Kate Bates on the way back

A world champion, dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist, multiple Australian champ - Bates says she never faced many challenges.

Until she suffered a serious hip injury from a road cycling crash in 2009 and was told by a surgeon she may never race again.

The 28-year-old defied that prognosis and on Wednesday will race again, at the Oceania Championships in Adelaide, her first track races since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Getting to this point for me has been the hard work," Bates said.

"There has been a lot of doubt along the way and a lot of questioning whether I would even get to the point where I was wearing a national team jersey again."

Bates said the career threatening injury forced a "growing process".

"I feel like a completely different athlete than my time before," she said.

"It is a bit of a reincarnation for me attitude-wise and even the kind of athlete I am.

"Up to Beijing ... I was very blessed, everything came very  easily. I definitely worked hard but I didn't face that many challenges along the way.

"Without even realising it, I think I had been on auto-pilot for a lot of years, cycling is just what I did and I took it very much for granted.

"What it (injury) really taught me was how much I love the sport and what I really want out of it."

What Bates really wants is a spot on Australia's teams pursuit team at the 2012 London Olympics.

"With this little comeback, I can honestly say that no matter what happens results-wise, I'm here for different reasons now," she said.

"I'm here because I love it and I want to see what I'm capable of and how far I can push it.

"It's not about standing on the top of the podium any more, as cliched as it sounds, it's very much about the process of getting there.

"I won't lie, I'm looking for London and I have got a firm eye on that for two reasons.

"One, I truly believe that if I'm back to where I have been and what I'm capable of, I will be able to make that team.

"And, secondly, because looking back at all my career, of all the things I have achieved and the goals that I had, the Olympics is still a little bit of a hole for me.

"I have got a fourth, a sixth and a seventh, and geez I'd love to improve on that."