HURTLING down the rocky hillside with my lycra-clad rear bouncing off the narrow saddle, keeping up appearances was the last thing on my mind. The fact I was feeling unwell and hadn't slept a wink made my descent all the more precarious.

I was among the first batchof riders to try out the new mountain biking course designed for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. The hair-raising 7km track was crafted for world-class competitions while also offering a facility with circuits for every level of rider.

Not for faint-hearted, the course runs through open moo rland and woods with a combination of super-steep trails, challenging jumps and perpendicular drops. As I whizzed down the muddy slopes, stirring up boulders and dodging tree stumps, I thought my time had come.

My experience of biking was limited, to say the least, and this became all the more obvious as I cascaded haphazardly over some slippery tree roots and landed in the middle of a stinking swamp. Refusing to let a few bruises and the odd scratch defeat me, I struggled to my feet, brushed myself down and got back on the bike, cursing. I only wished there was nobody around to witness my undignified collapse, but there was no hiding the mocking laughter from a group of teenage onlookers.

To give me an insight into the sport,some hardcore, adventure-seeking pals had molly-coddled me round a beginners' bike track at Glentress in the Borders a few weeks previously. But that didn't prepare me for this white knuckle ride.

The competition was stiff, and I figured there was no way I could complete the course without seriously endangering my life. So I opted to ride round select parts of it, choosing the most flat and least rocky areas - and avoiding the most terrifying obstacles.

I'm not ashamed to admit this. In fact, it would take someone with a combination of experience, talent and great bravery to complete the course - not an exhausted wretch like myself. One man with wheels - and legs - of steel is Glasgow City Council Matt Kerr, 30.

Matt is deputy executive member for the council's Land and Environmental Services - the department charged with developing the course. He is also an enthusiastic cyclist and, going back to his youth, a former champion... albeit on the road, rather than on a hillside. I nabbed him for a chat as he rode round the course for the third time.

Matt said: "This has been a great start for the circuit. Although there is a lot of work to be done, I think everyone who took part or came to watch the action will be excited about its potential for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. "Just as importantly, we're also building the legacy that the Games will leave for Glasgow and Scotland.

There are 600,000 people living minutes from here. When you are trying to get more people involved in cycling, that's a massive opportunity in terms of sport, health and lifestyle." As Matt whizzed off on his bike to tackle yet another vertigo-inducing drop, I attempted a somewhat less terrifying cycle along the course's grassy, undulating pathways.

As a total amateur, the flat runs were just the tonic. But as for the real technical hurdles... well, I was determined to leave them to the experts. Teams from the council worked with Scottish Cycling to prepare the course at Cathkin Braes, in Rutherglen, for international events.

The event I took part in, which attracted more than 300 cyclists of all abilities, from families with kids to some of the country's elite riders, was an early test run organised by the Scottish Cross Country Association (SXC) and Walkers Cycling of East Ayrshire.

Feedback from the organisers, competitors and spectators will now help to further develop the site in preparation for more high profile events in the lead up to the Games. One professional cyclist who trialled the course was Margo Denholm, a member of Rockhard Racing Mountain Bike Club in Glasgow. Margo, of Ibrox in Glasgow, said: "I travel up and down the country competing in races on all sorts of terrain.

"This course seems to have a lot of grassy areas and I was disappointed at the lack of downhill runs and obstacles. Yes, there were some pretty challenging parts, like the three metre high scaffold bridge, but the mainstay of the course was fairly easy. "I think it would be great if cyclists got their heads together and bashed out a few more ideas. "It's a fairly imaginative course but the feeling was it could be better." The site was chosen after months of public consultation and a series of proposals for course choices ran

until March this year. The ultimate aims were not only to provide a mountain bike course suitable for Glasgow 2014, but also to construct graded bike circuits as a permanent facility.

The project will also improve access to and through Cathkin Braes Country Park for all users. John Scott, Chief Executive of the organising committee for the Games said: "We aim to provide athletes with an outstanding sporting experience and world-class venues."