Rohan Dennis wears his heart on his sleeve and patriotism on his back in a bid for Rio time trial gold

AUSTRALIAN cyclist Rohan Dennis has our coat of arms and a pitbull inked on his body. Proud, hungry, passionate and determined: they sum him up perfectly.

Cyclist Rohan Dennis proudly sports a tattoo of the Australian Coat of Arms. Picture Sarah Reed.

Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis wears his heart on his sleeve and carries his country on his back.

The time trial specialist, who rides professionally for BMC in the World Tour, had the Australian coat of arms tattooed across his back in September 2010, before the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

“I basically got it because I made my first senior road national team. You could say a bit of national pride was definitely part of the motivation,” Dennis said.

“I’ve only got one other tattoo and I think my parents are pretty happy about that. I’ve got a pitbull/staffy on my right shoulder. At 18 I wanted a tattoo — saw the pitbull being walked by an evil clown and I asked if I could just get the dog and the guy said no problems.”

The coat of arms and a pitbull go a long way towards describing Dennis on a bike. Proud, passionate, hungry and determined as hell.

Last year Dennis wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France when he won the opening stage time trial, and he is using this month’s Tour as part of his preparation for a tilt at Olympic gold in the time trial in Rio.

The 25-year-old former Tour Down Under champion said he loved the all-or-nothing approach to the Games.

“Whatever happens at the Olympics you can’t just say, ‘OK let’s plan for next year’. It’s four years until you get your next shot or are able to defend your title,” Dennis said. “So you have to throw everything at it and if you win you know you’ve truly earned it.”

Dennis knows all too well the feeling of having to wait four years for Olympic redemption. In 2012 he was still primarily a track cyclist and went to London as part of the team pursuit that won silver behind Great Britain in world record time.

Dennis may now be on the road full-time and targeting the individual time trial in Rio, but he said the pain of finishing second in London had been a driving force this time around.

“Yes, 100 per cent,” he said.

“It might sound stupid but it was disappointing to walk away with the silver medal in London and I don’t want that same feeling again in Rio.”

Originally published as Rohan Dennis wears his heart on his sleeve and patriotism on his back in a bid for Rio time trial gold