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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Rolling up to the starting line at a recent mountain bike race 15-year-old Maddy Frank found her view obscured by lankier riders.

The petite 5-foot tall Frank, who is a freshman at Grandville High School, doesn't sweat the view, she'll be clear of the pack in no time.

Frank has found a niche in the sporting world for herself and she's proving extremely competitive as an expert level mountain bike racer in Michigan.

"I was introduced to all the disciplines of cycling at such a young age and I'm thankful to have such an active family," Frank said, noting her father also competes on the Freewheeler Bike Shop team with her.

"I love this sport because it's such a fun community, so many people get involved, I just love the atmosphere."

Frank said she competed in BMX until she was 10 and has done triathlons and plenty of 5K races but did her first cycle-cross race and fell in love with it.

"When I get to the start line I get pretty nervous, pretty jittery but when I'm in the race I'm in my own zone. I get a song stuck in my head or anything to push me through the whole 30 miles."

Frank's mother, Heather, said her daughter's had a driving ambition for cycling her whole life.

"She rides with her dad quite a bit so he's her bike mechanic and support system," Heather said. "He can ride with her a little bit but she's too fast for us."

Frank's goal is to compete throughout high school then move on to collegiate racing, all while working to get noticed by USA Cycling.

She's well on her way to those goals.

Frank won her first race of the season at the Yankee Springs Time Trial on April 24 and finished in fourth place Sunday at the Fort Custer Stampede, both in the expert open women's class.

"She has a work ethic and leadership ability that you can't teach," Heather said. "She has the talent and motivation with the school grades and that whole package to do it at the collegiate level and move on to USA Cycling so we're really proud of her."

Frank will take a few races off of from the MMBA (Michigan Mountain Biking Association) and MiSCA (Michigan Scholastic Cycling Association) this summer to take part in the Regional USA Cycling Talent ID Camp in Maryland in June and the USA Cycling MTB Nationals in California in July.

She describes her Pivot mountain bike as a "sweet racing machine" and has a fondness for her Velocity USA racing wheel set, but her most cherished support comes from her family.

"I'm blessed to have them, they're the best supporters out there," Frank said.

Follow along on Maddy Frank's journey on her website, maddyfrank.com, Facebook page and on Instagram.

Follow Cory Olsen on Twitter or email him at colsen@mlive.com