CQ27_FINAL_SPREADS (1)

event it needs to offer plenty
of variables to ponder, plus a
healthy dose of unpredictability.
(To put it another way, there’s
a reason why Paddy Power
doesn’t frame a market on
the individual pursuit.) Keirin’s
unique rules are designed to
deliver the optimum balance of
order, chaos, tactics, skill and
dumb luck.
It is slightly less clear exactly
who hit upon the magic
formula. Official histories,
with which McCurry seems
to agree, suggest that it was
Teisuke Kurashige – imperial
soldier, philanthropist and
(with Kiyoshi Ebisawa) one of
the two fathers of keirin, who
together developed the sport
after world war two to provide
employment, entertainment and
public revenue. Others are not
so sure. An exhibit at the keirin
museum in South Korea, whose
authorities are apparently always
keen to troll their counterparts
across the Sea of Japan, insist
that it was born in, of all places,
Denmark. And there are indeed
records of bets being taken on
velodrome races in Denmark as
long ago as 1888, in a format
which appears to have been a
sort of Battle Royale on wheels.
But it wasn’t keirin – that Danish
form of racing did not involve
a pacer, and it appears that
this all-important inclusion was
Kurashige’s idea. On the other
hand, pacers had long been
common in other forms of
European racing. Maybe we will
never know for sure.
Why isn’t there any marketing
of keirin equipment? To protect
the interests of punters, who
are supposed to be betting
on the performance of the
rider alone, every part of every
bicycle used in keirin racing
has to bear a stamp confirming
that it meets strict regulations.
This prevents any rider gaining
a performance advantage from
his or her equipment. So, as
a matter of logical necessity,
manufacturers are unable to
take out advertisements to
explain why, or even claim that
their bikes are better than the
competition. What is more,
the only money riders are
allowed to earn is their race
winnings: endorsements and
sponsorship are forbidden. (The
importance of this point can
hardly be overstated: think of
the importance of brands, their
marketing departments and
their money to cycling culture
and media, and therefore to the
profile of the sport, everywhere
else in the world.)
Why did women stop racing,
and why did they start again?
Many very talented female
athletes are unable to pursue
a professional sporting career.
Women have simply faced
(and continue to face) cultural,
financial, social and other
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