How to become a Keirin Racer

So, you want to become a professional Keirin racer? According to Gen Kogure: you will need to compete for entrance into the Japan Keirin School. If you can ride a kilometer in under one minute and fifteen seconds, and if you have no Yakuza (Japanese mafia) ancestor, then you’re eligible for admission. If you make it in with the 10 percent of applicants who are accepted, then you’ll undergo a strict 15-hours per day training regime. Those who pass the graduation exams, and are approved by the Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai (NJS) become eligible for professional Keirin races in Japan.

Keirin has become a globally recognized measure of strategy and strength on the velodrome and is now an integral part of every national and international track racing event. Furthermore, urban centers around the world are filling up with imported retired or damaged NJS Keirin bicycle frames which spend the rest of their days rolling around cities as brakeless means of transportation.

Found here: Japanese Keirin - Sprinting across culture