Bikejor: What Is It And What’s It Like To Take Part?

Have you heard about Bikejor? It’s the dog sport for thrill-seekers – and it’s got a growing group of followers in the UK.

Bikejor is a winter sport that’s essentially riding a bike with your dog or dogs pulling you along, attached to a special harness. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s loads of fun and great exercise for dogs that love to run.

Here at Tug-E-Nuff HQ, we probably know more than most about Bikejor and that’s because our very own admin assistant, Chelsea, regularly takes part with her dog Kai.

We love hearing about her adventures so we asked her to tell us all about the sport and why she loves it. Here’s what she had to say…

What made you want to get involved in Bikejor and what do you like about it?

I love giving most dog sports a go. Mainly because I’m always looking for creative ways to tire out my Australian Kelpie called Kai. He has previously competed in Canicross so he’s confident in pulling ahead and familiar with directional cues. For that reason, Bikejor seemed like a fun step up (even with my limited bike skills!).

How does Bikejor compare to the other sports you’ve tried?

It is a great adrenaline rush in comparison to other sports. You really do have to trust your dogs to listen and respond to your verbal commands, more so than in other sports. That’s why I love it so much.

What sort of experiences have you had so far and how have you found it?

We are very much beginners but we are finding it’s a great way to spend our evenings. Although, as it’s turning into winter, the evenings are dark so head torches and bike lights are a must.

Waiting at the start of the trail on my first go was somewhat nerve wracking as I could hear all the dogs me barking, howling and lunging forward in anticipation. Once we started though, the nerves were soon replaced with excitement and the feeling of rushing through the forest in the dark only adds to the adrenaline of it all.

How has Kai found the experience so far?

Kai is only 18 months old and took to Bikejor incredibly quickly. He loves to run and with other teams of riders and dogs ahead, he becomes focused on racing ahead to catch up.

As he already knows his directional cues from Agility and Canicross, this certainly helped us to start with.

Any words of advice for anyone who might be thinking of trying Bikejor?

My recommendation for anyone looking to get into the sport is find a local club. Most will let you borrow equipment to try and give you great advice. As well as this, have a good sense of humour and be prepared to get very wet and muddy!

Have you given Bikejor a go?