riders could lift themselves to a new level of excellence . A sun-baked Taranaki put on an incredible spectacle . The undulating course , in the shadow of a snow-capped Mount Taranaki , provided an exciting challenge for all concerned , especially as the ruts grew progressively deeper and made it all the more difficult for the young riders to cope with as fatigue had really begun to set in by the afternoon of day three . But the riders – all aged between eight and 16 years and on bikes with engine capacities between 65cc and 250cc – typically responded by showing they had the both mental and

26 KIWI RIDER