Young Dundee cyclist Mark Stewart believes being part of a sport-obsessed family has set him on the cycle path to greatness.
Stewart, who came sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and won the Scottish Cycling National Scratch championships title at Caird Park on Sunday, was one of the youngest athletes in Team Scotland at the age of 18.
Now, he’s aiming to follow in the footsteps of his father by becoming world class in his chosen discipline of endurance cycling.
Stewart said: “I was born into a very sporting and competitive family and that has obviously shaped my own destiny to an extent.
“My dad Dan represented Scotland in Iron Man competitions and took part in about 15 international events. My mum Caroline was a very good hill runner and my two older brothers are also sport fanatics.
“So the values and discipline you need to excel at sport were instilled in me from a very young age. I started swimming at the age of five and a couple of years later I was doing triathlon events.
“But when I got into cycling at my local club at the age of 10 I knew from that moment on that I wanted to focus completely on that.”
Stewart, who is studying sports psychology at Abertay University, believes he’d never have reached international class at such a young age if it hadn’t been for all the support he’s had over the years.
He added: “Scottish cycling have been brilliant with me, ever since I was a junior member of the Discovery team in my home city of Dundee. Their support has been incredible and they’ve helped me get to the level I’m at today.
“Cycling in Scotland has seen an unprecedented rise in interest at all levels throughout the country and Scottish Cycling is driving forward the development of cycling among young people with the new ScottishPower National Youth Racing Series.”
ScottishPower’s sponsorship is now into its second year and the support has helped lift the standard of youth racing in Scotland, including the Dundee Discovery Team, according to Stewart.
He continued: “It’s great that ScottishPower is getting involved in cycling and youth racing in general because it will ensure the younger cyclists coming through can progress as rapidly as I have.
“Being a successful cyclist is mainly about mindset, but having a velodrome and having money available for individual athletes means there are now no excuses if we fail to perform to the highest standards.”
Stewart is delighted that cycling is still very much a family affair for him, given his brother is one of the Scotland team’s cycling coaches.
He said: “My brother Kevin is the sprint head coach and it’s great to have him around. He competed at the Delhi games four years ago, but he was really just there for the experience. He prefers coaching as there’s less pressure but you can still have a big impact.
With Mark looking forward to pushing on within the sport, it’s an exciting time and the future looks bright for cycling in Scotland.
Scottish Cycling endurance coach Mark McKay believes the future’s bright for the Tayside youngster and also the sport of cycling in Scotland.
He said: “I remember seeing Mark really step up for the first time really on a national level at the Isle of Man junior tour 18 months ago. That’s when the ball really started rolling for him.
“I’d worked with him on and off during his youth career but his progress over the last year has been terrific.
“Now, with a solid, well thought out racing programme of events, such as the ScottishPower Youth Series, we’re in a good position to unearth the next Mark Stewart. Programmes such as that are fundamental to the development of the sport.”