Matthew Glaetzer considered retirement before the lure of another Commonwealth Games kept the Australian track cycling star going.
At 29, the sprint ace is the self-described "old dog" of the track team named on Thursday for the Birmingham Games.
The two-time world champion will join road cyclist Rohan Dennis and mountain biker Dan McConnell as three-time Commonwealth Games competitors.
Glaetzer won the keirin at the last two editions and if he achieves the three-peat, will join track greats Gary Neiwand, Brad McGee and Anna Meares as the only Australian cyclists to claim gold in the same event at three Commonwealth Games.
He is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, also winning the 1km time trial four years ago.
Glaetzer has been to three Olympics as well, overcoming thyroid cancer and a torn calf muscle to compete last year in Tokyo.
But he remains without an Olympic medal as Australia struggled overall at the Tokyo velodrome.
He took four months off after the Olympics - twice the length of his previous longest spell.
"I did think about whether I wanted to continue. I definitely needed a big break, after everything that I'd overcome," he told AAP.
"I needed time away from the sport ... and I would probably be on a break, still, if the Commonwealth Games weren't on.
"It's quite interesting, as you get further in your career and older, I've found that my breaks are difficult to come back from,
"There's something special about the Commonwealth Games. There are always good memories, win, lose or draw.
"I know I can still represent the country really well - I know I can play my part in the sport."
He is undecided about aiming for a fourth Olympics.
"I definitely think, physically, I'm more than capable of going to Paris ... it's making sure that the love, the passion, are still there and making sure it's going to fit in with the rest of my life," he said.
Glaetzer plans a full program at the Games, aiming to compete in the team sprint, keirin, sprint and 1km time trial.
"My body, all things considered, is in a good place at the moment," he said.
The track cycling for the Games will be held at the Olympic velodrome in London and that represents the wheel turning full circle for Glaetzer as it's where he made his Games debut in 2012.
"My first Olympic Games as a 19-year-old, wide-eyed, in awe - it will be a very cool experience to be back there," he said.
