Working predominantly for The Herald, my key areas of speciality are celebrity interviews, reportage and human interest. I also write a weekly column for the Sunday Herald.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist officially announced his decision to retire from professional cycling in his home city of Edinburgh yesterday.
However, he will mentor Scottish cyclists at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year, where he is also an ambassador.
The 37-year-old said he also plans to cycle for fun in the Pentland Hills on his mountain bike and perhaps ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats for charity.
But his decision means he will not compete in the Commonwealth Games in the velodrome named after him in Glasgow.
"Aileen McGlynn brought it in," he says, gesturing to the double Paralympic gold medallist on a nearby physio's table. "It's from a training camp when we were teenagers. Of all the people to have a picture like this, I didn't imagine it would be Aileen . . ."
It's a moment that succinctly captures the essence of McCallum, a gregarious and likeable character affectionately nicknamed "Jimmy Mac" and "The King of Scotland" among his peers.
