When Laura Cluxton describes her rise through the ranks as a "whirlwind", she's not joking.
Less than a year after arriving on the elite cycling scene, the Aberdeen-born rider will make her Commonwealth Games debut today.
Cluxton, who is registered blind, is piloted by Fiona Duncan with the pair in action when the women's para-sport sprint B tandem gets under way this morning.
She may be up against a world class field including Scottish compatriot Aileen McGlynn, a triple Paralympic gold medallist, and Australia's Felicity Johnson, who is a three-time world champion, but Cluxton is not one to shy from a challenge.
Only four months after joining Scottish Cycling's performance programme last November, where she was paired with world silver medallist Duncan, the former nursery nurse gained the qualification standard for Glasgow 2014 posting 11.56sec in the flying 200m for the sprint and 1:11.50 in the 1000m time trial.
Cluxton, 33, suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic degenerative eye condition which led her to begin to lose her sight at 21 and be registered blind by 25. "I've got a tiny little bit of sight with 5% in my right eye and less than 5% in my left," she explains.
She first tried her hand at cycling in 2009 as part of a UK Sport talent ID programme to find athletes for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. When that quest proved unsuccessful, she and her husband Joe bought a touring tandem and cycled for fun.
With the opening of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, Cluxton decided to have another bash at the competitive side of the sport. Her perseverance has paid off. "I'm feeling happy and quite emotional as well," she says. "I'm so proud."
Duncan, 37, from Aberdeen was first introduced to the idea of becoming a tandem pilot by fellow Scottish rider Neil Fachie, himself a Paralympic and five-time world champion.
Cluxton is a qualified Highland dance teacher and doesn't rule out a cheeky jig should things play out well on the track. Either way, her fancy footwork may prove a key ingredient in their story. "I think it's maybe Laura's dancing strength that I have to thank her for her strong legs on the bike," says Duncan.
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