Nicky Crompton meets a couple of teenage world champions on the edge of Wirksworth!
ON top of a hill above Wirksworth, you will find the hamlet of Breamfield, with its stunning views, often brisk wind and something quite unexpected – the Derbyshire BikeTrial Centre – an outdoor centre dedicated to the growing sport of Bike Trials, started and developed by champion riders Oliver and Eddie Weightman and their parents, Carl and Sarah.
During the summer months, the centre opens to the public. For the past five years, the centre has also hosted the Bike Trial Federation National Championships; an event where riders as young as nine compete on the same day as ‘elite’ international competitors.
Each age class competes on a course specially designed for them by Carl Weightman and Robin Morewood.
This summer, in response to increased demand, Eddie Weightman opened the centre for a camping weekend he named DBC Trials Jam; where riders from Bike Trials legend Hans Rey and multiple world champion Jack Carthy rode alongside youngsters on balance bikes.
But most days, brothers Eddie and Oliver have the place to themselves. Eddie (15) and Oliver (18) both compete at the highest level in their sport.
Eddie’s highlight in 2023 was competing in Spain at the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Youth Games. Eddie said: “Going out to Spain my expectations were low, but when I qualified for the finals, I was over the moon.” However, Eddie’s good luck took a dip going into the final, when on the first lap he pulled his back. “I was taken into the medic tent and they did this hot roller thing. I was still in pain, but I really wanted to get back out and finish. I only had 15 minutes left to complete the sections and be in with a chance.” With a time penalty, Eddie still came an incredible third.
Eddie added: “For us, the British riders, we are all self funded. Trials bike riding is a much bigger sport in places like Spain and France, so their teams are often much bigger and funded. They are all staying in the same hotel and have their trainers with them and have matching kit.”
To support their sport, the brothers regularly appear in displays and stunt shows at Truck fests and county shows where people outside the Bike Trials community awe at the ease with which they control their bikes and leap on and off objects.
Last year, Oliver competed at the largest cycling event seen in Britain: the UCI Cycling World Championships. Every four years, the UCI bring together cyclists across disciplines for their world championships. Last August, the championships were held in Glasgow. Oliver said: “It was great to have such a huge event so close to home. The British crowd were all cheering for us. We had not experienced that before.”
For Oliver, Glasgow was a culmination of years of training that led to him competing for Great Britain in the world championships. “For us (Trials bike riders), it was an event that everyone was talking about. All the cycling disciplines coming together in one of the biggest cycling events Great Britain has ever hosted.” But at the end of 2022, Oliver’s chances were put in doubt when he broke his leg, causing him to miss months of training and that year’s world championship in Abu Dhabi. Even with his leg in a cast, Oliver did not lose sight of his goal, keeping up his fitness, then getting back on a bike as soon as he could.
He added: “At the start of 2023, I was on my bike, training every day to get back up to the level I had been at. Throughout the year, my placings in competition got better and by the time Glasgow came around, my chances were looking good.”
“There was a lot of pressure on me. I was in the final. I knew what I had to do and I went out and did it.”
“There was a lot of pressure on me. I was in the final. I knew what I had to do and I went out and did it.” Oliver had ridden second to last and was in first position as the final contestant, from Finland, took to the course. It was only as the Finnish rider completed that Oliver knew he had won gold and had become the world champion.
Trials Bike riding does not have the same profile as some of the other cycling disciplines. Oliver said: “With Great Britain coming top of the medal table in Glasgow, Trials got a bit lost. Celebrations were overshadowed by the success of higher profile events like road and mountain biking.”
Despite this, a British rider, Jack Carthy, has won been world champion eleven times. Oliver said: “I can remember, growing up, watching riders like Jack Carthy, Charlie Rolls and Adam Morewood, I really looked up to them. Without role models like these, I would not be where I am. It’s really odd now as I am the one getting little kids coming up and asking for autographs or selfies, but it does not feel long ago that I was the little kid.”
His brother Eddie, still in full-time education, reflected on juggling school and his sport. “It’s harder in winter as it’s difficult to train in the evenings when the days are short. But the summer is fine, we can be outside and the competitions are worked around the school holidays, with us only needing to take a day off here and there for travel.”
This season, they both moved up into a different category of competition.
Eddie now competes in ‘Youth Cadets’ for the first time and is the national champion; came third in the UCI World Youth Games in Germany, and won the Bike Trial International Union (BIU) World Championships in Italy.
Oliver has moved into the ‘Men’s Elite’ category for the first time; and moved from riding bikes with 20in wheels to 26inches. So far it seems to be suiting hime, as he came fifth in his first international competition; third at the first of four World Cup events in Norway and fourth in the second world cup event in Poland. Oliver is currently ranked ninth Elite rider in the world before the World Championships in Abu Dhabi in December.
This summer, Oliver competed in the Bentonville Bikefest in Arkansas, USA. He qualified for the finals – but the entire competition came to an abrupt halt when seven tornadoes swept through the area, destroying the site and surrounding area. Born and bred in Derbyshire, being forced to take refuge in a basement was something Oliver was not prepared for, but coming home safe became the priority. The tornadoes claimed the lives of at least eight people and injured many others.
Back in Derbyshire, the brothers reflect on what they would like to see from their sport. Eddie’s answer is quick: “If we had one wish, it would be that the sport was better recognised. A slice of the funding other disciplines receive could mean access to an indoor centre of excellence like those we have seen in Spain, then the sport could grow.” Oliver agrees and adds: “In Glasgow last year we did not have riders in all the categories but the team still achieved bronze. It would be great to see more girls in the sport, then we would be stronger as a national team; but this needs funding and at the moment the only financial support comes from parents.”
Editor’s Note: Want to find out more? Follow, subscribe, befriend Oliver and Eddie on their socials: Tiktok: @oliver.weightman,@eddie_weightman Youtube: @oliverweightmn1714, @eddieweightman9828. Instagram: oliver.weightman,@eddieweightmantrials. Follow ‘Derbyshire Biketrial Centre’ on Facebook to find out when they are open, come along to a training session and give it a try, train alongside some of the world’s best.