From the archives: Sean Kelly...

There I am at Sean Kelly Square, Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland (Harry Potter glasses and all) in 1997. Carrick-on-Suir is Kelly's hometown and the square was named in honor of his cycling successes during the 1982 season. Those successes that year consisted of 15 wins, including Paris-Nice, Tour du Haut Var, the Criterium International, a stage of the Midi Libre, a stage of the Tour de France and the Green Points Jersey, and two stages of the Etoile des Espoirs. Kelly's best years aguably came in 1984 when he racked-up 33 wins while riding with the Skil Team, and 1986 when he had 29 wins with Team KAS. Sean earned the nickname "King Kelly" while becoming the most dominant Classics rider of his era; he won Paris-Nice 7 times, the Tour of Lombardy 3 times, Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege twice each, and Ghent-Wevelgem once. He was Super Prestige Pernod champion 3 times, and World Cup champion once. But he was more than a one-day racer. Having won the Tour of Switzerland twice, the Tour of Spain, and four times Points Champion at the Tour de France, Kelly can be grouped with the greatest of the all-rounders, Eddy Merkx, Bernard Hinault, Jacque Anquetil; he is the fourth most successful Classics and Tour racer of all time, scoring fewer wins than only those three legendary men.

The same year I stopped for a photo at Sean Kelly Square I also stopped in at the Sean Kelly Sports Centre at Carrick-on-Suir. Kelly was not in yet that day, but the staff there assured me that he would have given me a moment of his time if he had been, and then presented me with the "Tribute to Sean Kelly" (above), published by the Irish Cycling Review. It is, of course, full of stats and photos, has a year by year review of his career and lengthier stories on his Tour of Switzerland victories, his win at the Vuelta, his 7-in-a-row Paris-Nice victories, 4 Nissan Tour of Ireland overall wins, and his triumphs in the Tour de France. It also asks the question "is Kelly the best cyclist never to have donned the Rainbow Jersey?" The image of Kelly being outsprinted by Greg Lemond, in pouring rain, at the 1989 Worlds is indelible to the history of the sport. With shorter days and longer nights approaching it is almost time to break out the tapes and dvds of races in which Kelly gave his all, sit back with a cold brew or hot cocoa, and try to figure out just what the heck he is saying. Seriously, the first time I ever heard Kelly being interviewed was at a racing buddy's house, and after Kelly had gone on for a while my friend turned to me and asked if I understood anything he said. He is a deep voiced, quiet speaker with a quite heavy Irish accent. Check out the Sean Kelly Story, it is well done, covering his entire career, and you get a lot of practice trying to decipher what he says. Kelly was one of the most respected riders in the professional peloton, and he continues to be involved in the sport, coaching upcoming Irish and Belgian cyclists through the Sean Kelly Cycling Academy located in Belgium, and the An Post Sean Kelly Team. And the next time I visit Ireland, I won't be leaving until I meet the man himself.