Six Days of the Greenery

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The Six Days of the Greenery is a marathon speed skating event that will be held on a yearly base in the Netherlands. The speed skaters meet each other in six races in a six day time span. The participants will have a to skate a distance of 100 laps of 400m before crossing the finish line in each and every race. As of 2002 the women's race was no longer a six day event, but had editions of a three, four and five days event.

[edit] Brussels sprout suit

KC Boutiette wearing the brussels sprout suit in 2003.
KC Boutiette wearing the brussels sprout suit in 2003.

In the first race of a new edition the winner of the previous year wears a brussels sprout suit. In the next race and the following races the suit is there to identify the leader of the competition, similar to the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. The suit (spruitjespak in Dutch) was introduced as a tribute to 1997 Elfstedentocht winner Henk Angenent who outsprinted favorite Erik Hulzebosch and grows his own brussels sprout. Angenent was interviewed often in the media after the race, and his occupation a regular subject, resulting in this tribute. Angenent who is still active and still skates among the best he only worn the brussels sprout suit in an official Six Days of the Greenery race once.

[edit] Previous results

Year Gender First Second Third
1998 Men Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman
1998 Women Flag of the Netherlands Sandra de Ronde
1999 Men Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman
1999 Women Flag of the Netherlands Janny Zonderland
2000 Men Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman Flag of France Cédric Michaud Flag of the Netherlands Peter de Vries
2000 Women Flag of the Netherlands Janny Zonderland Flag of the Netherlands Marjanne Smit Flag of the Netherlands Jenita Hulzebosch-Smit
2001 Men Flag of France Cédric Michaud Flag of the Netherlands Rob van Meggelen Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman
2001 Women Flag of the Netherlands Daniëlle Bekkering Flag of the Netherlands Janny Zonderland Flag of the Netherlands Hillie van der Wal
2002 Men Flag of France Cédric Michaud Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman Flag of the Netherlands Ard Alderts
2002 Women Flag of the Netherlands Lieke Splinter Flag of the Netherlands Daniëlle Bekkering Flag of the Netherlands Linda Verdouw
2003 Men Flag of the United States KC Boutiette Flag of the Netherlands Jeroen de Vries Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman
2003 Women Flag of the Netherlands Daniëlle Bekkering Flag of the Netherlands Petra Grimbergen Flag of the Netherlands Jolanda Langeland
2004 Men Flag of the United States KC Boutiette Flag of France Cédric Michaud Flag of the Netherlands Roel van Hest
2004 Women Flag of the Netherlands Mischa Coolen Flag of the Netherlands Mariska Huisman Flag of the Netherlands Lieke Splinter
2005 Men Flag of France Cédric Michaud Flag of the Netherlands Miel Rozendaal Flag of the Netherlands Peter Baars
2005 Women Flag of the Netherlands Elma de Vries Flag of the Netherlands Daniëlle Bekkering Flag of the Netherlands Jolanda Langeland
2006 Men Flag of the Netherlands Jan Maarten Heideman Flag of the Netherlands Andrès Landman Flag of the Netherlands Kurt Wubben
2006 Women Flag of the Netherlands Daniëlle Bekkering Flag of the Netherlands Maria Sterk Flag of the Netherlands Elma de Vries