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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Netherlands National Round, Netherlands, April 30, 2004

Bad throat turns into big win

Things have started well... not! I got a bad throat on Thursday, which turned into a runny nose as well. Great! I've got the flu. No time for excuses, there's Olympic selection on the line. A reasonably flat, non-technical course, very much a criterium circuit. First thoughts were: this will be great, I can just sit on, easy race. Plan went out the window after four pedal strokes, the pace was on from the gun. A three-man break formed, with Chris Jongewaard, a Merida guy and myself. We got caught halfway by a group of six. I hung on until the final lap with four riders remaining. Attacks were going out of every corner. I had a go on the final climb to ride away for the win. Chris was third.