From left: Truman, Richardson, Lavreysen, Andrews, van der Wou, and Gros (Photo: Ayano Sakurai) expressing their enthusiasm at the press conference.
Six top international cyclists—men’s competitors Harry Lavreysen (Netherlands), Matthew Richardson (Great Britain), and Joseph Truman (Great Britain), along with women’s riders Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand), Hetty van der Wou (Netherlands), and Mathilde Gros (France)—held a press conference in Tokyo on the 11th. This marks the first time in seven years, since 2019, that foreign riders will compete against Japanese athletes. The series kicks off on June 3 at the Hofu Keirin track and runs for 10 events through August 30 at Kawasaki, showcasing world-class speed.
The moment has arrived: the world’s strongest and fastest rider, Harry Lavreysen. Germany’s Michael Hübner (who passed away in November 2024) dominated the early 1990s, while Great Britain’s Chris Hoy earned the title of “Sir” with six Olympic golds across three Games in the 2000s. Now, it’s Lavreysen’s era.
At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, he won gold in both the sprint and team sprint. At Paris 2024, he swept all three—sprint, keirin, and team sprint. Simply unstoppable. To see him race on a keirin track is an unparalleled joy. “I want to break the track record. I think there will be more front-running, because it’s safer,” he said. On his first participation, he joked, “Truman and I were at a bar in Canada, saying how happy we’d be if we got invited to Japan. Then only he got invited—I was sad.” He has already completed practice races in Izu with no issues.
Richardson, known for his massive thighs (said to be unmeasurable), is considered by some to be on par with Lavreysen. He took silver in both keirin and sprint at the Paris Olympics, losing to Lavreysen. Cheerful and friendly, he’s an outdoor enthusiast who converted a 22-seat bus into a camper in his home country. “I’ll even try eel,” he said with bravado. On racing: “I never give up until the end. I have high motivation. I give 100% to the finish line. I don’t care about outdoor tracks, but the difference between carbon and steel frames is tough.” Truman, the only one with previous Japanese keirin experience, was relaxed and mixed in some Japanese: “When COVID calmed down, I started learning Japanese so I’d be ready whenever Japan called me again. It actually happened, and I’m very happy. I’m good at long sprints, but lately I’m also confident in my acceleration.”
Andrews, winner of keirin and sprint gold at the Paris Olympics, first visited Japan at age 10 with her grandparents and is a huge Japanophile. “I won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics too, and I love Japan. I want to study Japanese culture. Outdoor tracks take me back to when I trained outside as a youngster—fresh and nostalgic. Come see my smile,” she said. Her biggest rival is van der Wou, who was disappointed with silver in the keirin at Paris but won three golds (sprint, team sprint, 1000m time trial) at last year’s World Championships. “I know Mina Sato, but I don’t know the others. I’m excited to try something new.” She plans to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka to feast on sushi, okonomiyaki, and ramen.
Gros, who visited Japan in 2018 and 2019 with idol-like popularity, is still as charming as ever. However, she didn’t perform to her potential at the home Paris Olympics, missing a medal. A helping hand came from Andrews: “After Paris, she invited me to New Zealand and I stayed there for a while. I felt much better.” All six riders are friendly and charismatic. To see Olympians—especially gold medalists—race in person is an opportunity not to be missed.
