Every year, the VPACE Kids Cup makes a stop at the Winterberg Bike Park. In the past, the iXS Dirt Masters always served as the backdrop for the kids' race, but even without the festival, Winterberg remains a regular stop on the tour. Over 120 kids from six countries took to the starting line and enjoyed a day full of action in perfect conditions.

The history of the VPACE Kids Cup in Winterberg dates back to 2019. Even at the very first edition of the series, Germany’s most famous bike park served as the venue for competitions featuring very young downhill riders. In recent years, the series has evolved and now delivers racing at a very high level, despite its child-friendly concept. Meeting the kids’ needs isn’t always easy, and keeping up with the rapid development in terms of riding skills is no simple task either.

However, the Winterberg Bike Park crew is fully behind the concept, so they went all out to provide the event with a suitable venue. As a result, the course was modified and the difficulty level was raised even further. Without the festival’s restrictions, the race was able to unfold a bit more freely and found a fitting setting as part of the Mother’s Day specials.

As always, everyone who had already arrived had the chance to pick up their race numbers the night before, helping to ease some of the morning rush. On Saturday, the track walk began right on time at nine, before everyone gathered for the riders’ meeting to receive the final information for race day. This was followed by two hours of practice, before things got serious after lunch. Incidentally, the track was opened for practice by none other than Lukas Schäfer.

As always, two timed runs were held, which, by the way, were scored using a new timing system. In the end, the faster run counted toward the final result, and as always, everyone was a winner in a way. However, in each of the six classes, there were three drivers who set the fastest times and received an extra medal in addition to their participation medal. The kids were beaming, and it seemed as though everyone had had a very special day. Surely some kids—and definitely some parents—pushed themselves to their limits, but the foundation for a racing career has been laid.

We would like to thank the bike park team and the volunteers who ensured that everything ran smoothly. In just three weeks, the series will enter its second round and will be held at the Willingen Bike Park.