Oberhof in the Thuringian Forest has become a regular stop on the VPACE Kids Cup circuit. For several years now, a race in the series for the youngest downhill riders has been held on the Rennsteig in conjunction with the Rookies Cup. A sold-out race, perfect weather, and a relaxed atmosphere set the stage for the third of seven races.

Oberhof is known to many as a World Cup-level winter sports resort. But this Thuringian vacation destination has much more to offer, as there has been a small but excellent bike park on the Fallbachhang for many years. This bike park, featuring a wide variety of trails, a chairlift, and perfect surrounding infrastructure, has been hosting the Rookies Cup since 2021. Since the bike park’s offerings are primarily geared toward young riders, the idea quickly took shape to host a round of the VPACE Kids Cup in addition to this race. And so, this series is now making its fourth appearance in the “St. Moritz of the East.”

This race has a unique feature: unlike most races, which take place near the valley station—where the Rookies Cup finish line is located—this one is held at the top, near the mountain station. The advantage is that while both races complement each other, they can still be held relatively independently of one another. As a result, there was a large crowd at the top for the Kids Cup and fans and accompanying adults at the bottom for the Rookies Cup seeding run. A nice side effect is that some of the kids can already get a taste of the Rookies Cup—after all, this is their next step, provided they enjoy racing.

The route along the Fallbach slope is always similar, but here too, the course design took into account the fact that the difficulty level is constantly increasing. As always, we started on the flow trail, where we had to apply our cornering technique, and then headed out onto the meadow, where the route had been slightly modified compared to last year. This middle section is quite challenging, as the meadow alternates with the rather rough and rocky terrain of the ski slope. We then headed into the forest, where the terrain became both steeper and more root-covered. This is where the biggest change was made, as the course was extended once again, making it even more demanding.

The weather didn’t really cooperate, at least on the day of arrival and setup. Rain and low temperatures were forecast, though fortunately the outlook for race day was much better. As a result, Saturday started with just a damp track, which dried out quite well as the morning progressed. Nevertheless, the practice session was extremely challenging due to the slippery grass and roots. By race time, conditions had improved, so nothing stood in the way of a good time.

As always, there were two races, with the better result counting toward the final score. In the end, spectators were treated to some real racing—in miniature. The kids now look like little World Cup racers and deliver similar action. In the end, though, it was all about having fun and enjoying a great day on the bike. You could see from the kids’ faces that this was once again a very special day. The exertion, however, likely ensured that most of them fell into bed that evening exhausted but happy.

Result Oberhof

A big thank you to the bike park and the volunteers, to the parents and chaperones, and of course a huge shout-out to the kids for making the races in this series so fantastic. The series continues in mid-July in Farchant, Bavaria.