Neil Fachie targets Commonwealth Games top Scot spot as he prepares for almighty velodrome battle with former partner

He's happily married to a fellow international para- cyclist but Neil Fachie feels like he’s gone through a messy split as he builds up to Birmingham 2022.

It’s nothing to do with Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games cyclist’s relationship with English track star Lora which, thankfully, remains as strong as ever as the couple prepare to welcome their first baby.

But Fachie is gunning to hit top spot in the all-time Games gold list for Team Scotland in the coming week without his trusted tandem pilot Matt Rotherham.

That he’s lost the partner who helped guide the Aberdonian to gold in last year’s Tokyo Paralympics and double gold in the 2018 Commonwealths could be seen as difficult.

But what makes this parting of the ways all the more awkward is that the 38-year-old goes into the ferociously competitive Tandem B kilo and Tandem B sprint events knowing Rotherham will be there too .. only on the bike of his arch rival, Welshman James Ball.

Just as well Fachie has every faith in his new pilot Lewis Stewart then. Even if they used to be fierce opponents themselves.

Fachie knows another double gold would see him leapfrog bowls icon Alex Marshall at the top of Team Scotland’s ultimate gold medal table with six, even just for a few days.

But as he prepares to return to the Lee Valley VeloPark where he won Paralympic gold a decade ago, he’ll need to do it with a new pilot on board.

Fachie said: “It’s strange. I’ve been riding with Matt for the last few years but he’s now on the Welsh bike so it’s going to be tasty!

“I’m married but this almost has the same feel about it. When you see a pilot away competing with someone else a bit of you is thinking ‘ah that’s a bit strange, what’s going on here?!’

“It’s silly but