> Anyway, the on topic question is, what was > a "six day", back in the beginning? Did they > race for six days, non-stop? > > How is it done today?
Wes,
They really did ride for six days but these were (and still
are) team events. Each team comprised 2 riders, each of whom
would ride for a few hours while his team mate rested, slept,
ate or got a massage. There were primes, bonus laps and such
to keep the racing interesting for the full six days.
Today, they do it a bit differently. For one thing, I don't
think they race 24 hours per day. For another, there are
different events during he course of a day's racing. I.e. the
day might include a motor paced segment, a Madison segment and
something else (?) in addition to the "scratch race" segments.
Someone more familiar with the races should be filling in
the details, although it begins to veer off topic.
Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia