ENDURO? It's all child's play!

We take two little rippers along to the PMBA's Gisburn Grassroots Enduro for a taste of the kids' racing world

- Dan Trent

The scene will be familiar to any enduro competitor riders patiently waiting their turn on a wooded hillside, air fizzing with excitement and nervous chit-chat. One by one, they sprint off into the trees in search of glory between the tape.

Only this is a bit different. The competitors here are all aged under 10. Their steeds range from mail-order balance bikes with solid plastic wheels to junior racers with full-suspension bikes, full-face lids, and all the gear. The supervising parents are similarly diverse, ranging from seasoned mountain bikers to underprepared mums and dads desperately chasing after their little rippers on foot, gym trainers skidding on the loose gravel.

Welcome to the Hope PMBA Gisburn Grassroots Enduro. We've headed north to try out the dedicated 'Mums and Kids' three-stage enduro race, plus the under 10s offshoot on the trail centre's 27 Berms section. Taking place before the PMBA Enduro Season kicks off, we figured it would be a great way to get the kids racing.

Team Trent has a presence in both the Mums and Kids race and the under 10s, nine-year-old Ossie riding with his mum in the main event while seven-year-old Florence is doing the latter with me. Like many here this is their first race and, potentially, the first rung on a competitive ladder that could go who knows how far.

Then again it could be a complete disaster that puts them off riding for life. But projecting your own dreams and (possibly failed) ambitions onto your kids is just one of the many perils parenting throws at you along the way. Nothing ventured, though!