The fifth annual Hilltop Grasshopper kids’ bicycle race is coming up on Saturday August 16.
The race takes place at Essex County’s Hilltop Reservation on the Verona-North Caldwell border and is open to kids from kindergarten through eighth grade. The race is a specially prepared 0.6 mile course for both new and experienced riders. Any bike with fatter tires is ideal and mechanics will inspect all bikes for safety and last minute race tuning.
Registration and inspection opens at 7:30 a.m., and closes 15 minutes before the start of each category. You can also register online in advance on BikeReg.com.
Participants must pay a $10.00 registration fee and sign a waiver, and the participant’s bicycle must pass a technical inspection. A parent or guardian must be present to sign waiver and must be present during the race. Boys’ and girls’ races may be combined if there are a low number of registrants for a class. Awards ceremonies will commence shortly after each class finishes, with medals for the top three finishers in each class.
Start Times, Categories/Classes, and Distance
K – 1st grade: boys, 9 a.m.; girls, 9:05 a.m.; 0.6 miles
2nd – 3rd grade: boys, 9:20 a.m.; girls, 9:25 a.m.; 1.2 miles
4th – 5th grade: boys, 10 a.m.; girls, 10:05 a.m.; 1.8 miles
6th – 8th grade: boys, 10:45 a.m.; girls, 10:50 a.m.; 2.4 miles
To reach the race site, park in the parking lot located at Mountain Avenue and Courter Lane in North Caldwell. Directions and more information are on the Grasshopper Web site.
