With two race victories in the last two weeks, cyclist Geri Mewett is firing on all cylinders ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The 31-year-old former Olympic swimmer has been preparing for Melbourne from his Tennessee home with amateur team Hincapie Sports, and followed up his stage victory at the Valley of the Sun race in Arizona 11 days ago with another first-place finish at the Greenville Race Series on Saturday in South Carolina.

Along with Tyler Butterfield and Julia Hawley, Mewett is signed up to compete in both the time trial and the road race in Australia - although he may just use the former event to acclimatise in preparation for the longer competition which is his speciality.

Mewett has been incredibly busy of late, dividing his time between his job as a pilates instructor and bike work during the week.

He estimates that he competed in around 70 races last year, clocking up 8,000 miles travelling to and from different events on weekends - while his Games preparation has necessitated an even more punishing schedule.

“It's been a long, cold winter on the bike getting ready,” he said yesterday.

“I've been spending 25 to 30 hours on the bike every week for months and it is obviously a great boost to the confidence to pick up a couple of wins so close to the Games. The weather has not helped in terms of my overall preparation but it is too hard mentally to spend four or five hours on an indoor bike so every bit of my training has been outdoors. Unless it is freezing or blowing a gale, it's just a question of getting as many layers on as possible and getting out there.

“I've got about a week to acclimatise when I get down there and from what I understand the temperature in Melbourne can range between the upper 60s to the 80s - which is not too bad. It's not like I'll be going from the frozen tundra to a steamy rainforest so I'm not anticipating any real difficulties adjusting.”

Mewett admitted, however, that he will not be as well prepared as other racers from larger Commonwealth countries with, for example, the British team having been in the southern hemisphere since December training and competing.

But the relatively flat nature of the Games' road race course could work in his favour, he added.

“There are not too many steep hills on the course which when you are 6ft 2ins like me can be a problem when you are up against a lot of guys who are 5ft 6 or 7ins and have a lot less weight to carry,” he said.

“There will be a lot of guys down there who have had a more ideal preparation than me but I've got to look at everything from a glass is half full perspective. I'm expecting the race itself to be very fast but physically I feel great and I'm confident I can stay with it. I'm 31 now and am probably as strong as I've ever been on the bike, plus I've got experience which counts for a lot at a high level.”

Meanwhile, Mewett said he was looking forward to racing with and against Butterfield, who he believes has done an “incredible job” since his conversion from triathlon to professional cycling only a year ago.

The 23-year-old is a mere two or three years away from being a world class cyclist according to his French coach Phillipe Manduit and Mewett is equally aware of the youngsters significant potential.

“We'll be there to support each other and we won't be in direct competition,” he said.

“Since he moved to cycling full time he has obviously done extremely well. Not too many people could make a switch like that and achieve what he has done in such a short space of time.”