Two cycling-mad sisters who have both been crowned national champions are now geared for glory on the international stage.
Lucy and Josie Nelson have learned to juggle their school work with competing for honours across the UK and Europe.
And the Uttoxeter Cycling Club members have the perfect role model in big sister and medal-winning Team GB endurance rider Emily Nelson.
Both Thomas Alleyne's High School pupils have followed in her footsteps to be selected for British Cycling's Olympic Development Programme.
Having recently qualified to represent Wales, the Church Leigh girls are hoping their big "brake" comes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. But 17-year-old Lucy says the sacrifices they make for their sport are immense.
The teenage track and road endurance rider said: "You tell your friends you've won a race and they'll say 'that's cool', but don't realise what you have to go through to make that happen.
"You train almost every day - last week I put in 14 hours on top of my work at school, where I'm studying four A-levels. Then there are the races at weekends. I've started training before school recently, which certainly wakes you up to study, but when I get home I'm absolutely shattered.
"I do miss out on a lot of the social side of being a sixth former, but I have to prioritise and my social life has to come second. My dream is to compete on the track in the Commonwealth Games, then the Olympics. Having seen the sacrifices my sister's had to make to reach her level, I'm realistic about what that's going to take.
"That's why having such a supportive school is so important. When we have to miss lessons to compete, the teachers put in so much of their own time to bring us up to speed.
"My sister didn't finish her A-levels when her big chance came, but it's so important for me to finish my education as well as fulfill my potential as a rider."
Josie, 15, is juggling her mountain biking and cyclo-cross commitments - as well as road and track cycling - with studying for her GCSEs.
She said: "I find cycling's a really fun way to keep fit and I've made lots of friends through the social side of the sport.
"Beyond that, it's my dream to be a professional cyclist, which means I have to be really organised to balance cycling with my school work. Most of my life is either studying, cycling or travelling around the country, but I love to compete."
Josie was recently enrolled on the Olympic Development Programme after being crowned Welsh mountain biking and cyclo-cross champion.
A serious knee injury forced Lucy, a previous British and Welsh track champion, to leave the programme. She only recently returned from an 18-month spell on the sidelines - but has hit the ground running.
Lucy said: "I feel like I'm over the injury now and have got a couple of top-10 finishes in national track events.
"I also raced at European level in Holland in September and got more top-10s, including a top-five, as well as coming second in the Welsh National Road Championships."
Away from the saddle, both riders excel at other sports. Lucy used her time on the treatment table to become a swimming teacher, while Josie is county cross-country champion. They qualify to compete for Wales through dad Dave, a 64-year-old software engineer.
He shares support duties with wife Linda, the girls' mum, who could not be prouder of her determined daughters.
She said: "With both of them competing all over the place, it's too much for one parent to take on. Dave tends to take them on the off-road stuff and I tend to do the track competitions.
"Even when they're doing the same disciplines, because they operate in different age brackets, they're always competing in different places."
Lucy and Josie compete for Team Bäckstedt HotChillee and Lichfield City Cycling Club, but train with Uttoxeter Cycling Club.
They are now looking for firms in the town area to sponsor them for international tour races. Anyone interested should call Thomas Alleyne's High School on 01889 561820.
