But although one of the disciplines he contested in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 represented his sporting career to that point, the other was already being lined up as his future.

Bowden was selected in the Australian mountain bike team on the back of Australian and Oceania under-23 titles, a national series crown and three world championship campaigns.

However, it was supporting fellow Tasmanian Richie Porte’s ill-fated attempt to win on bitumen that signalled his road ahead.

More than two years later, Bowden’s progress was highlighted by a sixth-place finish at January’s road national championships and he reveals some startling contrasts in the factors behind his cycling transition.

“I want to be racing professionally in Europe and to do that on a mountain bike is almost an unrealistic goal for an Australian, but on the road you can make a living out of it,” he said.

“Around 2015 I thought about focusing on the road but realised it was a realistic goal to aim for the Olympic Games on the mountain bike.

“They are really fond memories but I had so many frustrating times mountain biking that part of me is glad that’s done now.

“They were experiences that were good to have but it probably made the move to road easier because anything that might have been a challenge is not now compared to some of the challenges I had in mountain biking.

“I still love riding my mountain bike but there’s no real support or pathway so it’s easier to step away from that.

“I never got a massage or had someone make my drink or organise my entry to races or flights, I did everything myself. At 18 years of age I was a travel agent figuring out how to get across Europe for a race.

“If I was still mountain biking I would be targeting Tokyo, but that’s not really my goal now on the road.

“If I stop cycling at the elite level I would ride my mountain bike more, but in terms of goals, they’re all on the road bike.”

After beginning his transition with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and showing immediate results with a victory in the 2016 Ulverstone Criterium, Bowden turned to the man who also launched the careers of Tasmanian WorldTour trio Porte, Will Clarke and Nathan Earle.

Andrew Christie-Johnston recruited the former Rosetta Primary, St Virgil’s and Guilford Young student to his Hobart-based Continental team and will continue that mentoring role at Team BridgeLane this season.

Bowden said he owes his success to a man universally known by three initials whose production line of WorldTour cyclists has reached double figures.

“I am just so grateful to have spent two years under ACJ. What I learned in those two years I could have spent six or eight years on another team and not picked that up.

“When you get big results that’s when you become grateful because so much is owed to him and that’s the biggest way you can repay it.”

A summer spent amassing kilometres and altitude around the backroads of Collinsvale, New Norfolk and Molesworth also saw the Rosetta resident join Porte and Clarke to set a highly-coveted new Strava record for the Scottsdale loop.

The eye-catching sixth place at nationals in Ballarat was followed by 15th in the five-stage New Zealand Cycle Classic while Bowden’s next commitment will see him reunited with regular training partner Earle at the Tour of Taiwan on March 17.

“I did that last year, it was the first big race I had done with the team because in 2017 I did not race much because I was injured.

“So I get to go back there knowing some of the stages and that the run-ins to the finish suit me quite well. I’ll be going with high ambitions and the team is sending a strong group of guys.”

Beyond that, Bowden’s schedule with BridgeLane is not fixed, although there’s plenty on his wishlist as he heads to Europe.

“I’d love to do the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc (French stage race).

"I was supposed to do it last year but I crashed, so would really like to go back to that and also do two or three tours in Europe and maybe the Tour of Japan on the way over.

“There are so many races I follow that I dream of taking part in.

"The most obvious would be the Grand Tours but also the classics like Strade Bianche, a one-day race in Italy with about 60km of gravel riding. Coming from a mountain bike background, that would be great.

“To be on a Pro Continental or WorldTour team, that next level up is 100 per cent my main goal, but that’s usually a by-product of ticking off other results to get there.”

Beyond cycling, Bowden has explored studying biotechnology research and physiotherapy and is also interested in paramedics, but said he has more cycling boxes to tick off first.

“It does not unsettle me too much chasing this dream because I’m confident that if I set my mind to something I can go and do it. And when I do, I will be able to apply myself with the same dedication as I do for cycling.”

As for his experiences in the global spotlight in Brazil’s carnival city, Bowden believes they will prove more valuable than a 36th place (mountain biking) and DNF (road race) might suggest.

“Rio is starting to feel like a while ago,” he said.

“To be able to do something like that so young sets you up for other big races and all the bells and whistles that come along with such a big event, that’s something I’ll never forget.”