Monday, April 21, 2025

Grenoble Six Days 2011 – D minus 1

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HomeDiariesGrenoble Six Days 2011 - D minus 1

It’s a grey morning at the Grenoble Six Days; we can’t unload until 11:00 am and then we have to drive up to Lyon and collect Jesper and Marc off the plane.

Grenoble Six Days 2011
The stadium architecture is quite amazing.

In the stadium office they have great old black and white photos of the stadium under construction; it really is a gem of a building, if you like modern architecture.

Grenoble Six Days 2011
Part of a fascinating collection.

The Palais sits next to the Stade des Alpes; the city’s football stadium with the wings of the Palais and the glass bubble of the Stade in the shadow of the mountains – a spectacular setting for sport.

I’m actually considering staying on in Grenoble ’til December – I’ve just found out Johnny Hallyday is appearing at the Palais des Sports.

Grenoble Six Days 2011
Johnny Hallyday.

And just like you have to arrive in a different country for a six, there has to be set up hassles.

The organiser of the six, Guy Chanal decided that the big door at the bottom of the ramp down to the basement cabins has to remain locked today, to save the cost of a security guard.

This means we had to cart all the stuff – and there’s a wheen of it, including the boy’s bikes – through the upstairs door, under the track access panel, down the stairs and through the rabbit’s warren of concrete tunnels to the cabin.

It’s done now and Laurent Biondi, the ‘chef de piste’ gave us a hand, that was cool.

Grenoble Six Days 2011
He’s part of the organisation now, but Laurent Biondi won the worlds pro points in 1990, Japan,

Biondi won here with Fignon in 1990 and was world pro points champion at Maebashi, Japan the same year.

Lunch time and we’re en route Lyon, but the sun’s out and the views are spectacular – mustn’t grumble . . .

Grenoble Six Days 2011
The large door is part of the track, but also a major shortcut when setting up.

. . . And now it’s 18:00 and the sun is low in the sky: but the boys have been delivered to their hotel and the big cabin is set up – á demain !

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed was involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he was a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He was also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months often worked in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed was a highly respected journalist, his tales of chasing the Giro, Tour, Vuelta, Classics and World Championships - and his much-loved winter Six Days - are legendary, never the same twice, they gave our site an edge other cycling media could never duplicate or challenge. Sadly Ed passed away in January 2025, two years after suffering a devastating stroke.

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