Tuesday 15 November 2016 20:33, UK
Mark Cavendish has described the track on which this week’s Ghent Six Day will be held as a “wall of death” that drains you as much mentally as it does physically.
The event will take place in front of a raucous Belgian crowd at the legendary 't Kuipke velodrome from Tuesday to Sunday.
Teams of two will compete over a series of races each night, with the winners being the pair who complete the most laps over the course of the week.
Cavendish will partner Sir Bradley Wiggins, who is riding for the final time before retirement.
Cavendish told Sky Sports News HQ: "It's small. It's 166m, so it's not quite half the size of an Olympic velodrome like London, but it's getting there. It definitely feels half the size. We do a lap in half the time.
"It's almost like a wall of death. The bankings are steeper and the straights are shorter.
"As well as being physically hard, it's a mental stress. It's the difference between going in a normal car and then going in a normal car.
"The speed you go and your perception of things, it just gets up on you.
"I did a bit of training last night - I haven't been on it for two years - and I kind of had a sore head afterwards from trying to concentrate on everything.
"Physically, just the G-forces are more and it really does take its toll on the body. Every banking builds your legs up with lactic acid."
Cavendish and Wiggins finished a narrow second at the Six Day London last month and are expected to challenge for victory in Ghent.
Cavendish admits he is not in peak physical condition but feels he is fit enough to win.
He added: "If I'm honest, I'm winding down. I was lucky the six days started just after the World Championships [on the road last month].
"I have been training - it's too hard a race, the Ghent Six Day, to not be fit. We're racing till one in the morning - five hours of solid racing - so you have to be in good condition."
