The world elite of track cycling will be at the start of the SIXDAYS WEEKEND on January 31 and February 1, 2025, just a few days before the European Championships. Led by Olympic champion, world and European champion Roy von den Berg (NED), world and European champion and Sixdays defending champion Yoeri Havik (NED), German legends Roger Kluge, Theo Reinhardt and Robert Förstemann, an outstanding field of riders is waiting for the starting signal. An unofficial German championship will be held for the sprinters. One of the highlights of the 112th Berlin Six-Day Race will be Theo Reinhardt’s last race.

“For many athletes, the Sixdays Weekend will be the last big test before the European Championships, which will take place from February 12 to 15 in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. The riders will arrive at the Berlin Velodrome in top shape and will use the 112th Berlin Six-Day Race as a final assessment of their position. Spectators can therefore look forward to outstanding track cycling,” said Valts Miltovics, Managing Director of the Sixdays Weekend.

Theo Reinhardt before his last race

A total of 12 endurance teams and 6 sprinters will ensure plenty of action on the 250-meter oval. The focus this year is again on the men’s elite field. The two local heroes Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt want to repeat their Sixdays success from 2019 and 2023. It will be a special race for both of them, because Theo Reinhardt is ending his impressive career with the Sixdays Weekend. “I expect it will be very emotional. As a little kid, I sat in the stands in the Berlin Velodrome and cheered on the big boys at the six-day race, developed dreams and visions that I was fortunately able to realize. And if it now ends in the same place, it will certainly be a very moving moment.” Kluge/Reinhardt finished second at the Sixdays Bremen last weekend.

The opponents

The toughest rivals could come from the Netherlands: the duo Philip Heijnen and Yoeri Havik. Heijnen won the bronze medal at the World Championships last year, Havik is world and European champion and comes to Berlin as defending champion. The second German team also has a chance of overall victory: Moritz Malcharek and Moritz Augenstein are three-time German champions on the track, they finished third in the Velodrome in 2024. The 2024 Asian champions are also traveling to the Spree with a chance of winning: Shunsuke Imamura and Kazushige Kuboki.

The sprinters

The men’s sprint field is led by an Olympic, world and European champion: Roy van den Berg. The Dutchman collected all the titles last year and is currently considered the measure of all things in the sprint. His toughest rivals are Mateusz Rudyk (POL) and Robert Förstemann. Rudyk won two silver medals at the 2024 European Championships and won the Berlin Six-Day Race in 2023. Robert Förstemann is travelling to the Velodrome with the bronze medal from the 2024 Paralympics in his luggage. The man with the “monster thighs”, also known as “Quadzilla”, is certainly far from being past his prime.

The women’s sprinters

The women’s sprint field is like the who’s who of German track cycling and is therefore becoming the unofficial German championship. Pauline Grabosch, Emma Hinze and Lea Sophie Friedrich are the reigning European champions and together won the bronze medal in the team sprint at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Lea Sophie Friedrich also won the silver medal in the sprint at the Olympic Games. Alessa-Catriona Pröpster, Clara Schneider and Anastasia Kuniß complete the field of riders.

Admission for the Sixdays Weekend is at 6:00 p.m. on both days, the races start at 6:40 p.m. The races will run until midnight. In addition to the sport, as always at the Berlin Six-Day Race, there will be plenty of music,