This year Elia Viviani will participate in the Six Days of Ghent for the first time. The Italian Sky rider who became Olympic champion in the omnium will form a pair with home rider Iljo Keisse (Etixx-Quick Step).

Keisse is pleased to team up with the Italian. 

"To ride with the Olympic champion in Ghent will be great," he said in a press release . "You can bet that we are going to make it very difficult for the other favorites. In any case, the level of the Ghent Six Day will be very high.”

The start list also includes Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins . The British pair recently finished second in the Six Days of London.

Last year, the victory went to Iljo Keisse and Michael Mørkøv. Keisse has already won six times.