Photo: © Mikkeli Godfree

Tassie devil: The Sid Taberlay diary 2004

24 year-old Tasmanian Sid Taberlay is a man on a mission. The current Australian and Oceania mountain bike champion, Sid is, like so many athletes this year, striving for a berth at the Athens Olympics Games. But his never-say-die attitude, down-to-earth deameanour and a desert-dry sense of humour - not forgetting a bloody big motor! - puts Sid in the best position possible to realise a life-long dream.

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Athens, Thursday, August 12

In Like Flynn

An early morning start: 4am, to travel to the airport. After a two-hour flight from Italy, we were in Athens. On arrival, we were greated by Olympic officials who took care of accreditation and guided exit. On the way to the village we made a small detour via the clothing fitout. We lined up after the basketball team; the wait dragged on for a while but it's worth it when you get your own personal wardrobe team fitting you out. Next, off to the village.

After having my bike bag ripped apart from security, we were in. The whole Australian team is staying in the same area; we have an eight-person room, sharing with the triathletes. In the afternoon, we ventured out on the bike, a little spin. Roads out the back are very quiet and lead straight up the mountain, fantastic training. One hour later, we are back for dinner. The dining hall is massive, with basically all the food groups. I've had to restrain myself from the dessert section for now.