Dundee track sprinter Kevin Stewart collected the bronze medal in the men’s team sprint at the British Track Championships in Manchester.  The race, and his sixth national title (his second at senior level), concludes what in many ways was a transition year from raw talent to developing racer.

Kevin seems to have been around for some time. But it’s really an illusion. So numerous have been the comparisons made between him and Chris Hoy that you’d think he has been in the cycling game all his life.

In truth he’s only been racing for three years but his improvement has been so rapid that he was selected for the Olympic Development Programme in Manchester this January.

“The training is so well organised and it’s made a big difference,” said Kevin.  “They’ve given me equipment and they’ve taken me to races and they’ve worked a lot on my technique to make my pedalling more efficient. 

“My pedalling was a bit raw and ragged before I started with them in January. So we’ve done a lot of work on pedalling technique to make sure that I deliver the power in a smoother, more efficient action. It’s been really good and they’ve taken me abroad to races.”

This summer Kevin won back to back junior sprint titles in Germany, at the Sparkassen Cup and then in the German Grand Prix.  At July’s European Cycling Track Championships in Minsk, Belarus he was fifth in the Junior Men’s sprint.  In August at the World Junior Track Championships in Moscow he finished seventh in the sprint.

“The World Championships was my best race of the season.  In the qualifying I broke the British Junior record but then I crashed in the main race.  Nothing broken but I’ve had a couple of crashes this season and I’ve had to have a lot of physio at the Tayside & Fife Institute.” 

The time that broke the British record (10.34 seconds) means Kevin has already achieved a qualifying time for the Scottish team heading to next year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.  A qualifying time does not mean he is in the team but it is at least a major hurdle cleared in the selection criteria. 

With the season at an end Kevin will go back to the gym at Dundee University to work on his base fitness for next season which will see him move out of the under 18 category.

Supporting Kevin is the Scottish Institute of Sport.  Working with him since he joined Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport in 2006 is Alan Sinclair, (TFIS) Strength & Conditioning Co-ordinator.

“The ultimate aims of the programme for Kevin are to maximise strength and explosive power in his legs through basic squatting exercises, and to promote general upper body and core strength and stability to allow him to transfer this strength and power effectively whilst on the bike,” said Alan.

“We monitor Kevin's strength & power on an ongoing basis as part of his support package and he has made some very impressive gains.  At the start of this season he performed a full back squat with 170kg, at a body weight of 89kg, whilst improving his explosive power over a period of five months.”

Said Kevin, “The TFIS has been a great support, especially the gym. Strength training makes a massive difference in my sport and the programme has helped me leaps and bounds.  With the access I have had I can’t ask for much more.  It’s a great facility and they are always there if you need anything.”

ll Elliott fast tracked everything at the hospital and made sure I was getting seen quickly,” he said.  “Physio Maggie Hendry was a huge help too and between them they helped me get back to fitness.”