Maddie Leech heads back to Huddersfield Star Wheelers with Commonwealth Games bronze medal and an inspirational story

Maddie Leech may still only be 19 but to the young faces that greet her today, and a few older ones as well, she is an inspiration, a living embodiment of what is possible with a good attitude and a drive to succeed.

Six years ago she was a budding gymnast, then she watched Laura Trott dominate the track cycling events at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the course of her life changed forever.

She took a mountain bike down to a Go Ride session at Huddersfield Star Wheelers later that summer and six years on she was part of the England squad that won a team pursuit bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Not only that, she rode alongside Kenny in the madison at a Track World Cup meet earlier this year and won a stage of a road race in Ireland just this month for her professional team CAMS Basso.

"It’s been an incredible journey for her,” says Dave Thompson, the head of the volunteer junior coaches at Huddersfield Star Wheelers. "When she first turned up on that mountain bike, so inspired by Laura Kenny, she just wanted to come down and ride. Maddie just had an appetite and a really great attitude from the start. I remember one session watching the older kids and thinking ‘who’s that on the front?’ she just looked incredibly strong. Very early on she stood out as being a talent.”

But there were other attributes that set Leech apart.

"She loved it from the start and was pretty fearless as a rider," recalls Thompson. “A lot of those early junior races where you race on circuits, or the town centre ones like Ilkley and Otley, there can be a lot of crashes because you have juniors who aren’t familiar with riding in groups. Maddie had a few crashes but it never really dampened her enthusiasm. She was quite fit, had lots of natural ability and her attitude was terrific; she wanted to learn and absorbed everything from every coaching session.”

It helped that she started the sport in an encouraging environment, one that is reflected in the many cycling clubs across the county. "The Go-Ride sessions we run are about getting kids riding, getting them familiar with their bikes,” explains Thompson, whose club offers junior membership at just £7 a year, with weekly, 90-minute sessions costing £5.

"We hire a circuit from a local school and it’s a nice, safe environment. We do bike skills, racing skills, but we don’t push them into racing. It’s all about encouraging them and if they want to pursue it there’s a really good racing scene in Yorkshire; cyclo-cross, grass-track racing, circuit racing.”

And those members, young and old, will be out in force on Saturday at 3pm to greet their returning heroine.

“It’ll be great for the kids to see someone like Maddie who had no cycling background, but is here to show them that there is a pathway,” says Thompson.

"If you want to go for it then in this area there’s so much opportunity for young kids to get into cycling. It’s not all about racing, we just want kids on their bikes enjoying themselves.

"And it’s not just the kids either, the first time Maddie came back after joining the British squad, watching her get out of her car wearing her full GB kit was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen. Everyone’s jaw just hit the floor, it really gave the adults a lift, never mind the kids. Her story inspires everyone.”