“Lil Avalanche” keeps winning

Lancaster teen Danica “Lil Avalanche” Anderson continued her winning ways with two wins at the 2020 USA BMX Grand Nationals in Oklahoma over the Thanksgiving break.

“You could go out to dinner there and sit down in a restaurant, no problem,” her father Rich Anderson said.

He is the original Avalanche. Father and daughter are the first multi-generational national number ones.

Danica Anderson, now 14, finished first in the 13 Girls Expert Girls and the 13-14 Girls Cruisers. The competition started with the Race of Champions featuring the top 10 riders from every state. She won both of her classes in those races, also.

The 2020 competition marked Danica Anderson’s ninth time competing at the Grand Nationals. She has won 16 out of 17 races.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she said.

She is an experienced rider who asked for a bike for her fifth birthday, which falls in January.

“We just kind of rode around,” Rich Anderson said in a previous interview. “At that point, there was no thought of racing at that time.”

Danica Anderson was ready to go a BMX track after a couple of months. She entered her first race that June. She has a trophy room and numerous number one plates.

Although she is an experienced rider, she said it took time to get used to the other riders.

“You don’t really know how they’re going to perform,” Danica Anderson said.

She credited her father, who is also her trainer, with helping to boost her confidence.

“She’s getting more finesse with the bicycle,” Rich Anderson said. “She’s learning how to jump a lot better. She’s definitely getting stronger and faster on the track.”