South Australia's Tour Down Under hope Rohan Dennis began sporting success in the pool

VALE Park's Rohan Dennis has made his name on the road as one of Australia's top young cyclists, but he began his rise to success in the swimming pool.

From the pool to TDU for SA hope

VALE Park's Rohan Dennis has made his name on the road as one of Australia's top young cyclists.

But the 23-year-old Garmin Sharp rider - one of the favourites ahead of next week's Tour Down Under - actually began his rise to success in the pool.

Years before Dennis won a silver medal at the London Olympics and rode the Tour de France, he was training six days a week for Elizabeth or Norwood swimming clubs and a one-time teammate of Paralympic champion Matt Cowdrey.

Dennis competed in breaststroke and individual medley at national championships during his early teens, and also claimed a handful of medals at state titles.

His former Norwood Swimming Club mentor Peter Bishop says Dennis's drive to succeed is nothing new, having quickly showed potential to become an elite athlete.

"He was always someone who was very competitive and hated to lose," says Bishop, who coached Dennis from ages 12 to 15.

"He was someone who always had a smile on his face and liked to joke around but he wasn't afraid of hard work.

"He had those competitive instincts in him all the time."

Dennis, who grew up in Salisbury Heights, first took to the pool at Golden Grove State Swim and was in the same training group as Cowdrey.

From there Dennis joined Elizabeth Aquatics Club and then Norwood, where he again swam alongside the 13-time Paralympic gold medallist.

The former Blackfriars Priory School student's path changed at 15 when he came home with a letter from the South Australian Sports Institute's talent identification program telling him he could one day be an elite cyclist.

"He was doing swimming and cycling for a while but then his cycling improved out of sight so he decided to take that up full time," says Bishop, now coaching Marion Swimming Club.

"I've been following him ever since.

"I go out and watch him race and he has come down to the pool to catch up and say 'hello'."

In a dream rookie season on the UCI World Tour last year, Dennis won the Tour of Alberta, rode the Tour de France and was named best young rider at the Criterium du Dauphine.

"He's done very well," Bishop says.