Newcomer Kye rises through the ranks

The Ballajura Community College and Times’ HBF Junior Sports Hero nominee decided initially to try cycling for fun.

‘I used to be into football,’ the young Alexander Heights resident said.

‘I never thought about cycling until a friend’s father, who’s a cycling coach at Midland, suggested I try it.’

After Kye’s first performance at the Junior State Cycling Championships, he was contacted by Cycling WA and asked to represent WA in the National Track Championships in Adelaide.

Although he put up a good showing in Adelaide, he wasn’t among the top place-getters but he was invited to join the WA cycling sprint academy program, which is affiliated with the WA Institute of Sport.

Kye now spends four days a week training with Midland Cycling Club in the hope of making the 2014 WA junior state cycling team so he can compete at the national championships to be held in Sydney.

‘It’s a lot of fun going at high speeds,’ he said.

‘I can get up to 50km/h.

‘It feels like you’re going vertical at times because of the g-force,’ he said.

Kye believes his natural sporting ability and commitment to cycling has helped him progress through the ranks quickly.

His mother Karen said it was very rewarding to see how much her son had improved in the past 10 months.

‘I think he must have something because he’s progressed very well,’ she said.

‘He’s very keen on his sports and puts 110 per cent effort into it.’