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In this episode of The Active Hobo Podcast, Maddy talks about training out of Ballito, the day her chain came off at SA Road Champs and she still won, what it's like lining up against 66 girls on a European start line, and why she's skipping university to chase a UCI World Cup dream.

At her first SA Championships, Madison Bateson didn't know it was the SA Champs. She thought it was a regular KZN race, showed up at Cascades, saw girls in provincial kit she didn't recognise, and only clicked that morning. She won it anyway. She was in the Sprog category — the youngest competitive age group in South African mountain biking.

0:00 ★ Meet Maddy: 16 years old, 2026 SA Junior Champion

3:00 ★ The school that bends for bike training

4:35 ★ Getting more girls on the start line: the school series effect

10:00 ★ Training alongside Tyler Jacobs and chasing the World Cup

14:43 ★ Her chain came off at SA Road Champs. She still won.

25:59 ★ Holla Trails, Ballito, and the sprint they call "World Champs"

41:22 ★ How she ended up riding Tyler Jacobs' old bike

47:09 ★ 66 girls on a European start line

52:21 ★ Life after school: going overseas, no plan B