For Paralympic star Sarah Storey it seems that the core people surrounding her are the most important influences in her success.

The 34-year-old, who is married to Barney Storey - Team GB's able-bodied pilot on the front of the tandem with a visually-impaired rider on the back - says her plans are well on track for the 2012 Games.

She told Sky Sports: "Everything is going good, we find out selection in June so at the moment we are just putting in a lot of hard work.

"Basically this is the time we can affect our performance in the summer; bank that hard work now, spend on that investment at the Games. So it's lots of hours on the bike and lots of racing to come, hopefully fine-tune the form in August and bang- off we go!"

Champion

Storey is targeting four events at this year's Paralympics - the 3,000m individual pursuit, 500m time trial, the road race as well as the road time trial.

"I am world champion in those four events and have been for the last three years so it is a lot of expectation.

"The way that I manage that is ultimately helped by the people supporting me-my core group of people," she added.

She explains that it is this 'Circle of five' concept that has helped her to get where she is now.

"The idea is in order to have success in whatever it is that you're doing, these five people will have supported you in order to do that.

"My family are my five; they are right there behind me. From my husband who sorts out the bikes, my brother who is just completely mad and keeps my feet on the ground, my sister who is a swimmer herself, and my mum and dad who have followed me around the world. I couldn't wish for a better group of people to be the stalwarts of my career.

"It's not about me being an athlete at home; it's about me being Sarah. Sport is fantastic and we all want to be as successful as we can be but it's not a life or death situation and it's important for everyone to keep it in perspective."

The former international swimmer, who only switched to cycling in 2005, was only 14-years-old when she won her first two Paralympic gold medals, along with three silvers and a bronze, at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Yet for the British star, winning at such a young age felt perfectly normal and was part of the life plan.

"For me it just felt really normal," she added.

"I had always wanted to go to the Games and I had said to my mum when I was six, 'I am going to go in 1992.'"

Downside

However, despite her success, there were downsides to being a star before most of her peers had even got their GCSE's.

She continued: "What happened when I came home and went back to school was that typically young people find it difficult to relate to somebody who is different. In my case the girls at school found it difficult to understand why I was training so much and not going to the cinema or to sleepovers and arriving at school with wet hair from swimming.

"So I suffered with bullying through the final two years of high school and went to do my A-Levels at a college just to get away from it really.

"But ultimately what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

It is this positive mental attitude that sees Storey train between six-10 days a week with one rest day. She can spend up to six hours on the bike depending on intensity and is currently using the altitude chamber at Manchester Metropolitan University, to try to increase her red blood cells without having to go into the Alps for training.

The experienced professional reveals her excitement for 2012 yet also says that it will be after the event that the true celebrations will really happen.

"I am excited about competing at a home Games, it is the most amazing opportunity. But I don't think we will fully understand how amazing and how brilliant until after the Games.

"At the moment the emotion has to be kept on hold. That is why you see the outpour of emotion on the faces and in the actions of athletes when they win- the have spent so many months pent up and having to focus then they can finally show their emotions."

Sarah Storey is supporting Links of London's 'Circle of 5' campaign by giving her five key support team a team GB band. To gift your 'Circle of 5' go to: http://www.linksoflondon.com/2012.