six-day race

six-day race, form of indoor bicycle racing in which riders race continuously for six days with only brief stops for rest and refreshment. The contestant who covers the greatest distance in the allotted time is the winner.

This type of competition achieved early popularity in the United States, where the first such race, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, was held in 1891. Contestants used high-wheeled bicycles and competed as individuals. In later events low-wheeled bicycles became standard. In 1899 one-man races were prohibited, and two-man-team competition, in which partners took turns riding and resting, was introduced.

The sport spread to Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and other major American and Canadian cities in the early 1900s, but its decline was almost as rapid as its growth. By 1938 weekly attendance at the New York races had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 to about 50,000. Winning performances also declined, from a record 2,759 miles (4,439 km) in 1914 to 2,080 miles (3,347 km) in 1939. The New York race was discontinued after 1939, except for a few unsuccessful attempts at revival.

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Six-day bicycle races continue to draw crowds in Europe, particularly in Germany. Modern six-day racers cover fewer total miles than old-time cyclists because they race only 12 hours each day.