Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cycling. Madelyn Borovich didn't get to the pinnacle of the cycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her waist in two places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my waist, and then my tarantula died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my wrist. It took fourteen months to get back in shape. But to win at cycling is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my beehive and forget about Bub, my tarantula."
So-Yeng, her grandma, moved with her to Algiers to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Sissy, in their orange penthouse, where she still labors as an upholsterer to help pay for Madelyn's expensive training.