Matthew Richardson confronted the famously physical Japanese style of keirin racing in his semi-final at the second Keirin World Series event, taking place at Kokura – the city where keirin itself was born.
Leading an attack from the rear, the British rider 4 began making steady progress up the field in the back straight. He sat third into corner three, on the shoulder of second-placed Yusuke Takakubo 2, with a small gap to close to leader Ryuto Ichida 5.
But Takakubo drifted out of the notional ‘sprinter’s lane’, forcing Richardson up the track, and killing his momentum. Richardson appeared to bump shoulders with a rider on his inside as he attempted to regain the racing line, but thankfully all stayed upright.
Takakubo’s move might well have earned a disqualification in a UCI-rules event. But in Japanese keirin, where riders collaborate in ‘lines’, defensive tactics in support of the line’s designated leader are the norm.
Ichida held on for the win; Takakubo was third, caught at the line by Soma Ito 3. Richardson was last across the line.
The other three guest riders all won their races, to secure places in Sunday’s main finals.
Ellesse Andrews 4 said in yesterday’s post-race interview that she planned to take a similar approach in today’s race: and sure enough, it was a carbon copy performance. Again, she made her move from second-to-last place, carrying speed out of corner two and exiting the back straight in the lead, with only one rider able to hold her wheel. The Kiwi remains unbeaten in Japanese competition.
Hetty van de Wouw 5 rode a much more patient race on day two, entering the last lap in last place. She eased her way up the outside in the back straight, then jumped out of the saddle to make an extra kick into corner three, and left them all behind, for a 4-length victory at the line. ‘I tried to do a different tactic to yesterday,’ she said afterwards. ‘I think I succeeded well, I’m in pain now.’
Joe Truman 5 showed the speed and stamina which made him European kilo champion: with a lap and a half left, the British rider checked over his shoulder, and decided it was time to launch a long-range attack. He led into the final lap, and dug deep all the way to the finish, with his line-mate Masataka Sakurai forcing late attacker Koji Hishida wide. There was a short delay while the result was reviewed, but Truman’s win was soon confirmed.
Post-race Comments
Ellesse Andrews:
The race was really good, I was really happy. Today I wanted to wait a little bit longer to make my move than I did yesterday. So I was happy that I was able to wait a tiny bit longer. There were some really strong girls in the field, I know, so I was really happy to take the win. I’ve had a really good couple of days, and I’ve been able to experience a few different things in racing, so I’m very excited for the final tomorrow.
Hetty van de Wouw:
It was a bit different than yesterday. I tried to go a bit shorter, see what the girls would do. I think they did very good tactics. I was already in the first few laps behind the pacer, they already made some moves, so I had to adjust to that. I’m very happy with how it went. I still feel good, and I’m excited for tomorrow.
