Ghent Six Day may have a party atmosphere, but Ethan Hayter dismissed the notion that the race is more intense than the best of track or road.

After four nights at Ghent's famous "t Kuipke" velodrome, the British rider said his heart had never beat so fast.

"No, definitely not relaxed," Hayter said in a live TV interview on Sporza (open in new tab). [This is the third day in a row that I've had a record high heart rate.

Hayter, the British time trial champion and world champion on the track, has been competing in the Ghent Six Day with fellow Londoner Fred Wright during the off-season.

He said he came "for the experience," but not only that. In addition to providing a grueling workout, Hayter is trying to break the chain of near-misses in Madison at major competitions.

Hayter, 24, won a bronze medal at the 2018 European Championships, a silver medal at the 2021 Olympics, and again at this year's Track World Championships. The Ghent Six Day pairs format offers some training, albeit on a tighter track with a more chaotic environment in a different format.

"It's really nice to think about different tactics. It's a different kind of riding than the World Championships. I'm really enjoying this challenge.

"Madison and track racing, it's close. The styles are totally different, but you definitely learn something. In Madison, I've been second in the Olympics and World Championships, and I want to try to win one. I'm learning things every day and hopefully I can apply that to the big races."

Hayter and Wright, whose hopes were dashed by a crash on opening night, now sit in sixth place with 127 points, four laps and 110 points behind leaders Lindsay de Vilder and Rob Gies.

They are unlikely to be on top when the event concludes on Sunday night, but they are nonetheless expected to draw large crowds from their old cycling clubs from London to Ghent for the weekend's races.

"I never raced here, but I came once when I was 14 or 15 years old to watch.

"There's going to be a lot of people that I know and I'm hoping we can put on a good show for them," Hayter said.