Over the last three years, the series has developed enormously and it is hard to imagine the mountain bike racing scene without it. Originally conceived as an “add-on” to the Propain Rookies Cup to keep the little siblings of the Rookies Cup participants busy, the VPACE Kids Cup has developed into a serious race and series format for the age group between 5 and 10 years. It will also make it easier for many children to enter the Rookies Cup in the future, as they can already get a taste of real “racing air” in series format at primary school age. The tracks have become more challenging, professional timekeeping has replaced the stopwatch and a professional photographer captures the first racing experiences for eternity. A series classification was also introduced for the first time in 2024. But the field of participants has also changed. The level of the kids has increased dramatically and their demeanor is much more serious. Spectators are often amazed to see kids in full racing gear drifting over both wheels on the race track.
Celebrity visit: Nina Hoffmann at the VPACE Kids Cup in Ilmenau
Trackwalk - training - qualifying - race, the processes are trained in a playful way and develop into a routine. There have already been some familiar faces from the VPACE Kids Cup, who competed in the very international Rookies Cup and benefited greatly from their experience. There are sure to be a few stars of tomorrow among the participants.
Despite all the development, the focus is still on fun: the kids should experience action, make new friends and get used to competitions in a playful way. Everyone wins a medal, but only the three fastest are awarded gold, silver and bronze.
The race calendar for the coming season is currently being drawn up and there will also be further developments. At least six stops in various regions are planned. The dates will be announced by the end of the year at the latest.
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