The 25-year-old, who is a lifelong Patriots fan, will make his Team Scotland bow this summer at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Maclean’s focus on the British National Track Championships meant he had to forgo watching his team in February’s Super Bowl, but the Stirling cyclist is still taking plenty of inspiration from across the pond.
“I always said, if the Patriots ever get back to the Super Bowl, I’d go and see it,” he said. “Then they made it to the Super Bowl this year and I had the British nationals, so I thought ‘maybe it’s not the year to go.’”
It was a small price to pay for the Scot, who has now qualified for his first Commonwealth Games having successfully switched his focus from road to track.
The self-proclaimed ‘Stirling lad’ expects plenty of support from local family and friends, as the Commonwealth Games comes to Scotland for the second time in 12 years.
“I’m absolutely buzzing,” Maclean said. “It’s something I’ve worked hard for my whole life and the fact that it’s in Glasgow is the cherry on the cake. It’s such an important place to me, a place I’ve trained in and grown up near so I’m super excited.
“I’ve had quite a few friends text me saying they’ve got tickets. It’s daunting because I want to do the best for them, but it’s so cool to see the support.”
It has been a bumpy journey to the top for Maclean: he broke his back during a horrific car accident on a training ride in 2021 and underwent months of recovery, having been airlifted to hospital.
But the 25-year-old has successfully worked his way back, winning the Scottish Road Race Championships in 2024 before earning international selection for the World Track Cycling Cup last year.
“When I got the phone call for my first selection with Great Britain, I could feel my heart beating in my chest,” said Maclean.
“The first time I won the Scottish National Road Race Champs was my first big win after breaking my back. I’d put so much work into it, and I was so far out in front that I could actually soak in the last kilometre.”
Historically a road cyclist, Maclean recently swapped the slick concrete for the steep banks of the velodrome.
He only decided to do so in October 2024, when it was announced the Commonwealth Games would be in Glasgow.
Fast forward two years and that decision has well and truly paid off: Maclean represented Great Britain at the UCI Track World Cup in April, and the 25-year-old can now add a Team Scotland call-up to his growing list of track accomplishments.
“I remember watching the Tour de France with my dad when I was younger,” said Maclean. “I did road cycling for a long time. Then, when they said the Games were going to be in Glasgow, I said to my coach, ‘I want to do the track at the Commonwealth Games.’
“I really put my mind to it, saw the standards needed, and it’s just been a bit of a snowball effect.
“I’ve got this biggest race in my life in six weeks’ time, so all I’m thinking about is that. Maybe after the Commonwealth Games I’ll sit down, let it all soak in, and see where I’ve come from, but now I’m just thinking about medals.”
Medals – and the Patriots, of course.
“I watch a lot of American football,” Maclean said. “It sounds so silly, but I’ve been doing a lot of research to see who to draft for my fantasy team.”
Follow Team Scotland’s journey at Glasgow 2026 at @team_scotland on Instagram
