Experienced Dutchman already looking towards home Worlds
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Peter Schep signs on before the start.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
Peter Schep and Danny Stam during the men's madison race.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Illjo Keisse and Peter Schep (John Saey - Mega Deschacht) took the spoils in Gent.(Image credit: ispaphoto.com)
Dutch track rider Peter Schep has already tasted success during the 2010-11 season and hopes he can carry that winning through to the UCI Track World Championships on home turf in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
The experienced 33-year-old from Lopik took third in the Madison at the Melbourne Track World Cup earlier this month and finished second in last Friday's Australian Madison Championships, also held in Melbourne.
He started the season in style, partnering local boy Iljo Keisse to glory in the Gent Six Day and he explained to Cyclingnews the fanatical support the pair received.
"You can't imagine how the people were with him in Gent, it's unbelievable; nowhere else is it like this," said Schep. "There were about six-or seven thousand people every night, just for him. For me it was good to race with him! It was perfect."
Schep also explained the reasons behind the duo's strength: "I'm more of an endurance guy and to have a good team it's good to have one endurance rider and one sprinter. One of the guys like Iljo is perfect because he's a world-class rider.
"I've also raced with Theo Bos, who is also a sprint specialist, so I'm going to do Rotterdam Six with him in January. Those two guys are perfect for me to race with, the perfect combination."
The Rotterdam Six Day kicks off a busy schedule for Schep, which culminates in an appearance at the UCI Track World Championships, to be held in Holland next year.
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"I think I do the World Cup in Beijing after Rotterdam, then I'll continue the Six Day tour with Berlin and Copenhagen, then I start preparations for the Worlds."
The 2006 points race world champion and 2007 Worlds silver medallist in the Madison will be doing both these events in Apeldoorn. "I'll do the Madison and the points race at Worlds - normally that's my main event - and this year I got second. I've taken third and first in it before. It's a little bit my thing... but for an endurance guy the preparation for a Madison and a points race is quite similar so that won't be a problem to do both.
"All I have to find out now is who my teammate will be. We have a couple of races in the next month and then we'll see."
Schep's task will be made tougher by the scintillating form of Australia's Cameron Meyer, who he recognises as being the best in these two events, having finished second to him at this year's world championships in Copenhagen and third (with Nick Stopler) behind the duo of Meyer and Leigh Howard in the Madison at the Melbourne Track World Cup.
"It was clear they were the best, but we knew this before, so that wasn't the problem. My teammate was a very young rider and I was very happy to race with a guy like him to get a good result."
