Sid Taberlay

Sid Taberlay hails from Hobart, Tasmania and grew from a talented local junior into one of Australia’s most accomplished mountain bike riders. A natural on technical terrain, he combined strength, precision and an instinctive feel for the trails that made him a stand-out from an early age. By his early twenties, Taberlay had captured multiple Australian national titles across the under-23 and elite cross-country categories, establishing himself as one of the country’s leading mountain bikers.

International recognition soon followed. Taberlay represented Australia at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and finished sixth in the cross-country event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He also competed at numerous world championships and world cup events. During his professional career he raced with international teams in Europe and the United States, where his professionalism, consistency and sportsmanship earned him wide respect.

“Two races come to mind, as they were results above what I was expecting at the time,” Siberlay said when asked about career highlights.

“Winning the 2002 elite national champs. The goal was to defend the U23 win from 2001 - I came away winning both U23 and elite. I believe this was the first time an U23 had won the elite national champs. 

“And first top 10 finish in a World Cup, 2004 Madrid, Spain, with the fastest lap of the day, the result securing selection for Athens Olympics.”

Taberlay’s career was marked not only by podiums but by perseverance, from elite competition to an encounter with a wild bear during a training ride the US.  

“I T-boned a bear in North America on my road bike. It's a story that grew legs with Americans having this vision from Paul Hogan and Steve Irwin that Aussies tackle extreme wildlife, so it was fitting that an Aussie didn't give an inch against a bear,” he recalled.

“In reality, it was a freak accident. I came round a blind corner on my road bike - 60km/h - with a bear in the middle of the road. It was like having a parked car across the middle of the road. I had no way of avoiding the bear and went straight into it, flying over its back, and lived to tell the tale.”

After years of international racing, Taberlay returned to Tasmania, where he remains an influential figure in the cycling community. His success helped inspire a new generation of Australian riders and demonstrated that athletes from a small island state could compete with the world’s best.

“It's a privilege to have my journey and story recognised.  I never had the goal of representing my country as a kid. It wasn't until post-school - and I started doing some serious road kilometres - that the national level MTB results came,” Taberlay said.

“I look at the riding adventure I had across the world as a big kid that loved riding and racing my bike, with a desire to always improve. None of what I achieved would have happened if it wasn't for all those that inspired, motivated and assisted along the way. As much as it's my name being mentioned here, I see this honour as also recognising everyone that was part of my journey.”