This beautiful film was shot by Jonathan de Villiers, a fashion and portrait photographer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wallpaper* and other places.
It gives a real insight into the life of a keirin racer in Japan, and the difference between the international sport and the Japanese version, which is one of the only state-sanctioned betting activities and therefore less about ‘pure’ atheleticism.
It looks like Villiers got some great access behind the scenes at races (which is very unusual, as they are very tightly controlled due to the amounts of money being bet) and at the state keirin school, where all prospective riders must go for a year’s training.
Can’t embed this one for now, so take a trip on over to Nowness to watch.
…less about ‘pure’ athleticism…more about pure Yakuza. The gear isn’t the only thing that’s fixed.
That’s a pretty big generalisation. I’ve spent some time at keirin and in close contact with the JKA and they seem to do a lot more than many sports to combat corruption.
I was hoping to see more derby style action…
@max – yes a generalization, but I’ve seen the fix in action (and spoiled) at Tachikawa…
short version of the story is in the comments @ http://drunkcyclist.com/2008/12/17/skittle-keirin/