For over two decades, Philip Cassidy has been one of the most successful riders competing in Ireland. He won two Rásanna, taking the second victory in 1999 at 37 years of age. In addition the Meathman has netted national titles in several disciplines, as well as wins in races such as the Tour of Ulster, Tour of the North and many other Irish events.

Cassidy also rode strongly abroad, competing in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, winning the 1988 Archer Grand Prix and representing Ireland on may occasions.

A vastly experienced rider, Cassidy is also known for his considerable strength. He can often be seen grinding the kind of gear which might cause a lesser rider’s kneecaps to detach and ricochet around the peloton. And while he is now 44 years of age, he still has ambitions in the sport, with a stage win in the Tour of Ulster on his wish-list for 2006. He is also considering a ride in the world master’s championships at some point, although he stresses that he’d need to be near peak form to be able to do well there.

Shane Stokes spoke to Cassidy at the launch of the MyHome.ie/Cycleways squad this week, asking him about the team’s goals for 2006 and his own ambitions.


SS: How did the new backing come about?

Philip Cassidy: It was through Aidan Crowley, he is a manager here with MyHome.ie and he put it to the managing director Jim Miley. It just happened that one day they got to talking about cycling and Aidan asked if the company would be interested in getting involved with the team. They were, because it is a good awareness for MyHome. Cycling clothing is very brand friendly, it will promote their company and their web site quite well.

So that is what happened, they took it on for a year to see how it will develop. If everybody is happy for next year then we will go again with it. It is up to us to prove that it is a good medium for them.

SS: What is the team targeting this season?

PC: Well, the main goals are again the stage races – Munster, Ulster, the Rás and the national championships. The Rás and the national championships are the most important ones. A stage win and the team prize in the Rás are targets; a stage win is the first priority, for sure.

SS: Have you come up with the likely guys for the Rás team yet?

PC: No, we haven’t really yet. Eugene [Moriarty] is probably the only one that I can say is definitely riding, his performances in recent years have been very good. He has never let us down, he has always been there or thereabouts. He has just been unlucky, he is just one notch away from a stage win. It is not even a notch, in fact, it is just down to luck. Being in the right place at the right time. I would see Eugene as been the main man and the team leader for the race, and everything after that will be based around him.

SS: What about your own position – are you sticking by your vow not to ride the Rás this year?

PC: Yes, I am definitely not going to ride. I would love to, I know I am going to miss it. Even at the moment, I am not riding too badly and I haven’t been training, just ticking over and keeping myself in reasonable shape, I am probably doing a quarter of the training that I have done for the last two or three years. It is difficult to motivate myself to train hard and put the commitment in when I am not targeting something as big as the Rás. If I had made my mind up to ride it, I would have put the effort in and I probably would have gone okay. But where do you stop?

SS: So do you still have things that you want to achieve in the sport, other ambitions?

PC: Yes, there is. There are loads of things, just to win races whenever I can. I still enjoy trying to be competitive. This year, for the first time, I have taken the option of riding the handicaps [as a veteran] early in the year, when I wasn’t fit. Sunday [in Stamullen] was the first time that I started with the As and I still wasn’t fit enough to really race in it. I was sitting in groups and not contributing. I want to get away from that, if I can’t get away from that I will probably stop altogether. That is not my style.

My ambition after Munster is to be in good enough condition to have a good Tour of Ulster. Maybe to go for a stage in the Tour of Ulster; I won one two years ago and I went close last year, so there is a possibility there. That would be a highlight for me. Other than that, just to support the lads in the Sunday races and to try to do well when I can.

SS: As a former international, can you ride the World Master’s Championships?

PC: I can, yes. A couple of people have approached me about doing the various Masters Championships. I really have no plans at the moment, it depends on how things go after June or July. I will make a judgement then, based on how the season has gone up to that point. If I felt that I could do myself justice, then I might consider doing something.

There was some talk about the track in Manchester, so we will see. To be realistic, you need to be in top shape for these events. You nearly want to be in the shape that you would ride the Rás in to be competitive in those events. The only advantage is that this year, I qualify for the 45 to 50 year olds, so I would be a young masters in the category. So that might lend itself to an opportunity to do something, if I was in the right condition.

But, if you look at how strong Malcolm Elliott is, he is three or four months older than me. Okay, I know Malcolm is probably an exception, but there is probably other people close to his standard who I would be up against. So you have to take it seriously.