In Kitakyushu City, which is said to be the birthplace of bicycle racing, a backyard tour was held for children to see the back of the Kokura Velodrome.
Kitakyushu is said to be the birthplace of bicycle racing, as it was the first bicycle race to be held in Japan in 1948.
Based on this history, a backyard tour was held at the Kitakyushu Media Dome in Kokura Kita Ward, which also serves as the Kokura Velodrome, in order to make people feel closer to Keirin.
Thirteen elementary school students from the city participated in the tour, and they were guided by the person in charge of Kitakyushu City to see behind the scenes of the velodrome, which is normally off limits.
In the umpire room, we learned about the process of determining competition rankings.
The person in charge explained that in front of the computer, the video of the competition will be played frame by frame to determine the ranking, and if a contact accident occurs, the cause will be confirmed.
After that, we entered the Keirin track, which has a maximum incline of 34 degrees, and watched the athletes practice.
The children saw the athletes running at a speed of nearly 80 kilometers per hour and exclaimed, "It's faster than a car," and "It's cool."
A boy who participated in the tour was surprised and said, "Everything is different from ordinary bicycles, such as speed and sound."