took off. It took a long time before the response came but ultimately the pair failed as their rivals managed to put things in order. The rest of the field could only watch in the exciting finale

After 45 minutes, the world champions accelerated again but their rivals countered again. The first sprint and the corresponding ten points went to Elia Viviani. Kenny De Ketele won the second sprint and therefore jumped into the lead. With eighteen laps to go, Wiggins attacked fiercely. It took thirteen laps for the Brits to get around but when they made it, they were back in the lead.

It was a war of attrition, but in the end Bradley Wiggins made the difference. Cavendish finished the job with less than five laps to go. The world champions made a victory gesture after an astonishing track race. De Pauw/De Ketele beat Keisse/Viviani in the sprint for second place.

Cavendish and Wiggins follow six-time winner Keisse and Dane Michael Morkov on the honours rolle. Wiggins also won the Ghent Six Day in 2003 together with Matthew Gilmore.

Result:

1 Bradley Wiggins - Mark Cavendish 410

1 lap

2 Kenny De Ketele - Moreno De Pauw 475

3 Elia Viviani - Iljo Keisse 468

4 laps

4 Callum Scotson - Cameron Meyer 224

12 laps

5 Lindsat De Vylder - Leif Lampater 240

6 Otto Vergaerde - Morgan Kneisky 214

7 Jesper Mørkøv - Marc Hester 126

26 laps

8 Nick Stopler - Tristan Marguet 115

32 laps

9 Roy Pieters - Jonas Rickaert 97

48 laps

10 Alex Rasmussen - Yoeri Havik 77

11 Ollie Wood - Mark Stewart 56

57 laps

12 Marcel Kalz - Robbe Ghys 139