Issues with sponsorships and funding in light of Covid led to a serious crash in 2022 in which he suffered broken ribs, a partially punctured lung and concussion.
This has cost Story the 2022 World Championships, and he is unsure if he will be able to reach the elite levels he hopes for Paris.
However, a surge in form in 2024 has seen the old confidence return as she prepares to become the first British athlete to compete in nine Paralympic Games.
„The recovery was longer than I expected and it was only at the beginning of this year that I started to see improvements in power,” he said.
“Then I saw my highest power on the road, which is not an average achievement at the age of 46. After almost two years, at the end of 2022, after such a terrible time, my body finally began to heal – I wondered if age had caught up with me, or if I was just unlucky. At the same time.”
Story’s remarkable longevity can be attributed to a rigorous and personalized training regimen, as well as meticulous attention to detail.
BBC reporter Sally Hurst saw that intensity first as a para-cyclist for Great Britain – where she was selected in the same team as Storey in several competitions – and later in her later journalistic career.
„She has her own way,” Hurst told BBC Sport. „Everything has to be perfect; she looks at her own bike set-up, whereas cyclists like me might rely on mechanics. She checks everything thoroughly.
“I went out with her once for an interview and we had a potter on our bike. Her tires had some mud; She got down, took a good look at it, got a passer-by with a baby, took a baby mop and wiped the tire. It was for a short ride down the street.
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”