HE has cycled 3500 miles round Europe, hiked across California and been on a solo bike tour of Britain and Ireland, but Ben Peacock hopes his biggest adventure is yet to come:

competing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The 32-year-old has set his sights on the 4k men's individual pursuit and will have the chance to showcase his talents as the second weekend of the Scottish National Track Championships is held in Glasgow today.

The reigning champion in the event, Peacock (Paisley Velo Race Team) will look to defend his title at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in a field that includes good friend and rival Silas Goldsworthy (Sandy Wallace Cycles).

Peacock, who is also the Scottish 10-mile TT champion, is now back to full fitness after being laid up for a fortnight with a chest infection following last month's British National Track Championships in Manchester, where he finished seventh in the individual pursuit.

His personal best over the distance is 4min36sec, with the Glasgow 2014 qualification standard 4.30.396, but he remains optimistic of closing that gap over the coming months.

By his own admission, Peacock is still a "total newbie" in cycling terms having only taken up the sport competitively in 2010. He was part of the Gold4Glasgow scheme, an initiative launched by the sportscotland institute of sport in a bid to uncover new talent.

"I did a three-minute test on a watt bike at the maximum resistance," he recalls. "The tester said they would turn down the resistance as I started to fade, but I didn't. I managed to keep it at full gas for the full three minutes."

The significance of this achievement went a bit over his head at first. "At the time I didn't know anything about watts or power measurements, so I just kept pedalling," he says. "It was hard, but I was determined to do it."

He gained a place on the Scottish Cycling programme last autumn, where he is coached by Mark McKay alongside his Paisley Velo team-mate Ian Sim.

Last year's Scottish National Track Championships final saw Peacock and Goldsworthy duel it out for gold. He reckons today's action could see an even more ferocious battle unfold. "Silas is my sparring partner," he says. "We are very close in what we do. In 10 and 25-mile time trials on the road we usually finish within 30 seconds of each other. There was one TT this year where only four seconds separated us. It's a similar story on the track. In terms of style, our builds and physiques, we are quite different, but Silas would definitely be my closest rival."

Originally from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, Peacock has lived in Scotland since he was 18. A former tree surgeon, he pays the bills working as a barman in Cafe Andaluz in Glasgow. "It's a good job and the managers are really supportive of my cycling," he says. "I work nights which means I can train during the day. I like being active and would hate to be in a sedentary role."

He believes that two summers touring on his bike, laden with panniers and cycling up to 70 miles a day built up his core strength. He went straight from traversing 2000 miles around Britain and Ireland to his Gold4Glasgow test. "That was basically my training," he laughs.

Nor was it the only unconventional aspect of his preparation. "I was still smoking," he says. "I used to smoke roll-ups. I had my last cigarette the night before I did the tests on the watt bike."

Looking ahead to next summer his main focus will be the individual pursuit, but Peacock hopes to target the time trial on the road too. "I'm still fairly inexperienced when it comes to bunch racing," he says. "I like individual events and always have done - I think that goes back to my solo touring days. I believe that's where my biggest strength lies."

While he grew up south of the border, it is Glasgow he considers home. "I would be honoured to represent Scotland next summer," he says. "To be part of the biggest sporting event in this country's history? That would be amazing."