# Foreign riders will face veterans and future stars in first Japanese races

*By Simon | April 28, 2026*

![Foreign riders will face veterans and future stars in first Japanese races](https://globalkeirin.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/jkmen.jpg)

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## 󠀁[Foreign riders will face veterans and future stars in first Japanese races](https://globalkeirin.com/2026/04/foreign-riders-will-face-veterans-and-future-stars-in-first-japanese-races/)󠁿

28 April 2026

We now have a little more detail of what awaits the international stars invited
to race in Japan this summer, in the Keirin World Series.

Provisional [start lists](https://morecadence.jp/keirin/238680/2) for the first
two events in the series have been published – revealing, somewhat unexpectedly,
that we will not see all six foreign guests at all the events.

The series gets underway with a meet at Hofu from 3-5 June, featuring
[Harrie Lavreysen](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/harrie-lavreysen/) and
returning British star
[Joe Truman](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/joseph-truman/) in the men’s
competition; on the women’s side, it looks like it’ll be
[Mathilde Gros](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/mathilde-gros/) and
[Ellesse Andrews](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/ellesse-andrews/).

Then at the end of the month, in Kokura – the city which hosted the first ever
keirin event in 1948 – Truman will be joined by his countryman
[Matthew Richardson](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/matthew-richardson/), whilst
Andrews will have
[Hetty van de Wouw](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/hetty-van-de-wouw/) for
company.

The men’s events will be five races of seven riders each day; the women’s will
be two races of 7 riders.

The men’s events will consist only of S1 and S2-ranked riders – meaning we won’t
see them competing against the sport’s current superstars.

Japanese website More Cadence [picks out](https://morecadence.jp/keirin/238680)
notable names like Hirotomo Shimizu, who has competed in 6 Keirin Grand Prix,
most recently in 2024; and Yudai Nitta, with 7 Grand Prix appearances to his
name, the last in 2022. Track Piste also
[highlights](https://www.trackpiste.com/2026/04/ya-se-conocen-los-pilotos-de-las-dos.html)
national team rider [Ryuto Ichida](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/ryuto-ichida/)
, winner at the prestigious Austral Wheelrace in Melbourne this past December
ahead of [Azizulhasni Awang](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/azizulhasni-awang/).

But the lists also include several men _well_ into their 50s: world 200
record-holder Richardson could line up alongside
[Hisayuki Nasu](https://keirin.jp/pc/racerprofile?snum=012705) – the Rookie
Champion back in 1993; and
[Masayoshi Kakura](https://keirin.jp/pc/racerprofile?snum=012478) – Keirin King
in 1998, and only a few weeks away from marking 25 years in the professional
ranks.

Women’s keirin is not graded in the same way, meaning there is potential to see
the visiting stars racing against the top female stars during the series. The
notable names at these first two events are
[Fuko Umekawa](https://globalkeirin.com/rider/fuko-umekawa/), twice second at
Girls Grand Prix, and currently ranked in the country’s top 10, who
[retired](https://globalkeirin.com/2024/11/another-japanese-sprinter-quits-national-team-to-return-to-keirin/)
from UCI competition in 2024; and Nao Suzuki, who reached her first G1 final at
the
[All Girls Classic last week](https://globalkeirin.com/2026/04/satos-cheque-for-all-girls-win-is-100x-more-than-wangs-uci-prize/)
.

**Categories:** Original
**Tags:** japan, keirinworldseries