FREE kids race at Gisburn Forest – Sat 28th March 2020

The main race on the Sunday is for ages 11+, and sold out in a few seconds back in November. However on the Saturday there is a 1-stage taste of what MTB Enduro is, aimed at under 13s.  A very tame course suitable for very young pre-school kids and upwards who already do some riding.  Balance bikes, or pedal bikes – all you need is an accompanying adult and a £20 deposit for the timing chip, and a helmet.

We’ll race down part of the blue-grade loop very close to the cafe/hub, and the kids can do the course multiple times and try and beat their previous time. Parents can ride or walk/run close by while they do to “chaperone” the kids, but they must  make sure they are in control. Encourage and give them confidence – just as you would if riding with them normally, but with a little competition!

Maybe they’ll even come back on the Sunday to watch the main event, we just want to open the eyes of the kids and give them something good to aspire to as they reach teenage years. Even if just one thinks they can make a hobby from riding a bike that would be great.  Last years winner of the kids race, 10 year old Katy is now one of my ambassadors racing in the adult series!

Facebook event :   https://www.facebook.com/events/387788752101741/   

One day they may progress to our main race 🙂

The photos will be on Facebook and you are welcome to save them, use them, cherish them.
However if you do not want photos of your kid in the free public album then you can fill in a sheet at sign on to opt out of these shots.

See over 400 pics from last Septembers first free kids race at Kirroughtree as a taster.

The timed section is called “27 Berms” and we have freshly surfaced this to make it as easy as possible and accessible for as many kids as possible.  However kids vary a lot in experience and ability, there is no lower age limit, but it is YOUR job as parents to judge if the event is suitable for your kid. It is also your responsibility to keep them safe on the course, both on timed and un-timed sections.

There is a short cut after the finish back to the start, they can do the timed section as many times as they want before returning to the hub to download the chip and see their time.  They can even go out for another lap and more runs after that if they want.  The event will run from 1pm to 4pm, with sign on from midday. We are hoping for around 70 kids, but that could well double given the demand and response we have had – but we can cope with 200 (with less timed runs per kid) if we have misjudged the numbers … and will even have 350 timing chips available.