“The Games finish and you suddenly realise there’s still one more race left.”
Great Britain’s Fin Graham won Paralympic gold in the C1-3 men’s road race two weeks ago.
On Thursday he will end his season by trying to win his third consecutive World Championship title.
Graham is one of 55 Great British athletes taking part in the first combined road cycling and Para-road cycling World Championships from 21-29 September, with most races being shown on the BBC Sport website and app.
Big names such as Tom Pidcock, Anna Henderson, Adam and Simon Yates and Sarah Storey will all represent GB at the championships in Zurich.
And, as a four-time Paralympic medallist, Graham’s name is being added to that star status list, something the 24-year-old Scot is still getting used to.
“The other day my dad came into my room waking me up to say ‘STV are here in 10 minutes, you need to get up’.
“Suddenly your old school wants to see you, primary and secondary. The media stuff, I want to make the most of it after Paris… but it is also kind of draining.”
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On the bike is where Graham does his talking.
The pride of Strathpeffer – a small village in the Scottish highlands, he is one of Great Britain’s best hopes to win a rainbow jersey in Zurich.
Since 2022 he has claimed four world titles in the velodrome and two on the road.
After two silver medals in Tokyo, he briefly set a world record in the heats of the C3 individual pursuit – only to have his time beaten by team-mate Jaco van Gass mere minutes later.
“Classic Jaco,” joked Graham. “He did the same thing in Tokyo. It was so quick, at least give me a chance to see my record flash up on the screen!”
Van Gass beat Graham in the final, but the Scot finally got his first Paralympic gold on the penultimate day of the Games, outsprinting Frenchman Thomas Peyroton-Dartet in a dramatic finish.
Graham’s form means he is favourite for the road title on Zurich’s hilly course, and he also fancies his chances in Tuesday’s C1-3 time trial.
“Over the past two years I’ve lost out on the TT by a combined time of I think about two seconds, which is ridiculous over the distances we race,” he told BBC Sport.
“Second in Glasgow last year was really hard to take. My results had been so good and no GB rider had won the time trial before. I really wanted to win that.”
Sharing the stage ‘massively important’ for Para-sport
Graham was born with bilateral club feet, leaving him with no calf muscle and little to no movement in his ankles. When he turned 18 he was also diagnosed with the auto-immune condition lupus.
Graham believes combining the road and Para-road world championships, something which has not yet been confirmed for next year’s road Worlds in Kigali, Rwanda, is “massively important” for Para-sport.
“One of the highlights of my career was winning the individual pursuit last year in Glasgow in front of a full crowd,” he said.
That was in the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, which included Para-track cycling.
“At a normal Para-world championships, that noise of a sold-out velodrome just doesn’t happen,” added Graham.
“Sharing the stage with us and the able-bodied lot is amazing.
“We are all in the same hotel wishing each other luck. That motivates you.”
So, win or lose, what will Graham do after the World Championships – which marks the end of his season?
“Sleep,” he replied.
“I’ll also go on holiday. I’ll be able to look back on the last couple of years and enjoy it, because it’s been such a build-up of hard work and effort.”
Other Brits to watch in Zurich
There are plenty of other British stars at this year’s World Championships.
Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock will lead Great Britain’s men’s road race team, while Josh Tarling is an outsider to steal Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel time trial crown
The GB’s women’s road race team is led by Anna Henderson, with the Paris silver-medallist hoping to take the rainbow jersey off Chloe Dygert of the United States.
In the women’s C5 race Great Britain’s 12-time world champion Sarah Storey, who won her 30th Paralympic medal in September, will start as favourite.
Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl, who collected two golds in Paris, will ride in the women’s tandem.
When is the BBC’s coverage of the UCI world championships?
Sunday, 22 September (all times BST)
0900-10:30 – Para-cycling women’s B and C4-C5 time trials livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
10:50-17:00 – Women’s and men’s time trials livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
13:20-17:00 – Live coverage on BBC Two
Tuesday, 24 September
10:00-14:30 – Para-cycling women’s and men’s C1-C3 time trials livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
Wednesday, 25 September
09:45 12:15 – Para-cycling women’s B road race livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
Thursday, 26 September
11:15-13:45 – Para-cycling men’s C3 road race livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
Saturday, 28 September
09:45-11:45 – Para-cycling women’s C1-C3 and C4-C5 road races livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
11:35-16:15 – Women’s road race livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
14:00-16:15 – Live coverage on BBC Two
Sunday, 29 September
09:20-16:30 – Men’s elite road race livestream coverage on the BBC Sport website and app
14:40-16:30 – Live coverage on BBC Two