My Son Lost the Front Wheel at the Last Tussock Buster | Day 3

My son never saw this hole coming, and once his front wheel dropped in, there wasn’t much he could do. This was day three of our first visit to Tussock Buster at Waiouru, riding together with my son on sadly what turned out to be the final running of this legendary New Zealand trail ride event. I was still feeling the effects of the previous day’s 73 km loop, so I was trying to take things a little bit easier. The rain had passed, the weather was beautiful, but after hundreds of riders had been through, the tracks were well cut up and full of surprises. My son was having his own challenges with the hill climbs, and while coming back onto the track, he missed a hole that swallowed the front wheel and sent him off the bike. Despite the occasional mishap, riding an event like this with my son was incredibly special. I’m so fortunate to be able to ride with him and share these moments together. These are the days that turn into lifelong memories and getting away from normal life, taking on a few challenges, having a laugh, and simply enjoying time together on our bikes. Tussock Buster was held on the Waiouru Military Training Area in New Zealand’s central North Island, giving riders rare access to huge areas of stunning terrain normally closed to the public. The event featured hundreds of kilometres of marked trails and was widely promoted as New Zealand’s largest trail bike event. The 2019 event was cancelled, the planned 2020 return did not go ahead, and sadly organiser Offlimits Trust later closed. Have you ever had a small hidden hole or rut take you completely by surprise? Facebook:   / grandparidesagain   #TussockBuster #DirtBikeCrash #FamilyRiding