World champion cyclist Alison Shanks returned from Poland in April looking forward to a well-deserved break - a glass of red wine, coffee with friends and the odd sleep in.
You know, regular things most of us take for granted.
But her stunning ride in the women's 3000m individual pursuit ensured she was in hot demand back home.
Everybody wanted to hear her story.
And the holiday? Well, she simply switched gruelling training sessions on the bike and in the gym for speaking engagements, media commit-ments, promotional events and meeting potential sponsors.
"My holiday?" she said, chuckling ironically.
"It's been nice to be home but I wouldn't call it a holiday.
"I've been flat stick over the last couple of months."
While she did have "a good six weeks off the bike", most of her spare time was spent on brand Shanks.
"It's not the official name but, yeah, I've been getting the profile out there.
"It is all part of it now.
"It is a business, essentially.
"That's how you make your living, through the endorsements and stuff.
"So I have spent a good couple of months seeking out opportunities.
"It is a pretty tough economic environment but, if you've got the right product, you can find the right relationships out there," she added, sounding every bit like the marketing graduate she is.
Shanks' story never gets dull in its retelling.
A talented sportswoman, Shanks opted to give up her beloved basketball to concentrate on her netball aspirations.
She was speedy, fit and a versatile player, and was selected in the New Zealand A side but her career stalled in 2005.
She made just two appearances for the Otago Rebels that year, both off the bench.
Watching the likes of Debbie White, Phillipa Duncan and Frances Jackways get the starting bibs was frustrating, but when Shanks was dropped from the Otago national netball championship team, she decided to try her hand elsewhere, first at running and then cycling.
Her potential was immediately obvious.
She finished third in the national time trial and seventh in the national road race, and has not looked back.
Outside of Otago, most learned of her potential when she placed fourth at the Beijing Olympics in China last year but her win in Poland really thrust her into the national spotlight.
"The response has been great, especially locally.
"The number of random people who come up to me and congratulate me, and just want to be a part of it is really cool."
The 26-year-old beat Britain's Wendy Houvenaghel by more than two seconds in a personal best time of 3min 29.807sec.
Breaking the 3min 30sec barrier was almost as important to Shanks as the title.
The more she can shave off her best time, the closer she will get to her ultimate goal of winning a gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Shanks flies to California tomorrow for a three-week road-racing stint.
From there it is on to Colorado and altitude training.
She hopes that will set her up for the road world championships in Switzerland in September.
