Take a Look Inside the Gruelling Training Regimen of Japan's Keirin Bike Racers

One of Japan's lesser-known national pastimes is Keirin, a track bike race where several racers decked out in bright jerseys battle it out at 40mph to cross the finish line first in unnervingly close quarters. Promoted after the end of World War II as a gambling sport, along with sumo, horse racing and pachinko as a way to boost the post-war Japanese economy, Keirin (translated as "racing wheels") involves short sprints where each racer states their tactic at the start of the race and is awarded...