Sean Kelly (cyclist)

Sean Kelly

Sean Kelly in July 2009
Personal information
Full name	John James Kelly
Nickname	King Kelly[1]
Born	(1956-05-24) 24 May 1956 (age 68) Waterford City, County Waterford, Ireland[2][3][4]
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb; 12 st 2 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Started as a sprinter Became an all-rounder
Amateur team
1976	V. C Metz-Woippy
Professional teams
1977–1978	Flandria–Velda–Latina Assicurazioni
1979–1981	Splendor–Euro Soap
1982–1983	Sem–France Loire–Campagnolo
1984–1985	Skil–Reydel–Sem–Mavic
1986–1988	Kas
1989–1991	PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1992–1993	Lotus–Festina
1994	Catavana–AS Corbeil–Essonnes–Cedico
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Points classification (1982, 1983, 1985, 1989) Intermediate sprints classification (1982, 1983, 1989) 5 individual stages Vuelta a España General classification (1988) Points classification (1980, 1985, 1986, 1988) Combination classification (1986, 1988) 16 individual stages Stage races Paris–Nice (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988) Tour de Suisse (1983, 1990) Tour of the Basque Country (1984, 1986, 1987) Volta a Catalunya (1984, 1986) Critérium International (1983, 1984, 1987) One-day races and Classics Milan–San Remo (1986, 1992) Paris–Roubaix (1984, 1986) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1984, 1989) Giro di Lombardia (1983, 1985, 1991) Gent–Wevelgem (1988) GP Ouest–France (1984) Paris–Tours (1984) Paris–Bourges (1984) Other Super Prestige Pernod International (1984–1986) UCI Road World Cup (1989) Grand Prix des Nations (1986)
Medal record Representing  Ireland Men's road bicycle racing World Championships 1982 Goodwood Elite Men's Road Race 1989 Chambéry Elite Men's Road Race

John James 'Sean' Kelly (born 24 May 1956)^[5] is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer, one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest Classics riders of all time. From becoming a professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won 193 professional races, including nine Monument Classics, Paris–Nice a record seven years consecutively and the first UCI Road World Cup in 1989. Kelly won one Grand Tour, the 1988 Vuelta a España, and four green jerseys in the Tour de France. He achieved multiple victories in the Giro di Lombardia, Milan–San Remo, Paris–Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, as well as three runners-up placings in the only Monument he failed to win, the Tour of Flanders. Other victories include the Grand Prix des Nations and stage races, the Critérium International, Tour de Suisse, Tour of the Basque Country and Volta a Catalunya.

Kelly twice won bronze medals (1982, 1989) in the Road World Championships Elite Men's Road Race and finished fifth in 1987, the year compatriot Stephen Roche won gold. When the FICP rankings became established in March 1984, Kelly was the first cyclist to be ranked World No.1, a position he held for a record five consecutive years. In the 1984 season, Kelly achieved 33 victories.