(oriental orchestral music)
I'm here in the Tachikawa Velodrome
which are on the outskirts of Tokyo,
it's about a 50-minute train ride away,
we've just arrived here and we're looking forward
to seeing what the Japanese Keirin racing is all about,
I'm really looking forward to this one.
(upbeat oriental music)
So I was walking here to the velodrome
from the train station and I was amazed
at actually how quiet it appeared around the velodrome
because if you go to any big sporting event in the UK,
generally, you know you're in the right place
because of the noise and the people
and such like involved
but here it was actually quite eerily quiet
to be perfectly honest
and I did have to keep checking my phone
to make sure we were in fact,
in the right place, we were in the right place,
but something that, is really struck me is
inside of the velodrome too,
it is incredibly quiet and there's really not
that many people here despite the fact
that the entrance fee is just ¥50
which is like 40 cents if you're in the US,
probably about 40 cents if you're in Europe
and probably about £40
if you're in the UK for instance.
So why aren't more people here?
Well this sport is absolutely massive in Japan,
it is in fact one of the four sports
that you can bet on legally,
the other sports being horse racing,
another one is motorcycle racing,
and the other one,
believe it or not, is powerboat racing.
So Keirin was actually introduced
back in 1948 as a way for the government
to make some money from the taxes involve
with gambling and it's been said that each year,
the revenue generated from Keirin racing
is actually ¥1.3 trillion,
which I can't work out in my head
but it is certainly a lot,
anything that involves a trillion is certainly
a great deal of money, let's face it.
So why aren't these races
absolutely packed full of people,
because it's so cheap to get into that space?
Well for start, it's 11 a.m. on a Wednesday,
so most people are actually at work,
so most of the spectators here today
are elderly gentlemen who are likely to be retired
and simply wanna have a day out
watching some great bike racing,
you can also, though,
bet online from the comfort of your home
and there is, in fact, pay-per-view TV stations,
enabling you to watch each and every single race
and with 50 velodromes across the country
as well as about three thousand
professional Keirin athletes,
that's a lot of racing you can catch up on.
Now today is just an average day
for a Keirin rider so it's nothing special,
there's no championship to be won
or anything like that.
Now, up until recently,
I always thought to myself,
why don't these specialists in Keirin racing
head on over to Europe
where they could make some money,
but in actual fact, in Europe
you can't make any money out of it,
instead here in Japan, the top athletes
can actually earn up to $2 million per year,
yeah that's right so it's the kind of equivalent
of a premiership soccer player in the UK,
they make their money from their club
not their country, hence the reason
why they really do like to play for their club
rather than their country
although there is some certain prestige
to represent your country.
Now in order to actually try
and get a younger crowd in,
they've actually introduced
women's Keirin racing again,
it used to be in operation from 1949 until 1964,
that went to the wayside though,
and then back in 2012 it was reintroduced,
and the timing of those races too in order
to get a younger crowd in,
so after they finish work,
so about half past five, six o'clock,
that's when those races take place.
(upbeat oriental music)
So what exactly is a Japanese Keirin race then
because many of you will know the more popular
Olympic discipline where we use a motorbike,
in effect, to pace the riders around
it's actually, a big derny, and it's pedal assisted.
Here in Japan, how is it run then?
Well, for start, you don't have that motorized derny,
instead you have a rider who does the pacing for you
and they start off at 16 miles an hour roughly
and build up to about 30 miles per hour,
the race itself lasts approximately two kilometers,
so on this track behind me,
which is 400 meters, that's five laps.
But what about the riders,
what are they all about and how many are there?
Well here, you're gonna have nine sprinters
lined up on the track at any one time
but that can vary,
sometimes you have six riders
and essentially they can't pass
that pace rider at the front
up until one and a half laps to go.
Once that pace rider swings off, the riders,
they become pretty physical with one another,
and even behind the pacer,
things can get a little bit tense at times,
you see elbows, and shoulders, and heads
being thrown in the direction of other riders,
and underneath those colourful costumes
they've got on, they do in fact have body armor too
because the Japanese Keirin style of racing
is totally different to what we see
in UCI sanctioned events,
here, for instance, they can essentially undertake, overtake
whenever they like and it's not uncommon,
people see riders slightly deviate underneath
the bottom line of the track there too
it's all part of the culture of this style of racing.
So behind me on the track there,
you can see the start gates, so again,
if we compare it to the Keirin racing,
you may well have seen where riders are held up by
essentially their coach or their manager,
here, that's controlled by compressed gas
so all riders definitely have to start at the same time,
otherwise well they're gonna fall to the wayside
now that's about 25 meters away from the
actual start line of the event
so riders they generally fall into line.
But how do they know then where to
actually line up in that racking system?
Well they pick a number from a hat
to make it even and fair for all riders involved.
Now a typical Keirin race
actually takes place over three days
inside of the velodrome and each rider,
they get to race time and time again,
against riders of a different caliber depending,
of course, on their finishing positions
and their ranking points
because that's what it's all about,
the more ranking points you've got,
the more money you can make.
Now Jesse J, some of you may know,
she sang a song, it's not all about the money
but in Keirin racing,
I'm rapidly learning it is all about the money
both for the riders as well as the association
and also the government
because that's where they make
a lot of money from the revenue of it.
(upbeat music)
So this is where all the action's actually happening,
trackside, there's hardly anybody out there
but inside of here,
there're hundreds of guys betting on the racing
and this gentleman over my shoulder here,
yes he just told me I had a nice face
and I was hoping he likes me
because if I'm really clever or careful with this,
it could well work in my favor
because all of these things there,
all the details on the board,
he's like a fortune teller,
he as well could explain this really
so he has insider information
or at least he thinks he does
and you can pay him for that advice
so that you can fill in one of these,
one of these betting slips and then go ahead
and place your bet, that's crazy,
I've never heard of anyone doing that
at a sports event but he said he likes me,
he said I have a nice face
so maybe he'll give me some good tips
or maybe not, maybe it's just a trick.
So just behind me on the screen there,
it's actually live stream for another Keirin race
which is taking place about 500 K away
and well they're slowly departing
after having watched the race,
probably to either go and collect their winnings,
or maybe go and put a bet on for someone else
but it is really interesting how they seem
to really study the form here,
it's just like horse racing back in the UK.
And if your luck is really not going your way,
why not get yourself a good drink
for good luck at this vending machine,
it's even got branding on it
from the Japanese Professional Cyclist Union
and, get this, a little TV screen on there too
so you don't miss any of your favorite action
watch your drinks be prepared.
So just like any sporting event,
there's heaps of different food vendors here
so you can go and get something to well maybe
celebrate a victory or in my case
drown away your sorrows
because there's a sign over there
saying pizza and beer that seems quite appealing
but also one of the great things
about this is that for
a non-Japanese speaker like myself,
I can actually pick a little plastic card
from the side of the restaurant
and actually just hand it to the person
behind the till so in my case,
I kinda know what I'm gonna be getting
because there's even a handy photograph on that too
so I'm staying quite safe with that.
(upbeat music)
Check this light behind me,
this is where all the bikes
are kept for each and every Keirin rider here.
Now if you notice,
there's no carbon in sight is there?
Not one bit of carbon fiber because,
in fact, all riders have to use
NJS stamped approved material.
NJS is the kind of Japanese Keirin association
when it comes to approval of parts,
hence why the use of steel frames
is heavily in use and they come
at a pretty good price too,
when I say pretty good,
I mean pretty hefty in fact
because they have to meet stringent controls,
not just the frames, the wheels,
the spokes, the tires, the hubs,
every little bit of component on the bike,
even down to the grips and saddle
have to have an NJS stamp on it,
that is what I find absolutely amazing,
all competitors are actually
on a truly level playing field,
nobody has an advantage or disadvantage
by having a different bike.
Okay yes frame builders can vary
in quality and such like
but ultimately, they all have
to meet the same safety standards,
the same approvals in this case of the NJS stamp.
NJS, that normally adds on
a pretty good premium let's say,
onto the price tag and it's traditionally Japanese brands
who actually deal with it.
Campagnolo in the past, they did make a piece to group set
that had the NJS stamp on it.
But that's one of the few non-Japanese brands
to ever break into the scene if you like.
Let's talk about the wheels then shall we?
Well every rider in fact uses exactly the same rim type.
In the case here it is the array of gold tubular rim.
NJS stamped, of course and then in most cases too,
they're mounted onto a pair of Shimano Dura-Ace
NJS stamped, don't forget, large flange hubs
and then the tires, they actually come
from a brand called Soyo
and they come in different valves than normal,
so usually we see tubular tires
where they're press the valve
but these actually come with a valve
which looks like an old woods type valve
so slightly more over-sized
and does require a different pump head
to actually get it to inflate.
Sticking with the wheels, check out that as well,
the little spokes there tied and soldered
just to give an extra little bit of strength there,
so they're not gonna flex around at all.
And then something which I think is super interesting too
is that the tires actually have a stamp on it
for each and every race, I'm led to believe,
in order to actually maintain their lifespan
so you're not using old tires that have been glued
on there for a long time and such.
And I have also heard too that if you make contact
with another rider during a Keirin event,
then in fact, you have to replace that tire
and that comes with quite a hefty price tag too.
'Cause they're about £70 so that's $70, €70
I guess these days, I'm not sure what goes on
with the currency rates but yeah that could end up
costing you a fair bit of money, I suppose
if you're a rough and tough type of rider.
And when it comes to frames, well, there's probably
about 40 to 50 NJS approved builders in Japan,
which is quite a lot, isn't it?
It's good to see that the custom
frame builder game is still around.
I am led to believe as well
that there is a couple of companies,
I think it's Bridgestone and Anchor, who actually
make carbon fiber, NJS-approved bikes.
However, I'm not seeing one of them here yet.
And I don't reckon there is one either.
Keirin is so rich and deep in tradition,
And I don't think anybody dare break the mold if you like.
The exception though, that comes
from the females who are racing Keirin
because they are allowed to use carbon fiber bikes
as well as carbon fiber wheels.
They don't have to have the NJS-approved stamp
on them as far as I'm aware
but just looking at the bikes there,
you could easily be confused
that each and every one of them is the same
because like I've already said, essentially, they are.
It's just the builder of the frame
and also the paintwork but I could look at them all day
because there's something great
about just the simplicity of a track bike.
So just behind me there, is where the riders hang out.
And when I say hangout,
I mean, they're actually in there for six days,
because remember, the event itself
is three days plus prior to that,
three days before the event itself the riders
are actually put in there and don't have any contact at all
with the outside world 'cause remember Keirin
is heavily involved with gambling and in the event
of maybe a rider contacting someone
on the outside world and telling them
they fixed a race or something like that,
there could be a lot of money to be won and also lost.
So, for this reason, smartphones, iPads,
anything like that are actually not allowed
inside of the facility.
We had to hand ours in, when we entered
and the riders do that, well, they simply have newspapers,
magazines, books and also a good old-fashioned conversation
with someone else if they wanna have a talk.
I can't imagine what it's like to be in there actually
for six days nonstop
because they don't have their own rooms.
They're simply putting something down on the floor
and sleeping on top of it.
So I guess all you gotta hope is that someone
is not a loud snorer or something like that.
It is quite odd, I'm sure you'd agree
that actually it's been such close proximity
to other people, your enemy,
in fact, once you're out on the tracks,
could be sleeping literally right next to you.
So a gentleman behind me,
he just got out of shot actually, he's got himself a great,
little store here because not only is he selling nutrition
and such like for riders but also spare parts.
A tire inside of here, so remember,
Soyo is one of the NJS- approved tires
and like I said, if you make contact or you crash,
you actually have to put a brand-new tire on your bike.
One of these is ¥10,000 so yeah,
they are fairly expensive but ultimately,
it's your safety isn't it?
You've gotta think about.
People outside of Japan will search long, high, low,
whatever to try and find one of these.
Fantastic!
So I've just realized actually what's going on here.
Now each rider has their own account if you like,
so a tab, so that they come along
and they get their product,
so a guy has actually just come along
and got himself a new tire.
Unfortunately, he had a crash outside.
He's got his bit of paper, he's filled in what he's taken,
he doesn't have to pay there and then.
Instead he can pay at the end of the event.
So, essentially, I guess if you've got a lot of prize money,
you can take it from that,
or alternatively just settle
your bill at the end of your stay here.
It is everything you would need for a three-night
or six-night accommodation at Keirin race I guess.
(light music)
So, I almost stood on the hallowed turf, if you like
the actual velodrome itself.
Now it's not like one which anybody,
I'm sure at home is regularly used to seeing.
So it's not Siberian Pinewood
which most indoor velodromes are built of.
And an outdoor velodrome where we normally
either use concrete or asphalt.
This though, is something slightly different.
It's got more of a really rough,
textured, gritty, kind of feel to it.
What does that mean though?
Well it means that the tires,
they are gonna stick a little bit better to it
but importantly, especially for Keirin is
that they can race in the rain.
That's right, racing in the rain,
which is something totally unheard of
in the UK for sure and also,
I've not heard of any other outdoor velodromes
having racing take part in when it's wet
because quite frankly it's horrific
when it starts raining and you're stuck
on a outdoor velodrome.
But as we know, it is heavily reliant
upon spectators or more so even people placing bets.
Hence, the reason why it happens in the rain.
The banking isn't super steep,
it's barely steep but super interesting is the fact
that the width of the track is absolutely massive.
It's probably 50% wider than most tracks
I can think of, maybe Moscow in Russia
that's a wide open tracks which is very fast
for the sprinters but there is also a big runoff
on the inside there too
because remember, riders, yeah, they could
get themselves in a little bit of trouble
if they do some infringements
like breaking the rules for instance,
I'm not actually sure what you'd have
to do though to get disqualified
so it's probably a rough, tough head-butts
that kind of thing going on.
But a little fact then about that track.
Each corner has a number, this one's number one,
'cause this one is the first bend
after the start/finish line
and then when you exit that big bend,
that's bend number two, three, four respectively.
And on each bend, there is a judge,
for better words, who either waves a white flag
at the end of the race or a red flag.
Red flag obviously means that they've seen something
they don't think is quite fair
and an investigation needs to take place
but a white flag and everything is good.
Something which I've spotted here is
in fact three wind socks
as well as a little wind meter,
I don't know the technical name for that
but it spins around and it lets the punters
inside who are busy betting, know the wind speed
in meters per second.
That will help them, I guess, place bets
on a rider who is particularly good at crosswinds,
headwinds maybe even tailwind, I don't know,
but I've never seen a velodrome before
because while normally we watch cycling
on a velodrome indoors, don't we?
But this is so interesting,
I'm learning so much during this visit.
So it's six minutes past 11 on the dot
and the riders are just about
to start the first race of the day here.
So excuse me, I'm so excited to see this.
The first Japanese Keirin race I've ever seen.
(light music)
(riders chatting)
I'd just like to quickly thank Aya
for showing me around the velodrome today.
It's been absolutely amazing and also Yuuma
for doing all the translation work
so I could fully understand what's going on.
It has been absolutely incredible
to have such close access to the riders
as well as all of the equipment that's being used
and not to mention literally a velodrome tour
where we've been through tunnels and such like,
I never thought I would be able to see that, ever.
Let me know though, what you think of the Keirin.
I think it's absolutely amazing, let me know
down there in the comment section below.
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And well, me, this is gonna
be a really sad farewell
to this super velodrome and the Keirin.