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Firethorne Youth Trains for National Junior Cycling Championships
Katy Texas News – Posted May 9, 2008
13-year-old Firethorne resident Madeleine McDuff is training for her first-ever national junior cycling competition this summer. The seventh grader, founder and president of the Beckendorff Junior High School Cycling Club, practices three to four times a week for up to 100 miles. She works with her trainer, former National Cycling Champion and U.S. Team Member Garth Blackburn (of Sugar Land), rides with the Katy-based Team Spincycle, an adult team that pedals 30 miles every Sunday morning, and cross-trains during the off-season at Firethorne to gear up for the USA Cycling Junior National Track Championships this August at the ADT Event Center in Carson, CA.
The Katy native was introduced to cycling at age 9 by her godfather. Then, at the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, Madeleine had the idea to start a cycling club at her junior high school. Not only did she recruit history teacher Rainey Richardson as the sponsor, but she recruited Richardson’s two daughters, Ragan and Kate, to join as well.
While the Team Beckendorff Cycling Club works out at the Alkek Velodrome during racing season, the members needed a place to cross train during the off-season. She contacted Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer about using an area near the lacrosse field in her neighborhood for team exercises on Tuesday evenings.
Madeleine, who proudly boasts a U.S.A. cycling license, turned 13 last month. She will compete in the 13-14 year age group at the junior nationals on her Atherton bike, proudly wearing her jersey emblazoned with the Team Spincycle logo. Her ultimate goal: to train for the Olympics.
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