(CNN)Had it not been for a neighbor, the greatest mountain-bike rider of all time might still now remain undiscovered.
But 21 years on from a Sunday morning ride with a cycling enthusiast living next door, now is the beginning of the end to the remarkable career of Julien Absalon.
The only rider in history to win five world cross-country crowns, he also boasts two Olympic titlesand could have had a third at London 2012 had it not been for a puncture.
Olympic gold number three remains the target: Rio de Janeiro in seven months' time is earmarked as the swansong of the sport's greatest exponent.
"It will be the last challenge of my career," he tells CNN's Human to Hero series. "I will stop after that, so the goal is to have a third gold medal."
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