The VPACE Kids Cup made its first stop at the Kopřivná Bike Park this weekend. On the easy downhill course in the Jeseníky Mountains, 58 children aged five to ten took to the starting line and competed in six age categories in close races for the best times.

New Location, Familiar Ground

Although the Kopřivná Bike Park was new territory for the VPACE Kids Cup, the older riders were already familiar with it from the Rookies Cup, which made its debut there last year and has since become a popular event on the racing calendar. All participants completed two timed runs, and the faster time from each run was used for scoring.

A racing series for the youngest participants since 2019

The goal of the series is to provide children with an age-appropriate and supervised introduction to racing, to foster team spirit and friendships, and, above all, to emphasize the joy of being active. Last year, there were about 800 starts by kids from twelve countries.

For the 2026 season, the calendar includes a total of seven venues in three countries—more than ever before. In addition to Kopřivná, the venues include Winterberg, Willingen, Oberhof, Farchant, and Ilmenau in Germany, as well as Leogang in Austria. Another new feature this season is that the race courses have been made more challenging overall, following repeated feedback in previous years that the courses were too easy even for the youngest participants.

Koprivna delivered exactly that, offering a very natural and varied route. The course featured sections of a blue flow trail with cool jumps, berms, and turns. However, more than half of it ran over fresh forest floor with roots and a few off-camber sections. The difficulty level was just right, striking the perfect balance between challenge and fun. Koprivna has once again demonstrated that it’s a perfect location for junior racing and will hopefully establish itself on the racing calendar.

Complete Results