Atlanta, GA - Nathan O'Neill of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis had a very good reason to politely decline an invitation to contest the world time trial championship for Australia in Salzburg, Austria this weekend.

Nathan and his wife Karen became first-time parents when they welcomed 10lb 1oz Lydia Elaine O'Neill into the world this past Sunday at 9:44 p.m. ET, at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

"I thought I was prepared for the moment for when she was born, but in truth, I wasn't," the 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and seven-time Australian National Time Trial Champion said. "There's just no way for anyone to prepare you for that moment and for how it feels. It was just the most incredible thing I have ever experienced."

Both Karen and baby Lydia are doing well.