Former national cyclist Michael Phillips says almost seven years after bowing to pressure and consequently relinquishing his post of president of the T&T Cycling Federation, he was proud he did not abandon efforts to progress the sport.
He found his post competition calling as a promoter of cycling events which today served the continued development of athletes and ultimately the fraternity.
Speaking on the topic of service at Rigtech Sonics Cycle Club end of year function held at Petrotrin Sports Club in Point-a-Pierre, he said, "There are three former presidents and one serving here. Two were voted out and one resigned under pressure. Guy who resigned? That one is me. But you re-access yourself. You re-access where you are best needed and the contribution that you can make to carry this sport forward. And there will always be change. And there is supposed to be evolution."
He told young cyclists that being of service could honourable, but dispelled illusions about this characteristic declaring it could be both "difficult and thank less."
Even so, Phillips said being of service came with the opportunity to develop one's self and become someone that could make a difference within a community, household, classroom or club.
He lauded Rigtech Sonics for being of tremendous service to the community of San Fernando.
Phillips credited fellow national cyclist Elijah Greene and assistant coach of Rigtech Sonics for inspiring him to chart this course many years ago. "At about 27 years old, Elijah, Ako Kellar and myself�we had just won a medal at the Pan American Championships (in Colombia) and we were giving Elijah picong because Elijah would not take off the medal.
Elijah (was) going to eat with it. Elijah was going to the bathroom with it. Elijah all over the place! And we were like, Elijah take off the medal boy," he said.
Phillips recalled Greene replied, "Fellas, you'll don't realise what this medal means to me. You'll don't know where I came from to be here in Colombia to win this medal. You'll don't realise how it was in one point of my life when things were bad and what it means to struggle.
"And he started to give a story and at that time I knew how I was going to be of better service. I knew it wasn't going to be as a cyclist, because I won a few medals and there are other cyclists who have come now and added more medals to that medal haul of T&T. It was going to be as something else, as an event organiser. That time, I made my decision (that) I had my time on the bike, I'll ride for fun, I'm going to try and do something."
He said the sport was at its lowest ebb back in 2001and recalled a conversation with then TTCF president Frank Gittens who lamented that 31 cyclists were registered for competition.
It was a period in cycling that saddened Phillips. Mere months before he returned to local soil as a champion alongside teammates Greene and Kellar. He felt that should have energised the fraternity, but it did not.
"That showed that it didn't matter what medals cyclists could have won. If it didn't have people here pulling things together and everybody doing their part, it wasn't going to happen. Over a period of time we saw the Southern Games and the Tobago Games struggling. It needed the people who played key roles in support service to return to rejuvenate the sport," he said.
Phillips, during his presentation, remembered cyclists who lost their lives on the road this while training. Clint Grant was one of them.
He described Grant's death as a "special one." Along with Greene, they travelled together to represent T&T.
"It is not somebody who was a girlfriend; somebody that was a close family member; somebody you hug up and kiss and tell you love, but when Clint passed� particularly the way that he did�it made all of us feeling extremely vulnerable. I had the very uncomfortable experience of going in with Ronald Dickie and Richard Dickie to dress Clinton's body. I think it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. And, it was a re-assessment of who I am, what I do and how I function in my community," Phillips said.
"It also gave me a greater appreciation that we don't know how long we are going to be here and holding onto grouses and holding onto chips on your shoulder because of a difference of opinion and so on in the scheme of things don't really matter. What really matters is that we have a common passion that we all love and that is cycling.
"We may have a difference of opinion on how we think we could get to the right place, but it is important that we all keep in mind that we can't choose who the champion is, we can't care what club the champion comes from.
We have to ensure that the pathway is there for that champion to rise to the top. And, once we keep that in mind, keep an even playing field I think we are going to have a happier fraternity."