A teenager from Builth Wells has been chosen to represent Wales at the Inter Regional Mountain Bike Championships in Scotland next week.

Aelwen Davies, who was picked by Welsh Cycling for the competition at Glentress on Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22, has been upping the gears lately as she has had a string of sporting success.

Cycling star Aelwen was also recently crowned the British champion in the National Track Omnium Under 14s category.

Aelwen, who lives in Builth with her parents and eight-year-old sister Ffion, was named the under-14s British Champion on Saturday, July 18, at the Lee Valley Olympic Village’s velodrome as she won four out of five races as part of the final giving her a clear win over her competitors.

Peddling from success to success, the 13-year-old also won a silver medal at the British Cycling National Youth Road Circuit Race Championships on Saturday, July 10 at the Redbridge Cycling Centre in Ilford followed by a silver medal at the National Mountiain Bike Cross Country Championships.

The young champion cyclist, who is in her first year of the Under 14s category, has been travelling to competitions with the help of her parents Stuart and Rachel Davies.

Dad Stuart, who is also Aelwen’s cycling coach, described it as being a “very good season” and said both of them were very proud of Aelwen’s progress.

He said: “We’re really proud of her - with a sport like this, it is a bit of a team effort. I’m her coach and her mechanic and mum is very importantly mum.

“It has been five years in the making in a way because she started competing when she was eight and she won her first gold medal at 11 at the Welsh Championships.”

Aelwen, who could ride a bike by the age of three, was forced to take a year out of competing due to Covid-19 however proud dad Stuart said she stayed focused during this time.

He said: “She kept training and she stayed focused during that time. Recently, we’ve been on the road constantly travelling all over for competitions in mountain biking and road racing.”

Stuart said that both the talent and the drive have been obvious in Aelwen, even at such a young level.

He said: “Even though people say you can’t really judge at this age, she has the talent and you can see that. She also has a certain attitude which you see in certain children who go on to be successful.

“She’s been passionate about it for a long a long time. The next step for her is the Cyclo-Cross National Trophy starting in September and British Championships next January - I think the Olympics are a dream of hers but we’re not getting carried away.

“She stood under the Olympic Rings while she was at the Velodrome. She’s been enjoying watching the cycling at the Olympics - obviously these are the guys who inspire the next generation.”

Also a triathlete, a gymnast and a strong swimmer, Aelwen started to become interested in competing when she was seven after attending events with her family where her father had been involved with the organisation.

Stuart said: “I’m a qualified cycling coach and I’ve always been involved in events such as national and regional races.

“She had a bike when she was seven and she always came to events.”

Stuart said it was during one event that Aelwen revealed she wanted to have a go at the Under-8 Level. The following year, she took part in the cycle cross Under 10s and Under 12s category.

Stuart said: “It’s only at the Under 14 can you start to race at a national level”.

Rather than specialising in one discipline, Aelwen has enjoyed competing in four different disciplines including track racing, road racing, cyclo-cross  and mountain bike racing.

You can follow Aelwen’s cycling journey on Instagram by clicking here.