Illawarra triathlete Mark Scott is fighting for his life after being critically injured in a bike accident on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Tarrawanna man is on life support in Wollongong Hospital with severe head injuries after his bike and a car collided at Primbee.
A hospital spokeswoman said Mark remained in a critical condition this afternoon.
He was on a two-hour training run with his triathlete father Bob when the accident occurred at 8am.
CLICK HERE TO ADD A COMMENT SENDING YOUR BEST WISHES TO MARK AND HIS FAMILYBob said the two had cycled to West Dapto and were returning north, side by side on the outside lane on the Primbee deviation, near Port Kembla Golf Course.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, I don't know how to put it, I was with him," Bob said.
"He was right beside me. It's just incredible. I looked beside me and he wasn't there. I looked up and he was cartwheeling through the air."
A school teacher trained in emergency first aid, Bob came to his son's assistance with the help of a nurse who lived nearby.
"He landed in a recovery position so we tried to stabilise him, get his breathing right. The emergency services were there very, very quickly. They were amazing.
"He's in emergency care on life support. It's just a waiting game at the moment. It's a head injury. It's very serious. It's not good at this stage.
"We won't know the situation until he comes out and they're keeping him heavily sedated so that his brain doesn't have to do too much work.
"But he's strong. Because of his level of fitness, his health and his age, they're doing their best."
Mark has an 11-month-old son, Oscar. His wife of two years, Lauren, has kept a bedside vigil since the accident, alongside his mother Sue and sister Anna.
A trained physical education teacher and manager of University of Wollongong Aquatic Centre, Mark has competed in at least four Australian ironman triathlete competitions - a gruelling event with a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run.
He also manages Scott Endurance, coaching others in the sport and was preparing four triathletes for the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in September.
Mark won the inaugural Bulli Burn Fun Run on May 29 and is a long-time member of the Illawarra Triathlon Club.
Bob, of Balgownie, said his son had just returned from an ironman event in Cairns, which had doubled as a holiday with his young family.
"He was out on a recovery ride when the accident happened," Bob said.
"He's just a lovely, lovely person. He's never had a bad word for anybody, he's just a beautiful person. He's just got so much support from people from all parts of the community.
"We've had people ringing from Spain."
Illawarra Triathlon Club president Carolyn Dews said Mark was a well-liked person whose accident had saddened fellow members of the club.
"Mark has contributed a great deal to the sport of triathlon.
"He started as a junior athlete and quickly progressed to the elite ranks," she said.
"He has also taken on active roles in the development of the sport in NSW and particularly in the coaching of junior and adult athletes.
"The Illawarra Triathlon Club are thinking of Mark and his family during this time and hope he makes a good recovery."
The vehicle involved in the accident was being driven by a 50-year-old Shell Cove man.
He and his 11-year-old female passenger escaped injury.
Triathlete Jessica Simpson was seriously injured during a training run on the same stretch of roadway in September 2009, but she has since returned to elite competition.
Officers attached to the Southern Region Crash Investigation Unit are appealing for anyone with information about the collision, or the events leading up to it, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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