SYDNEY—US President George W Bush got out of his motorcade and onto a mountain bike in Sydney's north this afternoon, a US Embassy official says.
The president took advantage of a break in his schedule of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of this week's APEC conference to indulge his passion for mountain biking.
"I can confirm he went mountain bike riding this afternoon," a US Embassy official told AAP.
The official could not confirm exactly where the president went cycling, but callers to talkback radio said his impressive motorcade had been spotted near the St Ives showground this afternoon.
A spokesman for Ku-ring-gai council, which controls the showground, said the president was not expected at their facilities today.
However, the showground is surrounded by the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, through which there are numerous bushland trails understood to be popular with mountain bikers.
Comment was being sought from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The fit-looking Mr Bush is a keen mountain biker, and likes to get around his Texas ranch on two wheels.
But sometimes things don't always go to plan.
Escapades reported by the US press include an over-the-handlebars crash at his ranch and a wet-pavement wipeout in Scotland that injured a pedestrian policeman.
Earlier today, Mr Bush took a harbour cruise and lunched with Australian troops following a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister John Howard.
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