Marathon skating is a pure Dutch sport. Dutch men and women originally on natural ice in the cold, long distance. At the same time, Marathon skating a professional look. With big sponsors, television broadcasts of Studio Sport, but also specifically on the SBS sports, and skaters who seem to be about anything.Today, many games are no longer kept outside, but on the course, and there will be new rules.
General rules for Essent Cup
The competition includes 13 matches. These matches are in season 2008/2009 in november, december and January. The prizes will be awarded on 24 January 2009 in the final of the Essent cup. Each match skating on an artificial track somewhere in the Netherlands. The racers will run 100 laps.
At the beginning of the Essent cup take 18 teams of up to four racers with. After every two races are a team down. At the end of the contest in February with 12 teams participating.
Custom rules in the Essent Cup
Partly because the crucial cup became a television sports, there are certain rules at the request of the SBS6 changed dramatically. Scoring should be easy, but the sport also needs to be attractive to look at.
Score analysis
So there are several points per contest divided. Of course, at the finish, because the winner receives 10 points, eight number two, number three, 7 points and then 5.4, 3, 2, 1. At the finish, eight drivers score.
Then there are the twelve intermediate sprints. These pins are divided into four series. After 15 rounds, start the first series. There are three laps sprint after another. The first series is probably after 15 laps, the second series after 30 laps, third after the 45th and last after 60 laps. The winner of each sprint gets three points, the runner-up two and the third point.
General rules
Then there are also a number of general rules. The most important:
If there’s one rider or more riders, the peloton has doubled, then lapped riders are removed from the game.
After 80 laps, it was decided not to sprint. The bunch sprint since the finals. Only the first 20 racers can ride the final 20 yards.
Family Vries
During the season 2007/2008, there was a family who towered over all. The 23-year-old Bob de Vries was great with men, and he also won the Essent cup and gold suit that goes with it; his sister Elma de Vries did the same with the ladies, but the battle was something more exciting.
During the season 2008/2009 winner Bob de Vries again in total. Elma does not win, it has different ambitions this season. Rather than focusing on the marathon, she focuses on the long track Speedskating. This in view of the upcoming Olympic Games. She does it not without merit. She is second in the National Championship all-round and 7 at the European Championship all-round.
Season 2008/2009
Seasonal adjustments are made. Since last year, the weekend was full of events, we decided to keep only on Saturday 18:00 the main Cup. As a result, SBS6 ends broadcast live images. But SBS 6 Sunday will henceforth provide a broad summary.