Philip Lee, on the front, competing in the colours of James Connolly CC in Bohermeen in 1994. He would later ride for Les Jeunes but has now sadly lost his battle with cancer.
By Shane Stokes
Family, friends and former team-mates are mourning the loss of Dublin cyclist Philip Lee, who passed away after a long illness on Sunday.
The 40-year-old started cycling in 1990 with the James Connolly club and went on to be a member of Les Jeunes. He rode two editions of the Junior Tour and also rode the FBD Milk Rás in 1995.
He is remembered as a talented, determined competitor who had a fine style on the bike and who was very passionate about the sport.
Philip’s Rás participation saw him line out alongside Colm Bracken, Stephen Byrne, Joe Christian and Donal Keane as part of the Galway D.H Burke team.
Advertisement
Sadly, Byrne lost his own battle with cancer last year.
Paddy Wall was involved in running the James Connolly club and told stickybottle he had dug out some old coaching sheets belonging to Philip. They showed his dedication to cycling.
“I have one here from February 1991. There’s a note on it saying he did two hours 20 minutes…in the snow!” he said.
“He was always determined. He was also so particular about his bike. He’d be taking apart his rear mech to clean it – he always had his bike just perfect.
“With others you’d have to be chasing them to fix cables, things like that, but with Philip that was never the case.”
Philip always had a great sense of fun and was a bright man who loved his cycling but also explored many other things in life away from the bike.
A big fan of Greg LeMond, Philip wanted to develop further in the sport. He was very consistent as a young rider but reaching the top step of the podium took time.
“He used to come to me and say how come I have not won a race?” said Paddy Wall.
“He was always picking up prizes, but on a regular basis, he was fifth and sixth. I told him to just stick at it and he would get a win, and he did get that in a race in Naas.”
Former team-mate and long-time friend Joe Christian remembers him as a rider who would push himself further than others.
“He was probably the most courageous person on the bike,” he said. “He would never give up, you would have to haul him off the bike.
“I remember one time he actually fell off the bike with cramp in the mid-eastern championships junior race. I pushed him home, just trying to help him get to the finish.
“As I pushed him along, everyone was shouting ‘come on lads, come on lads.’
“We didn’t know what they were doing that for, but there was actually group behind us with Bray guys in it and because we got in ahead of them, we won the team prize.
“We had no idea at the time; I was simply trying to help him get across the line because of that cramp.”
Riding l’Etape du Tour in 2012; an event Philip competed in when he thought he had beaten cancer.
Colm Bracken remembers Philip as a rider who was a little intimidated by his first Rás, but who was determined to get through it and to improve as a result.
“He was a good guy. A little quiet when you met him at first, but when he opened up he was great fun,” he said.
Related News
“He was a good team-mate to have in the race.”
Over time Philip became interested in other sports, developing a big passion for surfing and snowboarding.
He went abroad with his future wife Emma Cassidy, who he had known since he was a teenager, and together they spent time in New Zealand.
“He was totally adventurous,” remembers Joe Christian.
“How many people can say they took time out to surf for six months? He really lived life.”
A computer programmer who spent many years with Microsoft, Philip moved to Canada in the mid 2000’s.
Philip, second from right, with the Les Jeunes crew back in the day.
He became ill there, then after a period of treatment the disease went into remission. He was determined to try to raise funds to help others and rode the l’Etape du Tour.
Between that and other initiatives, Paddy Wall says he raised over €100,000 to help others.
That selflessness aside, he was also a warm and humble person.
“He was always good fun to have around,” says Paddy Wall.
“We all used to meet in my house at times, with the guys playing chess – I wanted them to do something other than just ride their bikes.
“Philip would be quiet, then suddenly he would take over the conversation, laugh and be funny.”
“He was the most gracious person I have ever met,” said Joe Christian.
“He was always grateful about things, always seeing the best in people. He was also very spiritual.
Man's best friend; Philip with his beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback dog River.
“Phil never felt sorry for himself, even when things got tough near the end. He always had a positive mental outlook towards his illness and was focussed on trying to get better.”
I also knew Philip for a long time and while we were less in contact after he moved to Canada, spent some time with him after he returned to Ireland more recently.
As Paddy Wall and Joe Christian say, Philip was a very warm and giving person, and one who fully embraced life.
He was also extremely passionate about cycling, outdoor sports and nature, and spent time riding mountain bike trails with friends and with his Rhodesian Ridgeback dog River running alongside them, weaving in and out of the trees.
He was devoted to his wife Emma and son Finn, and much of his fight against the disease was fuelled by his desire to spend more time with them.
He will be greatly missed by them, his broader family and indeed all who knew him.
His removal service will be held at 5pm this evening (Tuesday) at St. Jude the Apostle Church, Willington, Templeogue.
His funeral mass will be at 1pm on Wednesday followed by burial in Kilmashogue Cemetery, close to the hills he climbed for many years while out training.
Topics
