Keirin Racing Kawasaki Velo

We travelled out to Kawasaki on the trains and found the bus to Kawasaki Velodrome. We followed a trail of old Japanese men into the Velodrome complex. The spectator and associated betting areas were spread over 3 floors, with lots of skirting areas facing TV screens. Everyone was either filling out betting slips or watching screens. We found the outdoor area, which again has several levels via a grandstand. We watched 4 races in total, and this took about 2.5 hours, as there are big gaps between the races, probably to allow everyone to get their bets in. The riders roll out a big sliding door, line up on the track and bow to the crowd. For every race there were 7 riders, all with the regulation colour jersey, helmet and number. They all ride what look to be old style steel track bikes, with very dropped bars. They settle into a row of gates that lock their back wheels. Instead of an electric bike or motor bike durney they are led out by a rider on a similar old style steel track bike. The gun goes, the gates release and they all drop in behind the lead rider. They complete two laps at moderate pace, then the lead rolls off and then the speed picks up a bit. They jockey for positions for a lap, obviously some riders assisting others by leading out, near the end of the final half lap a sprint to the line occurs. The crowd get into a bit in the outdoor section, yelling out to the riders, encouraging them on, but all in all its a bit clinical and robotic. It was not as exciting as watching track racing in Australia, but apparently the government does well out of the gambling. We made our way through the train network maze back to our Asakusa where we enjoyed our last dinner in Japan.Read more