Today I was in the presence of the Great One, Mohammad Ali! I waited for his cavalcade while on my bike and got a wonderful wave from him — just for me! This evening I went to the track to see the Olympic sprint and women’s qualifying rounds of the pursuit. I watched Leontien Van Moorsel, in red lipstick, break the world record.

Today I went to see the road race course — my event. The course is not the cakewalk people have suggested, at least not for me. It has two very technical descents, which are not my forte!

This evening I saw women’s gymnastics, a former sport of mine — something I’ve wanted to see my whole life.

Today was a rest day — I trained for only an hour. I went into Sydney for some sightseeing. The most-asked question: "Which part of Ireland are you from?" Best response: "New York City." Second most-asked question: "What are your chances?" (Haven’t come up with a clever one for that.) Stupidest question: "Do you do much trainin’?"

I saw all 240 laps of the Madison [track cycling]. The Aussies rode a near-perfect race. It is wonderful to watch a sport in its entirety without any commentating!

Living in the village is like participating in a treasure hunt. Every day I find some new great free swag. One goody is a Coca-Cola token. It allows you to get free stuff at some of the vending machines.

I got to see Marion Jones run this evening, but I may not achieve my goal of meeting her here.

Photo courtesy cyclingnews.com