Hero Cassidy remembers living his Olympic dream

THIS is the story of a young man who lived the dream. Who got the chance to rub shoulders with the elite, to compete against the world"s best in the biggest sporting extravaganza on the planet. When the Beijing Olympics get underway in two weeks Philip Cassidy could be forgiven for thinking back to the days when he took part in not one but TWO Olympic Games - Los Angeles in '84 and Seoul four years later. Cassidy had worked hard to get selected for the Irish Olympic cycling teams, putting in countless training hours, sacrificing holidays and time with his family to get himself onto the same stage as the world"s best. He never enjoyed the experience of standing on the winners" podium as the national anthem echoed around a vast stadium, the tricolour fluttering in the breeze. There was little glory on the biggest stage yet his achievement in making it to two Olympic Games is a lesson in what can be achieved when a sportsman is focused and willing to put in the effort. Not only had Cassidy the fire in the belly to aim for the stars he also had the technique and power. On the good days when the all the elements were mingled together he often produced the chemistry needed to sparkle. At other levels Cassidy, whose son Mark is a professional based on the continent, enjoyed plenty of success in a long career. Cycling in the colours of Navan Road Club Philip twice won the Ras na hEireann, in 1983 and 1999. He raced on the continent and represented his country on many occasions. Selection for the Olympics was based on the performances in the lead-up to the Games and Cassidy"s consistency ensured he achieved the relatively rare feat of twice getting the call up. When needed he was ready and willing to answer Ireland"s call - twice. In Los Angeles Cassidy made up the Irish team along with Paul Kimmage, Gary Thompson, Martin Earley and Seamus Downing. Four years later the Meathman was joined by Paul McCormack, Stephen Spratt, Cormac McCann and John McQuaid. Cassidy"s strength was in the time trials, a hugely demanding discipline where riders are required to cycle at their maximum for up to two hours. He had the stamina and what he terms 'an ability to suffer' for the discipline. While he revelled in the time-trials he would have loved a chance to take part in the road races however, in both Los Angeles and Seoul he was not selected. Even to this day that casts a shadow over his Olympic experiences. Cassidy was a true Olympian in that he was an amateur who took part for the honour of his country. He practically lived the life of a professional, he just didn"t get any money for his efforts. If anything it cost him financially. By the time Seoul came around Cassidy had opened the Cycleways shop in Dublin along with Paul Connaughton, another Ras winner. Setting up and running the business demanded huge chunks of Cassidy"s time yet he still ensured the cycling was not neglected. It took a big commitment and social life was practically non-existent. He doesn"t envy or begrudge the grants and the high-tech equipment available to those athletes who will be representing Ireland in China in two weeks time. There were some very good people involved with Irish Olympic teams 20 years ago yet looking back now there is the niggling feeling of regret that with a more 'professional" approach the Irish could have done better in both Los Angles and Seoul. If he could do it all again he would make an even greater effort to maximise his performance. 'When I went to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles I probably didn"t realise the magnitude of the occasion, I was more geared towards trying to be a professional cyclists and as regards the Olympic Games I had a very 'by the way" approach to things,' he said last week. 'In hindsight if I had made a bigger effort and had given myself a better chance to get into race condition, with the team generally, we might have done better. The same applies now with the young athletes. They don"t realise how lucky they are to be in that position and it"s not through any fault of their own.' He tells the story of leaving a recession-hit Ireland in the 1980s and been struck by the difference in the type of equipment available to Irish teams and what was on offer to some of their wealthier opponents. 'In Los Angeles we were probably the only team that didn"t have specialist equipment, we just had the ordinary road machine. All the bigger nations had the fancy bikes, the best technology while we rode our bog-standard racing bikes that we used every Sunday,' he recalled. 'We just went out with the resources we had and did the best we could and it turned out we did a good job in the end considering what we were up against.' The one lingering memory he has of the Games is the pain of taking part in the time-trials, often in searing heat when only a desire not to let his team-mates down preventing him from packing it in. Yet the Olympics wasn"t just about the cycling. Cassidy recalls the time spent playing cards with the British team in the Olympic village who were his neighbours. He often found himself sitting around a table with the likes of Daley Thompson and Seb Coe, who were superstars at the time. A few hours later they were out on the arena using their rare talents in search of gold. He recalls chatting briefly to Ben Johnson the night the Canadian controversially defeated Carl Lewis and created a new world record in the sprint. He found Johnson amiable. A few days later the Canadian was revealed to be a cheat, his searing pace fuelled by steroids. While Cassidy didn"t come close to winning an Olympic medal he showed he had the dedication and the desire to make it to the biggest stage. In just achieving what he did he arguably fulfilled the Olympic dream and made the most of his talent. The local hero who made it onto the biggest stage of all. There"s a lesson there for all of us.