WHEN it came to outwitting five-time points race world champion Cameron Meyer in the Commonwealth Games velodrome, few people gave Mark Stewart a prayer. But it wasn’t just the Dundonian who kept the faith. So too did the worshippers of Poynton Baptist Church in Greater Manchester, who congregated around a television immediately after their Sunday service to watch one of their flock record the biggest win of his career.

Few Scottish sportspeople regard their belief as a driving force; fewer still are prepared to talk about it if they do. But this 22-year-old is the exception which proves the rule.

While hard graft helped him win that gold medal, his faith reminds him that his life’s work is far greater than that.

“If you are going to believe something, I think you should be prepared to talk about it,” says Stewart, his hard-won medal hanging from his neck. “But it is a big question, how many angles do you go at it from? For me, it [religion] is definitely about peace of mind. I have always felt like I am supposed to ride a bike. And I’m still not really sure why that is.

“I know it’s not to win medals, because they are material things that you can hold on to in your hand or throw away. Somebody just made this – the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics – and said ‘this is important’.

“But actually when you strip it all away, it is not that important. I love racing, I love riding my bike, but I think [my faith]helps give me perspective.

“One thing the church is really good for is challenging me. I have got a really good church in Manchester. There are a lot of young folk there – and a lot of old folk too. It is a really diverse congregation and they had the points race on in the church on the Sunday after the service, they all stayed on to watch it.

“I really enjoy going there. I spent a lot of time there in my first three years in Manchester, in the cycling community. People judge you if you are a good cyclist. It is like high school, isn’t it? You are the most popular kid. But if you go to church …. they found out that I went to Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and all they wanted to know was if I wore a kilt. They didn’t actually care whether I had won or lost.

“I know all about Eric Liddell [ who wouldn’t compete on a Sunday], but for me it has never been an issue. I couldn’t tell you why that isn’t. I guess if I go out there on Sunday, I am an ambassador for God and that can only be a good thing. The only thing I pray for on the track is safety.”

The messages which meant the most after Stewart took that bravura gold medal were from his mum and dad, but Chris Hoy was in touch too, posting an image of the 22-year-old grimacing with the pain and exertion of his ride, along with the message: “The last time I looked like this was when I stepped barefoot on one of my wee boy’s bits of Lego.”

“It is quite nice when guys like that are taking notice,” says Stewart. ”Even if people are poking fun at you.”

While Stewart will almost certainly be back competing in the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome at the European Championships this August in Glasgow, he could soon have his own arena to be talking about. In the days since his gold medal win, a campaign has sprung up on Tayside to have an outdoor 400m velodrome in Caird Park named after him. Embarrassed about it, Stewart nonetheless would be happy to put his name to the scheme to get more children into the sport.

“I grew up in Dundee and Discovery Junior Cycling Club grew up there in Caird Park,” he said. “That is the thing with local cycling clubs, I wouldn’t be here without them, they are the unsung heroes. Guys like Martin Harris, he is the guy who runs it now, he has done it for so many years, takes through so many kids, shows them how to ride bikes and gives them so many opport-unities. If he didn’t give me the opportunity I wouldn’t be Commonwealth champ. If I was to take myself out of the equation I think it would be nice. I get that my name represents a journey from taking up riding a bike to becoming Commonwealth champion, and I think that is pretty cool.”

Stewart has the kind of cycling skill-set which could take him in multiple directions, but after giving the matter some serious thought, he has decided to put the road on hold and put “all his eggs in the British Cycling basket” for the next few years. Much is said about the British Cycling set-up, but Stewart –whose older brother Kevin works there as a coach – says in four years he has “never seen anything dodgy, everything is by the book”.

“We see these news articles when they come out like everyone else,” he said, “Maybe stuff has fallen by the wayside and someone is to blame for stuff, but from what I’ve seen – and what I quite like about it – is that it is quite raw. That is why I take satisfaction from my ride in the Commonwealth Games. It wasn’t superhuman, you only had to look at me to know ‘he is definitely human; he is lying on the floor dead’.”