Seán Kelly (cyclist)

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Seán Kelly (Irish: Seán Ó Ceallaigh) (Born May 21, 1956), grew up in the townland of Curraghduff, near Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary[1], and is a former Irish professional cyclist. Kelly was one of the most dominant and successful road cyclists of the 1980s, one of the finest Classics riders, and is listed as the third greatest road cyclist of all time[2]. His victories include a Grand Tour win and a record seven successive wins in the Paris-Nice stage race.

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[edit] Career highlights

From the start of his professional career in 1977 when he was discovered by the French directeur sportif Jean de Gribaldy, until his retirement in 1994, Kelly won nine 'Monument' Classics, and 193 professional races in total, a tally only bettered by Eddy Merckx. Kelly also won the Paris-Nice stage race seven years in a row, and topped the inaugural UCI World Cup rankings.

He has a Grand Tour victory to his credit in the 1988 Vuelta a España, and multiple wins in the Giro di Lombardia, Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Other victories include the Critérium International, Grand Prix des Nations and many national tours, including Tours of Switzerland, Basque Region, Catalonia, and Ireland.

Notably missing from his list of victories is the World Cycling Championship rainbow jersey, which he almost won in a close battle against Greg LeMond in 1989. When FICP introduced world cycling rankings in March 1984, Kelly was the first rider to be ranked world No.1, a position he held for over six years (still a record). Kelly was known to be one of the hard men of professional cycling, achieving 33 victories in one season (1984).

While some sprinters prefer to remain sheltered in the peloton until the final few hundred metres of a race, Kelly was capable of instigating breaks and could climb well, proving this by winning the Vuelta a España in 1988. His victories in Paris-Roubaix (1984, 1986) showed his ability to battle against poor weather and terrible road conditions, while in the Tour de France he could stay with the climbing specialists in the mountains. He finished fourth in the Tour in 1985 and won the Maillot vert (Green Jersey) in 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1989, becoming the first rider to win the Tour's points classification four times, a feat he repeated in the Tour of Spain. Kelly won 21 stages in Grand Tours, five in the Tour de France and 16 in the Tour of Spain.

[edit] Early professional career

In the autumn of 1983, Kelly’s rise to cycling fame began in earnest. After a tough battle over the Intelvi and Schignano passes, 18 surviving riders entered the streets of Como to battle for victory in the Giro di Lombardia. Against some of the greatest cyclists of the 1980s, including Francesco Moser, Adri Van Der Poel, Hennie Kuiper and reigning world champion Greg LeMond, Kelly won by a narrow margin, with less than half a wheel separating the first four.

The following spring, after winning the Paris-Nice for the third successive time, Kelly finished second in Milan-San Remo and the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but was unbeatable in Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In the Critérium International, he won all three stages: after winning the bunch sprint on stage 1, he took a solo victory in the mountain stage, and beat compatriot Stephen Roche in the final individual time trial. In total Kelly achieved 33 victories in 1984.

In 1985, he won Paris-Nice and the Giro di Lombardia. In 1986 he won Milan-San Remo, finished second in the Ronde van Vlaanderen and won Paris-Roubaix again. An acknowledged Classics winner, Kelly was also emerging as a major contender for the Grand Tours. In 1987, when leading the Tour of Spain with three days to go, he was forced to retire due to an infection. It was a bitter disappointment for him, and his bad luck continued in the Tour de France, having to retire after a crash tore ligaments in his shoulder.

Kelly fought back in 1988, and returned in the spring to win his seventh Paris-Nice (a record) and Ghent-Wevelgem. In April he returned to the Tour of Spain and won convincingly, also taking the points jersey. The following year he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Green Jersey in the Tour de France, and the World Cup.

[edit] Twilight career

After winning the Giro di Lombardia for a third time in 1991, he started 1992 generally regarded as past his prime. In the season's opening classic, Milan San Remo, Kelly was not a favourite but had prepared well. After numerous attacks, race favourite Moreno Argentin left the leading group before the top of the Poggio, seemingly on his way to solo victory. However, Kelly attacked on the descent and caught Argentin under the kilometre kite (one kilometre to go). With the chasing group closing fast, both riders stalled momentarily, but in the final 200 metres Kelly came past Argentin to claim his final Classic victory.

Kelly's career is remarkable in that his 14 Tour de France starts spanned the eras of Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain and the early career of Lance Armstrong. Evidence of his dominance can be seen from his three victories in the season-long Super Prestige Pernod International competition. Kelly also competed throughout the entire season, from the season-opener Paris-Nice in early March to season-finale Giro di Lombardia in October, starting and finishing the season by winning both of these events in 1983 and 1985.

Kelly is also the subject of several books, including his biography Kelly and A man for all seasons by David Walsh.

[edit] Post-Cycling Career

Kelly is still involved in cycling - he is now a commentator for Eurosport on major cycling events and has established and is heavily involved in the Sean Kelly Cycling Academy in Belgium. He recently launched the Sean Kelly Cycling Team comprised of young Irish and Belgian riders.

He participates in long distance charity cycling tours with the "Blazing Saddles", a cycling charity dedicated to raising money for the blind and partially sighted. Such tours have included a journey across America by bike in 2001.

He also participates in charity cycling endurance events in Scotland (notably with the Braveheart Cycling Fund), England, France and his native Ireland and is a regular sight at Waterford hurling matches.

[edit] Grand Tour stage wins

  • 1978 - 6th stage of Tour de France
  • 1979 - 1st and 5th stages of the Tour of Spain
  • 1980 - 1st, 2nd, 14th, 17th, 19th stages of the Tour of Spain; 19th, 21st stages of the Tour de France
  • 1981 - 15th stage of Tour de France
  • 1982 - 12th stage Tour de France
  • 1985 - 2nd, 9th, 15th stages of Tour of Spain
  • 1986 - Stages 10 and 13 of Tour of Spain
  • 1987 - Stages 1 and 3 of the Tour of Spain
  • 1988 - Stages 11 and 20 (and overall winner) of the Tour of Spain

[edit] 'Monument' victories

[edit] Other 'classics'

  • Blois-Chaville - 1984 (this race has more commonly been run as Paris-Tours)
  • GP Plouay - Ouest France - 1984
  • Gent-Wevelgem - 1988
  • Grand Prix des Nations - 1986
  • Tour du Haut Var - 1982
  • Criterium des As - 1984, 1985, 1986
  • GP d'Isbergues - 1983
  • Paris-Bourges - 1984

[edit] Stage Race victories

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.upthedeise.org/nucleus/articles.php?itemid=120
  2. ^ Daniel Marszalek's weighted ranking

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Luis Herrera		 Winner of the Vuelta a España
1988		 Succeeded by
Pedro Delgado
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