Alex Dowsett insists he will be a man on a mission in Thursday's individual time trial as he looks to put his Tour de France disappointment behind him at Glasgow 2014.
Dowsett was set to ride in the Tour, which travelled through his hometown of Chelmsford as part of this year’s Grand Depart in England, but missed out on selection due to illness.
But now fully recovered from a bout of bronchitis picked up during the Tour de Suisse, the Movistar rider has his sights firmly set on Commonwealth Games glory.
The 25-year-old won time trial silver on the roads of Delhi at the Commonwealth Games four years ago and he admits he is charged up to upgrade that this time around.
“Missing the Tour sure as hell made me angry and usually when I’m angry I pull out something good and hopefully that will happen here,” he said.
“I’ve been training really hard since. The numbers have been good and I’m confident that I can do a good ride.
“I won’t be happy if I’m not on the top step of the podium in the time trial.
“I could find myself seventh, I could find myself first, it’s going to be tight at the top but it would be a career highlight for me if I was to win gold.”
Both the men’s and women’s time trial events take place today with the start and finish at Glasgow Green – and Dowsett admits the course is to his liking.
“I’ll go as fast as I can but what you can’t control is how everyone else goes,” added Dowsett, who will also contest Sunday’s road race.
“There’s a bit of everything with some technical sections, long straight power sections and some climbs.
“It’s going to suit an all-round time trialist but it plays to my strengths.”
But the fairytale winner would be Scotland's David Millar, competing in the penultimate race of his career on home roads.
“It is probably one of the biggest events of my life,” said Millar, who won gold four years ago in Delhi.
“Especially where it is in my career. Whether it would mean so much to me if I was 18, well it would still be massively important to me, but I am 37. This is the end.”
© Sportsbeat 2014