Off the beaten track
Under 18 mountain bike riders took on the first round of Like2Bike at Hobby Park.
Cross-country mountain biking, also known as XCO, is an intense, fast-paced off-road race consisting of multiple laps around a short circuit course. It takes a lot of technique and experience in precision cycling to compete against other skilled riders on a rough track with rocky drops and tight corners.
Interest in the sport usually starts at a young age, and on Saturday riders as young as five years old proved this when they participated in a race with the starting line at Hobby Park.
Like2Bike regularly hosts cycling and duathlon events for kids. On Sunday, 16 May the group hosted the inaugural round of their Kids XCO event, for kids in groups from age five all the way to 18 years.
“We’ve been organising fun kids cycling events for ten years, and XCO is the next step for the kids. It’s the only mountain-biking Olympic discipline, and it exposes the kids to a more technical course, thus improving their technical and racing skills. Hobby Park has the ideal mix of trails, suitable for the older kids who need more of a challenge, as well as fun trails which are perfect for the younger kids,” explained Kirsten Searly, owner of Like2Bike.
Winners of the day were as follows:
Sub sub-Nippers (aged 5 to 8) boys winner – Joshua Horwell
Sub sub-Nippers (aged 5 to 8) girls winner – Mikayla Avenant
Nippers (aged 9 to 10) boys winner – Ethan Duvenage
Nippers (aged 9 to 10) girls winner – Kayla Sinden
Sprogs (aged 11 to 12) boys winner – Michael Kanis
Sprogs (aged 11 to 12) girls winner – Hannah van Heerden
Sub-Junior (aged 13 to 14) boys winner – Claude Fraser
Sub-Junior (aged 13 to 14) girls winner – Anais Huyser
Junior (aged 15 to 16) boys winner – Liam Searle
Junior (aged 15 to 16) girls winner – Lauriesian Brett
Youth (aged 17 to 18) boys winner – Bertie Anderson
Winners took home nutritional hampers sponsored by 32Gi and Rugani.
The second and third rounds will be held on 18 July and 12 September respectively.
