Dundee cyclist on track to realise world champion dream

Dundee rider plans to concentrate on securing world title

Dundee cyclist Mark Stewart is set to ditch his road career, at least for the time being, in order to pursue his dream of becoming a world champion on the track.

Stewart will fly out to the Gold Coast later this week as part of a 16-strong Scotland cycling team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where he will compete on both track and road.

The 22-year-old, who won bronze at the Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn earlier in the month while representing Great Britain, has high hopes of winning a medal in Australia and is keen to focus his efforts on the track with the dream of becoming world champion in the future.

“I’m doing the track and the road, but I’m going there to try and get a medal in the track events,” he said.

“Every session and all the preparation is towards the track, so that is definitely the priority.

“If we pull off a result on the road it would be a nice surprise but the priority is definitely on the track.”

On his future ambitions, Stewart, who raced at the Games in Glasgow four years ago as an 18-year-old, added: “I haven’t pursued a road team this year.

“It’s a big year on the track and for me physically I need to step up a level.

“After the Commonwealth Games I’m going to step back from racing on the roads and utilise all the staff at GB and their expertise and spend two to three months, if not more, just training and changing my physiology a bit.

“I did 80 race days last year, 50 on the road and 30 on the track and had some good results, but I felt I just got good at everything.

“I don’t want to be good at everything, I want to be world champion at one thing.”

A lot will be expected of Stewart Down Under after he announced his arrival on the world stage at the start of the month, and he is setting himself lofty targets in a team that also includes Olympic champions Callum Skinner and Katie Archibald.

“I definitely want to medal in the points or scratch,” he admitted. “To get on that podium is the first thing.

“You set these targets and I’m going to race to win it, but realistically there are some really strong guys out there.

“I know I am one of them but in racing you never know what is going to happen.

“Realistically to get on the podium would be awesome.”

PA. Mark Stewart: focus on track events but will contest road race on Gold Coast.