Issues with sponsorships and funding in the light of Covid were compounded by a serious crash in 2022, in which she suffered broken ribs, a partially punctured lung and a concussion.
It caused Storey to miss the 2022 World Championships, and left her unsure whether she would be able to attain the elite levels she expects in time for Paris.
However, a surge in form in 2024 has seen the old confidence return as she prepares to be the first British athlete to compete at nine Paralympic Games.
“The recovery was a lot longer than I anticipated, it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that I started to see improvements in power,” she said.
“Then I was seeing my highest ever power on the road, which at the age of 46 is no mean feat. Nearly two years later, my body has finally started to recover after having such a horrendous time at the end of 2022 – there was one point where I wondered if age had caught up with me, or whether I was unlucky that all this was happening at the same time.”
Storey’s remarkable longevity can be put down to a rigorous and personalised training regime, as well as meticulous attention to detail.
BBC reporter Sally Hurst has seen that rigour first hand, both as a Para-cyclist for Great Britain – where she was selected in the same squad as Storey at several competitions – then in her latter journalism career.
“She has her own way of doing things,” Hurst told BBC Sport. “Everything has to be perfect; she looks at her own bike set-up, while cyclists like me might just rely on the mechanics. She will check absolutely everything.
“I went out with her once for an interview, we were just having a potter around on our bikes. There was a little bit of muck on her tyres; she got off, had a good look at it, got a passerby with a baby, took a baby wipe and wiped off the tyre. And that was just for a little ride down the street.”
Source Agencies
