Another month full of adventures and new experiences is already a thing of the past. In the meantime I've also reached the halfway point of this year's Japan tour. I am now looking forward to the second part of my journey with great anticipation, but first I want to tell you about my last few weeks.
The 3rd race in Chiba should be a test of my form and my tactical skills. It was the strongest field of riders on my tour so far. In addition, I was the only international driver to qualify for the final race.
In the final, it was up to me to survive alone against 8 other Japanese drivers. But before that there is always a TV interview with each driver, where you get asked questions about his tactics and form. As a small thank you, you will receive a shopping voucher. In the Keirin design, of course.
Then it was time for the race. I summarized how it went in my own words:
“At the beginning of the race I was taken a bit by surprise as the race started earlier than expected. Normally, the pacemaker leaves the track 650 meters before the finish. But this time the first Japanese overtook the pacemaker about 800 meters from the finish line. Unthinkable in an international race! That would immediately mean the race was stopped and the driver would be disqualified. But not in Japan! There is only a fine of 10.000 yen (approx. 70 euros) for this tactical maneuver. As a result, the pace was very high right from the start and I was passed to the back. So the initial situation wasn't exactly ideal for winning the race. Then the first sounds of the bell for the last lap sounded and from the 7th position the way forward was very long. But a lot can still happen on a 500 meter track. With this thought, I mobilized the last of my strength and was able to push past everyone in the second row and win.”
After the race there is not much time to breathe! As a winner, each competitor is given a drink after the race as a sign of recognition. This is followed by the award ceremony and then some interviews.
But that's not the end of it. The bike needs to be repackaged and sent to the next race before taking a well-deserved shower. There isn't much time for that either, because the schedule after the race is always tight and unfortunately the trains don't wait. If you're unlucky, you won't even get a seat.
The next race should not be long in coming. Only four days with some rest and training lay in between. In addition, the rainy season has begun in Japan. That means it rains all day and then often for days.
Luckily for me, the next race should be 100 percent rain-free, because the Maebashi velodrome is in a huge hall. The track in Maebashi is the only one of the two covered keirin tracks in Japan along with the one in Kokura. Everything went according to plan, not only did the racing pants I ordered arrived on time, no, but the races also went perfectly on the 1990 World Championship track.
In the final, thanks to great teamwork with Shane Perkins, the Australian keirin world champion of 2011, I was able to celebrate my 3rd victory in the final and my 1st perfect race (3 wins in the heats, semi-finals and final). Shane Perkins also crossed the finish line in second.
After the great result, we ended the evening in one of the numerous sushi restaurants.
In the next part you will find out how things are going for me in the Far East.
Until then,
Your Stefan
PS: Here under this link you will find my profile on the website of the Japanese Keirin organization. There you can still watch the videos of my races days and weeks after the competitions.