The track topic

[stumpytrunks]

"miss and out" is always good for developing bunch skills. Last rider across the line on each lap is eliminated, with the last two fighting it out for the win. Important to have someone 100 metres past the line to tell them who is out each lap though! That might be too large of a distance for that age group though. I will have a think of more fun ones, but you could nearly try a motor paced scratch race or a keirin?

[Ypsylon]

I was thinking about the miss and out, but I'd need to think of some sort of handicap to make sure it's not the poor little fella that gets eliminated first.

It'll depend on how many kids show up. Today was almost 20 kids and a 400m lap would move into quite a distance.

On the other hand, if we start it out with that, we'd have a more level playing field for the rest of the day.

[stumpytrunks]

I think that would destroy them now I've thought a bit more about it! You could try an italian pursuit where you have two teams (team pursuit style) with the weakest on each team starting on the front and the strongest at the back. Each rider does a lap on the front and then pulls out. By going weakest to strongest nobody gets dropped and everyone can go as fast as they can. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5XLKmQ2hHY

1 lap and 2 lap handicaps could be good. On a 400m track I think about a 100-120 metre head start for the weakest would be about right. Have them start off by hanging on the fence if they are competent enough with their balance. If you had enough parents you could have them holding the riders up. Not sure if 20 might be too many to have on the track together at that age though, might get a big dangerous at the finish. Might be worth having a and b grade?