"My name is Lomas Wefing, I was born in Sheffield in 1998 and before I could walk or say much, I was already whizzing around the seven hills strapped into the child seat on dad’s 753 road bike.
We moved to Germany when I was a toddler and I got my first bike when I was three years old – a specialized single speed. It’s still going strong!
I eventually got into racing XCO in 2014, racing one or two Bundesliga races, but mainly national races. After a number of good results my family and I decided it was time to ‘get serious’ and so I now race across Europe in the UCI XCO series as well as Bundesliga, Swiss Cup, Benelux Cup and the BC National XC Series. All this is done in our old VW van; no hotels or luxury motor-homes, we’re old school.
As if joining the XCO racing scene at 16 years old wasn’t unusual enough, I race for a traditional English club yet live in Germany. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a collective look of incomprehension on the faces of the BDR (Bund Deutsche Radfahrer) when they registered Rutland CC on my licence.
I’ve already come a long way in the two years I’ve been racing XCO. Amongst the U19 ranks I’m one of, if not the least experienced around, but rather than feeling intimidated by my already hugely experienced competitors, I see my inexperience as evidence of progress.
Finally, the bike. She’s a handmade, steel, 29er hardtail from Field Cycles, Sheffield. What else would you expect from steel worker’s grandson, born in Sheffield, racing for Rutland CC?
My main race target for this season is the British National Championships in July. The overall aim of the next two seasons at U19 is to gather as many experiences as I can and basically learn how to train properly.
Our approach is ‘Progress not Perfection’ and underpins how we go about all our training and racing.
Over the coming weeks and months I’m going to be writing about the ups and downs of my racing and training. I’m also going to be keeping my eyes and ears open for news from the Elite scene plus developments in equipment."
You can follow Lomas' adventure via Twitter - @LomasWefing