(Beijing, December 9)- Thirty of the world's top female sprinters will compete in the women's Keirin OD Sunday at round No. 2 of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics at seeing Laoshan Velodrome.

First round racing starts at 12:35. The second round is at 16:35. The final round starts at 17:30.

Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton captured the Keirin event at the World Cup opener in Sydney, Australia. Pendleton is the event's reigning world champion.

American Jennie Reed was second at the Sydney World Cup, with Belarusian Natallia Tsylinskaya third.

On Friday at the Beijing World Cup, Tsylinskaya defeated Pendleton 2-0 in the final of the women's sprint.

The Keirin is a multi-rider event where the field is led out by a small motorbike called a derny. Lead riders jockey for position behind the derry, occasionally bumping into each other.

When the derny pulls off the track prior to the final lap, riders sprint to the finish line. The first rider across wins. Riders who don't win their qualifying heat get a second chance in the repechage round.

Keirin racing originated in Japan, where pari-mutuel betting drives fan interest.

The women's Keirin is not an Olympic event.

There are 376 cyclists from 44 countries competing at the Beijing World Cup, making it the second largest track event in history, behind only the last weekend's World Cup opener in Sydney, which attracted 395 competitors from 48 countries.