In addition to the problems with sponsorship and funding in the wake of Covid, she had a serious accident in 2022 in which she suffered broken ribs, a partially ruptured lung and a concussion.

This resulted in Storey missing the 2022 World Championships and she was unsure whether she could reach the elite level she expected in time for Paris.

But in 2024, her form has improved and her old confidence has returned, and she is now preparing to become the first British athlete to compete in nine Paralympics.

“The recovery took much longer than I expected. It wasn’t until the beginning of this year that I noticed an improvement in my performance,” she said.

“Then I experienced my highest performance on the road to date, which is no small feat at the age of 46. Almost two years later, my body has finally started to recover after having such a terrible time at the end of 2022 – there was a point where I wondered if age had caught up with me or if I was unlucky that all of this happened at the same time.”

Storey’s remarkable longevity is due to a rigorous and personalized training program as well as his meticulous attention to detail.

BBC reporter Sally Hurst has experienced the discipline first-hand, both as a para-cyclist for Great Britain – where she was named in the same squad as Storey at several competitions – and in her later career as a journalist.

“She has her own way of doing things,” Hurst told BBC Sport. “Everything has to be perfect; she pays attention to the settings on her own bike, whereas cyclists like me might just rely on the mechanics. She checks absolutely everything.”

“I was out with her for an interview once, we were just cruising around on our bikes. There was a bit of dirt on her tires; she got off, had a good look, saw a passerby with a baby, took a baby wipe and wiped the tire. And that was just for a little ride down the road.”