How did this happen? I'm lining up on a start grid, waiting for the tape to go up, feeling like a herd of wildebeest are migrating through my stomach and wondering if I'm going to survive the first corner. And to cap it all off I've seen one crash resulting in a rider being carried off the track, and another with a rider employing his face as a brake on the loose shale surface. Cycle speedway is not for the faint of heart. And right now I want my mum.

It all started so innocently with an invite from Tommy Lee to come along to a Thursday night training session for Scotia Cycle Speedway Club and see what the sport was all about. Three days later and I'm kitted out in full-length clothing for a promised full-contact sport, sitting on a borrowed non-braked bundle of singlespeed insanity.

Ah yes. Following on from the main event at Scotia's Redbraes Park track in Edinburgh I've only gone and got myself involved in the 'Combination' competition (an extra open category after the main league meeting races that preceded it).

On Thursday I had been given a thorough grounding in how to start, sorry... 'gate', and given a chance to build up a bit of speed and confidence, picking up the pace and getting the foot down in corners. It's been a while since I've had so much fun on a bike.

So how does this translate into an actual competitive spin? Starting with your strong foot on the pedal at horizontal, the back pedal resting against your standing leg's calf, it's time to get ready for the off. Riders are readied and once you're put under starter's orders if you move before that off you're out - no second chances. Then the tape goes up and you put the power down making for the gaggle of the first corner. After that the procedure is simplicity itself - hammer the straight, hand on for dear life round the corners and try to get back on the pedals as quickly as possible.

All for four laps.

And a race lasting around a minute.

Easy eh?