Tribal dads join kids on bikes

Families enjoy riding in the Father's Day races yesterday. Photo / Stephen Parker

Kids, dads and bikes have proved a winning Father's Day combination.

The NDuro Winter Mountain Bike Series finished on a high note in Rotorua yesterday, as the event's "tribe" was extended to those just out of training wheels.

Nduro event manager Belinda Farmer said there was a strong atmosphere at Waipa in Whakarewarewa yesterday, with competitors racing through several obstacles, including sand, gravel, road and forest.

Those under 8 were also able to join in on their own short course, covering about 800m in three laps.

"Every year the last race falls on Father's Day.

"It has increasingly grown. People keep coming back. They are like our tribe.

"This year we had 646 entrants to our main races, the short and long courses, and then once they all started we invited the under-8s to join and had about 15 kids that got a free number plate from us and did a little loop by the paddock by Waipa and a bit of a gorge track.

"We had face painting for all the kids who did the race, there was a Shweeb from Agroventures, and we had Croucher Brewery down there for the dads when they finished. They got a few beers.

"So we had a bit of an atmosphere. We had the sound system going. There was a coffee cart, and a food cart.

"It was a time to relax with your family and hang out once they had finished the tough race."

Ray White auctioneer James Alexander ran a promotion at the event, and said it was great fun.

"We wanted to do a fun promotion for Father's Day to interact with families.

"I approached Off Road New Zealand and they gave me a special bike with a handle bar that if you turn left, it turns right ... so we ran a competition for who could ride the longest, and they won a free Ray White bike."