At 6 years old, a lot of kids are just learning to ride a bike, but one little rider from Santa Clarita has left the training wheels in her dust, and is now looking forward to the BMX World Championships.
Maya Gadbois can often be seen speeding down the streets of Santa Clarita, and now she’s proudly sporting the stars and stripes of a Team USA uniform.
“We race about four times a week. Sometimes we do practice. We do conditioning in between workouts,” Maya’s mom, Camie, said.
Maya began riding a bike when she was just 2 years old, and now she’s competing against riders from around the world.
At age 4, she became the youngest rider ever to qualify for UCI BMX World Championships in South Carolina as a member of Team USA.
“I’m looking forward to win and trying my best in all my races,” Maya said.
She has also competed at the Canadian BMX championships.
“She has won pretty much most of the major nationals. Las Vegas, twice. Bakersfield, Golden West Nationals, Louisiana, Texas, Louisville, Kentucky,” Maya’s dad, Christian, said.
Maya has now been selected to compete for Team USA at the World Championships in Belgium for her age group.
“My mom, dad, my brother and me are going to Belgium,” Maya said.
“She wants to go see the Eiffel Tower, so I’m just gonna hang out with her and I’m gonna enjoy her,” Camie said. “I’m gonna cheer her on. I’m that loud mom.”
Maya’s brother also competes.
“My dad was a rider. He taught me how to ride, and then my sister was interested in it so I taught her how to ride,” Maya’s brother Charlie said.
Maya said she wants to continue competing as she grows up. It’s something Christian hopes for her too.
“There’s about twenty colleges right now that have collegiate cycling programs. I’d love for her to get a scholarship, but at the end of the day, I just want her to be an adult and say she had a great childhood,” he said.
The family is proud to support Maya and excited to see her compete, and they are working to raise the money to get the whole family to Belgium.
They’ve raised $3,000 so far, but say they still need $6,000 to go for airfare, entry fees, uniforms, and lodging.
If you’d like to help get Maya to the race in Belgium, you can donate at their GoFundMe page.