soo..... what was that all about...
ok, non-track racer friends, let me explain. that video [click here] in the previous post was a type of race called a keirin. it was invented in Japan and has taken on a bit of a cult following. tragically most of the cult members have never seen a race, let alone done one. The cult is more about the hipness of riding track bikes on the street to your local coffee shop and admiration of the craftsmanship of some of the traditional Japanese bikes... that almost no-one outside of japan ever actually race on since they are a bit out of date. Much like the wooden baseball bat, traditional Japanese frames are only used because a strict organizing body is enforcing retro-rules on them for the sake of tradition (and 'maybe' fairness). A nice hand made wooden bat can be a thing of beauty though.
I digress... so the actual race is 2000 meters in length, the first 1400 meters are paced by either a motorcycle or bicycle rider. Any attempt to pass the pacer before that 600m to go mark will result in instant disqualification.
At the start line 5 to 9 riders are held up in a row by coaches or volunteers. (usually 6 riders for international competition, and 9 for Japanese races with serious gambling, and usually 8 for local events). Because only a handful of riders race a time, commonly there will be some preliminary races to get to the main event. Often the preliminary races will include a second chance race know as a repecharde. Eventually it will all come down to those 8 or so riders who make it to the final.
The starting positions from top to bottom are decided randomly by drawing cards. All the riders, with their holders then hobble onto the track, get on their bikes, give each other a few evil glances and stares, and get final instructions from the officials. The riders may not move before a start gun or start whistle signals them just as the pacer is passing by on the inside. The riders must stay close to the pacer... or at least the rider who drew the inside lane is required to stay close to the pacer in the case that no one else does. The speed of the pacer varies a bit, but generally at the start it is 24mph and when the pacer leaves the track at 600 meters to go it is 32mph.
When the pacer leaves the track, obviously, it is all-out, full-speed, race to the finish. Having the pacer get everyone to a decent starting speed makes the final sprint extremely exciting as the speed even at the drop off is high enough to create a nice draft that keeps the riders in the back close too (and in striking range) of the riders in the front. Finish speeds well in excess of 40mph are common.
Thats the basics... now some finer points... there a quite a few 'un-rules'. Technically the holders must just hold up the rider and may not help by pushing at the start... ya, not really the case. Technically no contact between riders is permitted... ya, not really the case. Technically it is strictly a solo event and team work or collusion between riders in not permitted...ya, you guessed it, not really the case. I've been told 'no head butting', but i say that is debatable as well.
For a race that is at most 2 minutes long (and the un-paced fast part is less then 30 seconds long) the complexity and difficulty of the tactics is astounding. Basically each race plays out like an NFL scrimmage, with lots of huge powerful dudes pic'ing and tacking and pushing and shoving... except that instead of everyone working toward one of two common team goals, in the keirin every rider has their own agenda. Dog eat dog.
I love keirin. It is frig'n awesome!!
Maybe the best way to fully understand it is for me to run through some of the intricacies of the race that Steve posted that awesome video for. I should start with a list of the riders.
Sam 'Maximus' Milroy - LTO velo, most powerfull rider in the group. grey and black outfit with normal helmet.
Gio 'maestro' Rey - (Me) - LTO velo, training partner to Sam.
grey and black outfit with white ball shaped helmet.
Alan V. - a power house, but doesn't normally like to mix it up tactically very much. all black outfit
Matt Talbot -VP team, coached by McCook. dark blue with red highlights
Dave McCook - VP team, veteran, extremely cagey. dark blue with red highlights
Nole Studley - cowboy, training partner to Talbot, McCook. yellow and black
Steve Peleaz - (camera man) Veteran, very good at getting through small holes and a smoothness in pedaling that lets him achieve and maintain a surprisingly high speed.
Pat Briggs - The hammer. Not as into the track as some of the others as he is an outstanding road racer... he does everything well, and feels NO pain. when we are puking lactid acid he just laughs at us and attacks again. white and purple outfit.
-- first things to notice... 2 very likely groups that may help each other. the McCook/Talbot/Studley group, and the Milroy/Rey group. The track record in resent races shows that these pods will control the event. There is a good chance that the remaining riders will also help each other when faced with this opposition. It is also good to realize that Milroy and Talbot are the 2 most likely 'designated winners' from the respective factions. And as it turns out Briggs and Paleaz loosely conspired to help each other, mostly to Paleaz's benefit, as well.
so if you got to the start line and you didn't see any of that coming you pretty much are already screwed. you also might note the headwind on the back stretch and the tail wind finish. this means the prime passing zone will be on the back stretch or the end of the backstretch. leading into the finish on the home stretch is a safe(r) bet.
the start: In a big race having a good pusher is EVERYTHING. No one is better the Matt Martinez. If you can't get him then find the biggest dude you can. It is not just how hard they push you, it is how much you trust them to hold you up straight and keep you calm at the line. If you are struggling just to hang out at the start line it is going to be a really hard race. Nothing you can do about what position you draw. Generally the bottom is better. When you start close to the bottom/inside you can always slide backward a spot or two, but you may never get the chance to move forward again until the pacer pulls off (unless you ride out in the wind without drafting).
Always take a look around before the start. Note who is going to be challenging you for position in the scramble for the pacer. Also notice any rookies that are already clenching their handlebars and who's knees are shaking. They aren't going anywhere, you can write them off already. Breath deep, stay loose, and don't clench up or even grab the handle bars until you have to.
At any rate... the next thing you know 'BANG' the gun goes off and we are back to the specifics of the video. I had the inside spot. Somehow McCook got a better start then me, maybe a better pusher... he was immediately challenging me for the Pacer. I let him have it. I want to be near the front, but either 1st or 2nd is fine with me. Briggs then comes up and challenges me a bit for McCooks draft, but there really is nothing he can do if I don't want to give it up so he relents. As soon as that settled down Talbott comes up around the outside and McCook lets Talbott in front of him. A classic team play. Control the front, possibly lead each other out, possibly obstruct riders behind. Sam then comes up. I let Sam in front of me, and then quickly he and I shuffle with him letting me back in front of him.
Now the deck is loaded. The VP team, while less powerful then the LTO team, has control of the front. McCook is crafty and aggressive in ways that sometimes can disrupt much stronger riders who try to pass him. The LTO team is in a pretty good spot as well, close to the front with only riders that they 'should' be able to pass fairly easily in front of them. Behind, Briggs and Paleaz and Alan see all this and know that LTO if not VP are going to go 100% full gas making it extremely hard to move up and around the outside; and they have a lot ground to make up to get back to the front.
The only possibly move for Briggs and Paleaz (and the others) is to attack first, but not before the pacer gets out of the way, else be disqualified. Briggs agrees to tow Paleaz forward and time it so that they hit the front just as the pacer pulls out at 600 meters to the finish.
VP is sitting on the front, but is somewhat flat footed. They can't really accelerate before the pacer pulls off, since the are already first in line.
I drop back and leave a 1 bike length gap in front of me and wait for the rush of Briggs and Paleaz to come up the outside. I then blast through the gap and pop up such that Brigg's rush is somewhat derailed. I drive forward and catch a little flack from McCook, some minor contact, but nothing that slowed me down. I find the front anyway and don't look back.
My plan A was just go full speed with Sam behind me and let him be rested to light up the last 100 meters in the case that I wasn't strong enough to lead the whole way... this didn't work. Sam got stuck in traffic with the whole McCook, Briggs, Paleaz jam-up.
Plan B was better!!... I continued full gas seeing that I had something of gap. Whoever was going to chase me was going to have to explode themselves to catch back up. If they didn't do it then I would walk away for the win. If they did do it... well then Sam would be drafting them ready to crush them. Sam is bad ass, no one was going to go full gas for 600 meters and still stay ahead of a fresh, drafting Sam at the finish.
I was rolling pretty well. I tried to conserve a little in hopes of driving hard all the way to the finish line but there was a strong head wind on the back stretch that really hurt me. Palaez chased up to me in the draft here and was threatening to pass by the last corner.
In the last corner I saw Palaez on my hip and I saw a shadow that looked like Sam storming around the outside. (the further outside you go, the harder it is to pass. Palaez was one rider out...Sam was two rider out... that is hard). Seeing Sam coming I slowed and dropped to the very bottom edge of the track to make way... and he did not disappoint. a crushing final blow.
Keirin.
basically a few simple rules:
1) No teamwork, no contact, no pushing at the start. ;)
2) eyes in the back of your head,
3) know everything about everyone who goes to the start line with you.
4) have a plan, and expert it to hurt.
5) aggression, aggression, aggression... he who hesitates doesn't have a chance. just see it and do it. there is no chance to think about it.
6) be prepared for rider to rider contact.
7) being the strongest does not guarantee anything.
8) if you don't get disqualified every once in a while you aren't trying hard enough.
9) use exactly as much energy as you need to at any given instant, no more.
10)... ah... shoot, there are always 10 rules. i only have 9. I KNOW: have fun!
ciao,
giovanni
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