Harrie Lavreysen‘s run of success on the velodromes of Japanese keirin finally came to an end on Sunday, with fellow foreign guest Joe Truman taking the win at Wakayama.
The reigning world champion had previously won 12 in a row, dating back to the first Keirin World Series event in early June.
On paper, the meeting at Wakayama was the highlight of the Series: it was the only event at the higher GIII level, where the other 9 were all FI. That meant it could have attracted men in the top SS tier of Japanese domestic racing… but none took up the offer.
Matters was even more stark on the women’s side: they were only granted a single race on the final day – which happened to clash with one of the highlights of the women’s calendar, the Women’s All-Star Keirin at Sasebo. Of the current top 20, only one would join the foreign stars at Wakayama.
It was Lavreysen 3 who fired the men’s final into life as the pacer prepared to exit, moving towards the front with a long lap and a half remaining – with Truman 5, a rider noted for his sustained speed, on his wheel.
A gap opened up between the pair as they entered the final bend: was Lavreysen pulling away, or was Truman giving himself a space to attack into? It proved to be the latter: entering the home straight, the British rider pulled alongside the Dutchman, and was a full length ahead of him at the finish, with Kota Matsuzaki 9 stretching to claim second place.
The one-off women’s race produced the inevitable 1-2-3 for the foreign riders, with Ellesse Andrews 6 taking the win on her return to Japan.
The foreign stars lurked at the back of the line, and were happy to allow an early attack to go ahead, as they entered the final lap. Van de Wouw 4 closed the gap down the back straight, with Andrews following, and Gros 2 getting aboard the train as it passed her.
Into the home straight, Andrews struggled to hold her line as she gave it everything, edging ahead in the final few metres, and clinching the win with a perfectly-timed throw at the line.
Three more events remain in the Keirin World Series: the next one is at Yokkaichi, starting on 17 August: Truman, Gros, Andrews are currently expected to participate. Matthew Richardson was also due to race, but he has now officially withdrawn from all Series events after his horrific crash prior to the Commonwealth Games.
