At times this year, when cycling race officials announced Lance
Wolfsmith
’s name over the loudspeaker, there was an incredulous murmur
from the crowd. “Okay,” Wolfsmith recalls fans asking, “what’s his
real name.” Despite the coincidence, Wolfsmith was not named after
his world-famous cycling counterpart – seven-time Tour de France
champion Lance Armstrong,
who didn’t rise to prominence until after the 13-year-old
Wolfsmith was born. But Wolfsmith has aspirations to become a
professional cyclist some day all the same. After the past year,
during which the young Wolfsmith made a major splash in the world
of competitive cycling, that goal seems a lot
less like a dream than an eventuality.
At times this year, when cycling race officials announced Lance Wolfsmith’s name over the loudspeaker, there was an incredulous murmur from the crowd. “Okay,” Wolfsmith recalls fans asking, “what’s his real name.” Despite the coincidence, Wolfsmith was not named after his world-famous cycling counterpart – seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who didn’t rise to prominence until after the 13-year-old Wolfsmith was born. But Wolfsmith has aspirations to become a professional cyclist some day all the same.
After the past year, during which the young Wolfsmith made a major splash in the world of competitive cycling, that goal seems a lot less like a dream than an eventuality.
Competing for his Junior Wolfpak cycling team, a Morgan Hill-based group of kids from Morgan Hill and Gilroy, Wolfsmith sprinted to victories or top finishes in nearly every race he competed in. His season culminated with a Northern California Nevada Cycling Association point series championship, followed by a Top 5 finish in his age group against the top U.S. junior cyclists in the Junior National Championships in Park City, Utah in June.
And Wolfsmith said the early success, while a little surprising, is just more motivation to progress further in a sport that has become his passion.
“For me to just hop into (competitive cycling) and do that well was a little shocking,” Wolfsmith said. “I knew I’d do well, but not that well.
“I just love to race. It’s a thrill, an adrenaline rush every time we’re at the starting line at a race.”
Wolfsmith’s father, Dave, a personal trainer at Morgan Hill’s Inside Design Salon and the Junior Wolfpak coach, said his son has always been particularly motivated by both training and competition. Lance used to tag along on his dad’s training regimens, and completed a 60-mile road cycling trek when he was just 11.
“He just loves it,” Dave Wolfsmith said. “He’s a very disciplined kid.”
“I like the challenge of pushing myself to my limits,” Lance Wolfsmith said. “Athletes are different than regular people. You have to pay your dues.”
A former Hollister resident who attended pacific Christian Academy in Gilroy before moving with his family to Morgan Hill a few years ago, Lance Wolfsmith has been competing in sports since he was 8 and has a versatile sports background. He swam competitively with the San Benito Aquatics club for six years, and began competing in triathlons when he was 12. In swimming, Wolfsmith earned the distinction as as the overall high-point swimmer, and as a triathlete he won the Uvas Triathlon, the Ironkids Triathlon in Sacramento, the DeAnza Triathlon and the Hammerhead Triathlon in Gilroy.
Wolfsmith and Junior Wolfpak teammate Matt Sosa are heading to compete in the Triathlon Nationals (Junior Elite Division) in bellingham, Wa. this weekend.
He also competed in cross-country for Britton Middle School last season, winning every race he competed in and setting a new record in the league finals at Alum Rock Park. He plans on joining the Sobrato High cross-country, and maybe the water polo, teams when he begins starts school there in the fall.
Meanwhile, competitive cycling is a relatively new pursuit for Wolfsmith. But it has captured his heart like no other sport, he said.
“Now I prefer biking,” he said. “It’s more about tactics, not just who’s stronger. There’s a lot of strategy involved.”
Currently classified as a Category 4 cyclist, Wolfsmith said he wants to advance to Cat. 3 by next year en route to meeting his goal of making Cat. 1, the pro cycling level.
While much of his motivation comes from solo competition, Wolfsmith said he also gets a charge out of seeing his Junior Wolfpak teammates succeed.
“It’s fun for the whole team,” Wolfsmith said. “We all work hard and it’s fun to see a teammate do well. My teammates are a big help.”
“The team is what really motivates him to train harder,” Dave Wolfsmith said. “His teammates have done very well in (competitions), and his example has raised the level of the other kids.”
Several Junior Wolfpak teammates accompanied Lance Wolfsmith to the Junior Nationals in Utah, including his sister Lauren Wolfsmith, Matt Sosa, Peter Sarll, Ryan Sarll, Dustin Benton, Ford Merrick and Kendra Higgins.
Benton took third overall in his (10-12 boys) age group, while Lauren Wolfsmith took a Top 10 (9th) and Higgins also had a Top 20 finish in the 10-12 girls group.
While the local cyclists were competing at the Nationals in Utah, the announcers recognized the Morgan Hill name and its association with Specialized – the internationally known cycling icon, and began calling them the Specialized Wolfpak from Morgan Hill.
Ironically, the Junior Wolfpak happens to be seeking a Specialized sponsorship, even as the team is already associated with the local company.
While his long-range goal is to become a pro cyclist, Lance Wolfsmith said his short-term goal is to compete in the Morgan Hill Specialized Grand Prix next year.
Last year, he couldn’t compete in the race, which drew some of the top riders in the world – including David Zabriskie, because there was no Cat. 5 race. But if he reaches his goal of making Cat. 3 by next year, he will compete in his hometown race.
In fact, Wolfsmith and some of his Junior Wolfpak teammates have been training on the “Specialized” hill, the steep incline on Third Street that earned its new moniker when a large Specialized “S” was emblazoned on the road for this year’s inaugural race.
It may only be a matter of time before he leads a pack of pro cyclists up that hill.
Junior Wolfpak
Brianna Ahumada, Brittany Ahumada, Branden Alan, Kyle Benton, Dustin Benton, Paul Carlson, Lilli Carlson, Yoni Carlson, Kendra Higgins, Keily Higgins, Ford Merrick, Devon Ostheimer, Lauren Ostheimer, Connor Sarll, Peter Sarll, Ryan Sarll, Ivana Sarll, Matthew Sosa, Lance Wolfsmith, Lauren Wolfsmith
