Burkina Faso's saviour

They may not have won - Gasbeogo finished last in the H4 time trial, nearly 10 minutes behind winner Alex Zanardi, while Nikiema came sixth of eight competitors in the equivalent women's event at Brands Hatch - but they were rightly proud to be the only competitors from the West African nation, and were honoured to represent their 16 million compatriots on English soil.

But less than a month before, as they landed at Heathrow on August 6, it seemed their dream was to be shattered. A payment from their government to cover their lodging and training facilities had failed to materialise, leaving them sitting on the floor of the airport surrounded by their bags, being questioned by police and with nowhere to go.

That's when a 24-year-old from Essex stepped forward to save the situation. Liam Conlon had gone to volunteer as the official Paralympic meet-and-greet contact for the two cyclists and the three others accompanying them.

And with their planned base in Kent no longer an option, Liam did the only thing he could think of: he took them home with him to Abridge. The three men in the party stayed with him at his parents' house, while the two women were put up in a nearby convent.

"The very first day one of the team nearly burnt the house down," Liam told The Guardian. "He put the electric kettle on the hob and turned it on to boil water – and there really has been something along those lines every day."

Liam - who was the team's official greeter on the back of voluntary work he did in the country last year - did everything he could to try and help out the athletes, persuading a local school in Brentwood to let them use their facilities.

And while it has sometimes been chaotic, the two cyclists have quickly become famous in the local area with their happy smiles and fresh approach to life.

"They basically cause a storm wherever they go, but they are absolutely loving it," Liam chuckles, adding that it never occurred to him to do anything other than help them out.

"In Burkina Faso you have people with absolutely nothing, yet they are willing to give you everything they have got," he added.

"It really changed how I thought about things, so helping them didn't in any way feel like a hardship. This is the way people should behave, it was just the right thing to do."

It is not just Liam who has helped out: when it emerged that one of the duo's bikes did not meet Paralympic specifications, a local supplier called Quest 88 stepped in to provide a replacement at cost price, even meeting the shipping charges out of its own pockets, with the firm's MD Rob Henshaw saying, "You get emotionally involved in finding solutions to people's disabilities so it's an extension of that, and to just be part of the Paralympics in some way is fantastic."

Gasbeogo and Nikiema both have another chance to shine when they take part in Friday's road race, but whatever happens they will always be grateful to Liam for his help.

"He is like another member of our team and a great friend to Burkina Faso," said Nikiema.

Burkina Fasi's Chef de Mission Florentine Ouedraogo echoed that, saying that she had been overwhelmed by the help they had received.

"It has been a fabulous experience, that we didn't expect at all. Without this help we just wouldn't be here," she said.

"If any of these people come to Burkina Faso they will be welcomed as though they were our family."