Tim Decker, cycling obsessive, knows the sport's history backwards.
So as he stood trackside at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome outside Paris, bursting with pride as Australia won the Olympic men's team pursuit, Decker had one immediate thought.
"Hopefully it's not another 20 years - that's what went through my mind," he said.
The men's team pursuit has held a special place in Australian cycling, particularly since "Charlie's Angels" won the event at the 1984 Olympics.
That was an early high point of Charlie Walsh's reign as track cycling head coach.
Fast forward another 20 years, the Walsh era had ended and Australia won again, one of an unprecedented six cycling gold medals at the Athens Games.
Then came gold medal ride losses at London and Rio in their fierce rivalry with Great Britain.
Then Alex Porter face planted at 60km/h into the Tokyo Olympic velodrome three years ago when his handlebar snapped off, cruelling Australia's chances.
Australia rallied to win bronze, but it was the only medal in track cycling at the last Olympics and it prompted a searching review of the national program.
Decker at one point went to China to coach, but came back last year.
"We knew we couldn't do it without Tim," said gold medallist Sam Welsford.
Decker, close to tears, spoke post-race on Wednesday night about his "small" role in the Australian triumph.
Anyone who has been around Australian cycling for five minutes knows the utter self-deprecation and endearing modesty in that statement.
"It's pretty standard that Timmy undersells himself. It's incredible how much Tim has been here for the team and for Australian cycling," Welsford said.
Just as Australia's gold medal came with a ton of baggage, and Decker spoke of them going to hell and back after Tokyo, so he has weathered several storms.
A bike crash in 2019 left him needing emergency brain surgery.
It was noted in the Australian camp within minutes of their triumph, compatriot Gary Sutton coached the United States to their second-successive gold medal in the women's event.
Like Decker, in 2017 he had left the Australian track program. But in Sutton's case, he was cut loose.
Things have not been easy over the last few years in Australian track cycling.
And only a few weeks ago, at the age of 51, Decker won the Mt Gambier 100 mile Classic handicap race.
The former professional rider had been trying to snare the event since he was a teenager. Decker was only 13 when his father was killed in a motorcycle accident on a stretch of road in country South Australia used for the race.
Decker used the win as an example to his riders of what persistence can bring.
"It means not quite the world, because my family means the world to me. But this is such a big moment for these boys and they deserve it," Decker said, his voice catching.
"I knew they were good. All this time I've been saying 'you have to believe in yourselves'.
"I never told them to get confident, I just told them to build belief. Then they get confidence from actual performance."
And now, the future beckons.
"The next focus has to be Brisbane (in 2032), doesn't it. Winning at the home Games, that's the ultimate goal," he said.
