Keirin, directly translated as ‘racing wheels’, is a motor-paced track race on brakeless bicycles in which cyclists ride in excess of 40mph. The racing is in short heats and involves lots of physical contact with frequent crashes. Jasper describes the racing as “fast paced, with short heats. It’s also tactical, with various ‘plays’ available. Each racer will state before the race which play he or she will make and then betting is made on the outcome of their play,” he explains. “So racers will say whether they plan to do a last minute attack or sprint from the start for instance. This tactical aspect means racers can be very successful even if their age would mean they shouldn’t be able to keep us physically. Some of the most successful racers are in their fifties, which would be unheard of on the track in Europe.”

Life at the academy is spartan, it can take multiple attempts at the exam to earn a place and once there cyclists train six days a week, in all weathers; “They eat simple meals and train ten hours a day, mostly racing but also strength training and on rare occasions on rollers.” After meals of fish, rice and miso soup they train up in the mountains until lunch before spending hours riding laps at a steady pace, mastering the art of sprinting inches from each other. The cyclists are very involved with their machines, “doing their own mechanics, constantly fiddling and tweaking their bikes to try to get the most out of them.” They learn about key racing styles, including how to use a front rider’s slipstream and are taught about life as a professional Keirin racer; how to look after their health and deal with the pressure of the gambling culture attached to the sport. Keirin was developed in the late 1940s in an effort to encourage gambling and boost Japan’s economy after World War II, alongside a push in Sumo, horse racing and Pachinko parlours.