Cycling Champion by Jake Maddox

CHAPTER 1
THE SUPER BROTHERS
    â€œThat’s it. Nobody move,” Austin’s mother said. “Perfect! Now smile!” She was busy snapping another photo of Austin’s twin brothers, Josh and Matt. The boys stood next to each other in the living room, proudly holding their basketball trophy between them.
    It was easy for the boys to smile. Josh and Matt were great athletes, and tonight their team had won again.
    Austin sighed. It wasn’t the first time his older brothers had brought home a trophy. It wasn’t even the second or third time. They won all the time. Austin was proud of his brothers, but he couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. He’d never won a trophy for any sport.
    â€œI thought for sure we’d run out of time before you made that last shot,” Josh admitted to Matt.
    â€œAll I was thinking about was sinking that basket,” Matt said. “I never even thought about the clock.”
    â€œWell, you were the only one,” their dad said. “The rest of us were holding our breath!”
    Austin knew he should congratulate his brothers. “Really great game, guys,” he said.
    â€œOkay, everyone to the table for pizza,” Mom said. “Time to celebrate!” She turned and walked through the kitchen door.
    Austin’s dad and brothers walked out of the room, still talking about the game. Austin stayed in the living room. He looked up at the awards and trophies on the bookcase. None of them belonged to him. Matt and Josh had won them all.
    I’ll never win a trophy like that , Austin thought. His brothers played almost every sport there was: football, baseball, basketball, hockey. Austin didn’t play any of those. It wasn’t that he wasn’t athletic. He loved biking. He was even pretty fast, but nobody won trophies for that.
    Austin sighed. He didn’t feel much like celebrating. He walked quietly out of the living room and upstairs to his bedroom.
    I’ll never be as good as they are , he thought, flopping down on his bed.
    Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. The door opened, and his mom poked her head in.
    â€œAre you okay, Austin?” she asked. She came in and sat down next to him. “Don’t you want pizza? You’d better hurry up before your brothers eat it all.”
    â€œI’m not hungry, I guess,” Austin said.
    His mother pretended to look shocked. She reached over and felt his forehead. “You don’t have a fever,” she said with a smile. “But I’ve never known you to pass up pizza before. What’s the matter?”
    Austin shrugged. “There’s no reason for me to celebrate,” he said. “I didn’t win the trophy. Matt and Josh did.”
    Austin’s mom patted his shoulder and nodded. “So, that’s it, huh?” she asked. “Your dad and I are very proud of all of you boys. You know that, right?”
    â€œBut I’ve never won anything,” Austin said.
    â€œWinning isn’t the only thing that’s important,” his mom said. “Aren’t you the kid who started his own lawn-cutting business this summer?”
    â€œYeah. So?” Austin said. He shrugged. He didn’t get what his mom was trying to say. What did cutting lawns have to do with winning a trophy?
    â€œSo,” his mom explained, “it shows what a hard worker you are. You kept at it and never gave up. We’re all proud of you for that.”
    â€œIt wasn’t that hard,” Austin muttered. He knew his mom was just trying to make him feel better.
    â€œGive yourself some credit,” his mom said. “You know what? There’s something I want to show you.”
    Mom stood up and walked out of the room. When she returned, she was carrying a newspaper. She lightly tossed it on Austin’s lap.
    â€œCheck this out,” she said. “The article about halfway down the page.”
    Austin was confused, but he