The Keirin is a type of track race made popular in Japan and integrated into the Cycling World Championships in 1980.
A typical race involves 6 to 9 riders who set off, initially behind a motorised rider in front. With 2 laps to go, the motorbike peels off the track leaving the riders alone on the track. The race is then a simple sprint to the line. The idea is that the motorbike starts off slowly at 25Kmph and then builds up speed upto about 50Km per hour. In the men’s races the finishing speeds can be up to 70Kmph or 45 mph.
This is a video from the Women’s World Championship in 2007 with Victoria Pendleton winning Gold.
Chris Hoy (Britain) won the men’s event in 2007. Giving Britain a double Olympic Gold.
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