The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Stewart sets sights on senior crown
Dundee cyclist looks to add to his European honours in Berlin
Mark Stewart is the reigning European U23 champion, and the Dundee cyclist is hoping to add the senior crown to it next week.
The 22-year-old, a double European champion at U23 level, heads to Berlin for the European Track Championships as part of the men’s endurance squad.
Stewart will be hoping for a slot in the team pursuit and, after a long summer on the road where he also competed in the World Championships in Bergen last month, the rising star is feeling confident
“Manchester for the Track World Cup will be awesome and we are really looking forward to that, but we are definitely going to the Europeans looking to finish on top,” he said.
While his summer was spent on the road, Stewart impressed last winter on the track at World Cup and World Championship level.
“Last year was my first Europeans,” he said. “Physically since then I have got a lot stronger with the amount of road volume I have done,” he added.
“And then each event you do, I have now got a track worlds and a road worlds under my belt. It is a huge boost, mainly for the head. You learn what works for you, you learn what not to worry about.”
He also has the experience of the likes of Olympic champions Ed Clancy and Steven Burke in the squad for the team pursuit. Burke and Andy Tennant will head to Germany, while Clancy is likely to join for the Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Manchester.
“When you look at Ed, Burkey and Andy, those are some stalwarts of the sport,” he added. “So just to be able to ride with them ... It’s the little things you gain from them really, the day-to-day, effort to effort, lap to lap, it’s the little things that they do that you don’t.
“Everyone is aware of the situation, there are seven of us rolling around the track and only four of us are going to line-up on race day. It takes a bit of maturity, with the senior guys who come in, and the coach with a non-biased opinion to say: ‘These are the facts’.
“It needs everyone to leave their egos at the door. Sometimes you have a good day, sometimes you have a bad day.
“But we are all working towards the same goal, we all support each other and it works really well.”
On November 10-12, riders like Mark Stewart will compete on the Manchester Velodrome in one of the most anticipated events on the track cycling calendar. Tickets can be bought at trackworldcup.co.uk/tickets/.