Shanaze Reade Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Shanaze Reade
Personal information
Reade in 2008
Born	(1988-09-23) 23 September 1988 (age 36) Crewe, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Height	1.70 m
Weight	70 kg
Team information
Discipline	Bicycle Motocross (BMX) Track
Role	Racer
Rider type	BMX: Off Road Track: Sprinter

Shanaze Danielle Reade (born 23 September 1988) is a British former bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and track cyclist. She became a top competitor in 2002. Shanaze has won the UCI BMX World Championships three times. She is known for her powerful riding style and has achieved success in both BMX and track cycling.

Early Years in Cycling
BMX Career Highlights to 2007
Track Cycling Success
Olympic Games Appearances
Returning to Track Cycling
Retirement and Comeback
Titles and Awards
- BMX Titles
  - Amateur BMX Achievements
  - Professional BMX Achievements
- Track Cycling Results
See also

Early Years in Cycling

Shanaze Reade started racing bikes in 1998 when she was 10 years old. This was at Tipkinder Park in Crewe, England. Her grandfather helped her believe in herself and achieve success. A local track operator, Bob Field, became her mentor. Before BMX, Shanaze enjoyed Track & Field sports like sprinting and Shot Put. However, after five years, she found them less exciting and discovered the thrill of BMX.

BMX Career Highlights to 2007

Shanaze was known for her strength. She often trained by racing against boys and older amateur riders. In 2005, at just 17, she competed in the National series against men. She often finished in the top three, showing her amazing skill.

In July 2005, Shanaze fractured her knee before the UCI World Championships. Despite the injury, she raced with her knee wrapped and took pain medication. She unfortunately crashed in the quarter-finals.

Her first professional win came on April 1, 2006, at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Winternationals in Phoenix, Arizona. She won again the next day. In 2006, she became the British National No.1 in the 19 & Over Elite Men's category. She achieved this by racing against men all year, even though she was only 17.

In June 2006, Shanaze broke a bone in her foot during practice. She returned to racing at the 2006 European Championships. She won the World Championships in Brazil in August 2006, even with her earlier foot injury.

Her junior BMX victories include three World, eight European, and five British championships. In July 2007, she became the Women's Senior UCI BMX World Champion.

Track Cycling Success

Shanaze also became a champion track racer, competing on Velodromes (special indoor cycling tracks). She started track racing on February 24, 2007. Her very first competition was in Manchester, England. She took second place in the Team Sprint with Anna Blyth. This was an amazing achievement for her first time.

Reade and Victoria Pendleton in 2008

Just a month later, on March 29, Shanaze won first place in the Team Sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She teamed up with Victoria Pendleton. This was the first-ever Women's Team Sprint Gold Medal title for that event. Shanaze was a last-minute replacement for Anna Blyth. This success showed how quickly she adapted to track cycling.

Her success in track racing followed the path of former professional BMX racer, Jamie Staff. He also had a successful career in both track cycling and BMX. In 2008, Shanaze won another gold medal in the women's team sprint with Victoria Pendleton. In November 2007, Shanaze was named The Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year.

Olympic Games Appearances

Shanaze focused on BMX for its first inclusion in the Olympic Games in 2008. She was considered a favorite to win the gold medal. In the qualifying heats, she crashed in the first race. However, she set the second-fastest time in the second heat. This allowed her to move to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, she crashed again in the first heat. Despite this, she earned enough points to reach the final. In the final race, she rode carefully but crashed again near the end. This meant she did not finish the race or win a medal.

Shanaze again represented Great Britain in the women's BMX event at the London 2012 Olympics. She performed well in the semi-finals, placing second, first, and second in her heats. In the final, she finished in sixth place.

Returning to Track Cycling

On March 16, 2009, Shanaze was chosen for the British team for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Poland. She competed again with Victoria Pendleton in the Team Sprint. In 2009, they won a silver medal after losing to Australia. Shanaze was positive about the result, saying she did her best.

In April 2015, it was announced that Shanaze was re-joining the Great Britain track squad. This was after she had spent time in the United States competing in BMX. She rode for the Madison Genesis team during the 2015–16 track cycling season. This was part of her training for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Retirement and Comeback

In April 2017, Shanaze announced she was retiring from competition. This happened after she was no longer part of British Cycling's elite team. She later explained that this decision was made because the medical team believed she might not be able to compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to multiple shoulder surgeries.

After retiring, she became a fitness coach. In August 2018, she returned to training at British Cycling. She explained that she wanted to return to competition for "closure." She felt her physical and mental condition were not at their best when she first retired. She decided to treat cycling as a hobby this time. In January 2019, she won the British National Team Sprint Championships with Blaine Ridge-Davis. This was her first national title in any cycling discipline.

However, a few days later, she was not selected for the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. This was due to a new rule requiring competitors to have raced in that season's World Cup. Shanaze later retired from competition for a second time. She was asked to consider competing in bobsleigh for the 2022 Winter Olympics but decided not to.

Today, Shanaze works as a fitness coach. She is also an ambassador for cycling and walking in the West Midlands. She represents several companies, including HSBC. In 2020, she joined the board of directors for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. In June 2021, she also became an ambassador for the 2023 Worlds.

Titles and Awards

BMX Titles

Amateur BMX Achievements

British Cycling

2000
- 11–12 Girls and 12 Girls Cruiser BCFBMX National Champion.
2001
- Senior Women's Champion
- 13 Girls European Champion
2003
- 15 Girls European Champion
2004
- 16 Girls European Champion
- 16 Girls and 18 & Under Women's Cruiser World Champion
2005
- 18 & Under Women's Cruiser European Champion
- 17 Expert European Champion
2006
- Junior Elite Women European Champion

Professional BMX Achievements