Four years. That's about the length of time it takes to turn from a cycling rookie into a grizzled veteran.
Not that Alison Shanks, New Zealand's queen on two wheels, would appreciate being called grizzled.
But four years ago, she certainly was a rookie. Shanks had barely got on a bike after deciding to quit netball when she was selected in the New Zealand team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. She finished fourth in the 3000m individual pursuit on the track, and seventh in the road time trial, in what was her first major international event.
"I was so new to the sport back then. I could count on one hand the number of individual pursuits I had done," Shanks told the Otago Daily Times this week in an email from her base in the United States.
"It was an amazing experience being in the athlete village, and being part of a wider New Zealand team - not just the cyclists. There is always such a strong team buzz and support between the Kiwis."
Two years later, Shanks was an Olympian. She finished fourth in the pursuit in Beijing. And a year after that, she stunned herself and her country and all of cycling when she produced the ride of her life to win the world title in Poland.
Oh, and followed it up by leading the New Zealand women's team to a silver medal.
It has all happened so fast. Even Shanks says she sometimes needs to remind herself not to lose focus when she lines up on the track.
"At times it can be overawing but I always remember that, if you strip all the fluff and extras back, it's still just a 250m velodrome and 12 laps of strength and pain.
"Sometimes it's important to keep things as simple as possible when there is so much external stuff going on."
Shanks will ride her specialist individual pursuit on the track in Delhi, and a few days later she will give the road time trial a crack.
There is no women's team pursuit, which is a pity considering Shanks and her team-mates set a world record in March.
Because she hasn't seen the full start lists, she is reluctant to predict how highly she will be ranked in her events. But with powerful cycling nations such as Australia, England and Canada involved, she believes the fields will be strong.
Shanks was disappointed to finish fourth in the individual pursuit at the world championships in Denmark at the start of the year. But otherwise her form has been good.
She won a World Cup title in Beijing, set a New Zealand record at the national championships, and helped the New Zealand pursuit team win bronze at the world championships. It is the biggest squad - 26 - New Zealand has sent to a Commonwealth Games.
Shanks said there had never been a better time to be in the national squad. "We have a very professional team structure that has been established to give us all the best training environment to enable us to compete to our best on race day.
"The competition for places in the team has also enhanced the overall programme, as we are continually being pushed to perform.
"I think cycling in New Zealand is booming. It's a truly unique sport in the sense that anyone can get on a bike and ride together for fun, fitness, racing or recreation."
Shanks and other members of the national squad have been based on the east coast of the United States, in the small university town of Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
"The students are on summer holidays, the apartments are vacant and the cyclists have taken over," she said.
"The training is great with rolling country roads right on our doorstep. There is also an outdoor concrete track just 20min down the road in Trexlertown.
"Everything is falling into place nicely. We have a great team environment here and you can't help but get fit with all the rolling roads and warm temperatures."
Shanks is confident Delhi will get its act together to host the Games successfully, and she has faith the New Zealand support staff will ensure there are no security issues.
She will soon join the full New Zealand squad for a month of intensive training in France before the Games begin.
Games profile: Alison Shanks
Age: 27
Sport: Cycling
Venue: IG Sports Complex, Noida Highway Express Rd
Schedule: track events, October 5-8; road time trial, October 13
