,Sometimes people ask me if I was born with good bike control, or was it something that I worked on to develop over time. It was probably a combination of both, but I would say that most of my bike control skill came by working on it over time.

Growing up on a small farm in Ireland there was always some work to be done, but when we did have some free time, myself and my brothers Vinny and Joe would take out a really old big black High Nelly style bike that we found in a shed. We then raced each other in a time trail. We had to do it this way as there were three of us and only one bike, although Vinny tended to be a spectator most of the time, seeing as he was the younger buck.

It wasn’t really a normal time trial because we had a few extra elements to spice things up. When we found the bike, the tyres were flat so we just rode it like that for a while and then when we wore them off we just rode the big steel rims without any rubber at all. There was a concrete yard in front of the house from which a two hundred meter long bodhreen or laneway lead into the farm so we were in sight all the time. We put an old milk churn in the middle of the yard so the course was 4 laps of going around the churn, then out to the end of the laneway where we had to slow and turn the bike, which not only had no tyres but didn’t have any brakes either. We just slammed our boots down onto the ground to slow down as best we could and to try to turn cyclocross style. Then it was back in along the laneway into the concrete yard and around the churn again. Having learned to control a bike in this way, riding the slippery cobbles of Paris Roubaix as a professional with a much better bike which had tubular tyres wasn’t too difficult. 

Just because I was slow to change from toe clips to clipless pedals people sometimes assume that I wasn’t really into equipment. Nothing could be further from the truth. I took my profession very seriously and was actually meticulous about my equipment. When most were still riding steel frames  I was one of the first to race on Aluminium frames, made by Vitus. I was also one of the first to race on Carbon Fibre frames, again this was facilitated by Vitus who I worked with to help develop their frames at the time. Initially there were issues around the bonding process where the glue used to join the tubes to the lugs was not strong enough. However over time Vitus consulted with some aircraft engineers to develop a compound that was also used on airplanes. This technology was very similar to what is still used today by many frame manufacturers. 

Bikes changed a lot throughout my career. I started on Steel, then went on to Aluminium, then Carbon and even rode Titanium during my final season. The Vitus Aluminium was very lightweight and comfortable but a bit soft after a certain amount of riding so we would have to change frames relatively often throughout the season. They were pretty strong though. The only time that I broke one was in Paris Roubaix when I got a puncture at the start of Arrenberg so had to ride the full sector on the flat. It was the year Vanderarden won, 1987. When the down tube broke having been weakened from all of the vibration caused by riding cobbles on a flat I got thrown over the front wheel and landed on my head. When he saw me crash, Vanderarden attacked. By the time I managed to get a spare bike the race was gone and I finished back around 30th. The carbon Vitus was lighter and stiffer so was a good improvement. These I never broke, although once again I did change them throughout the season. My final year racing when I was with Catavana we used a Titanium Vitus. These were a bit heavier than the carbon, not quite as stiff and responsive but were very comfortable. 

When I joined PDM we rode steel Concorde frames. They looked nice but were very heavy. At the Tour de France we used a carbon frame made by TVT which was then sprayed up to look like a Concorde.

With Sem, Skill and Kas I always used Mavic components. Firstly their wheel rims. They made a special SSC rim for us professionals and I was one of the first to use them. I remember during some of my first victories at Paris Nice my manager Jean DeGribaldy worked with Mavic and Vitus to get me a bike that was just 7.5kg for the Col d’Eze time trial, the stage where the overall victory was often decided. Wheels at the time often had 36 spokes but for this Time Trial I used special 24 spoke wheels which had spokes that were tied and soldered for additional strength and stiffness making up for the lack of spokes. I also used a Maillard Titanium 13 - 19 straight through block on rear wheel. Having won that race 7 times in a row, I now look back and think that having really good equipment was the difference between winning and loosing on more than one occasion. Having the best lightweight equipment can be helpful for your motivation on those important occasions and also good for morale.

Mavic also made a very good quality groupset which was very smooth and reliable, apart from the time I put the rear derailleur into the spokes at the bottom of St Patricks hill in Cork. I had to make myself pretty big on the road as I was falling that day to make sure that enough of a group had to stop behind. They could help me to get back into the race. DaSilva was on my left and stopped too which added to the mayhem. He then gave me his bike and pushed me off again. I was saddened to read this week that Mavic are in financial trouble and hope that they will be able to get back on their feet once again soon. 

At PDM we used Campagnolo. The Delta brakes looked nice but were about as useful as udders on a bull when it came to their stopping power. Many of us changed them for the cheaper Chorus model. They looked more traditional and worked a hell of a lot better. 

When my time riding for PDM came to an end I signed for Festina which meant that I was back on a Vitus once more. This was a stipulation that I asked for, as at that stage of my career I understood just how much of a difference the bike could make. Going down the Poggio in the '92 Milan San Remo I felt at one with the bike and understood exactly how far I could push it. On another bike that day I may not have caught Argentin on the descent, and he might have been the one sipping Prosecco on the Via Roma. 

Even in retirement I have continued the relationship with Vitus. When we had the An Post Chain Reaction team I was very happy to have Vitus as our bike supplier of choice, and to this day I am still involved in the testing and development of many of the bikes in their range, especially the road bikes. 

One of my highest profile equipment choices was related to the pedals that I used whilst racing. While many of the peloton had changed to clip-less pedals I was still happy to stay riding toe clips. I had concerns about possible injuries when the feet were locked in so solidly, as there was always a bit of play with the toe clips and straps that could be looser during a stage and then tightened approaching the finish. I heard about Hinaults' knee troubles and did not want to fall victim to the same fate. The initial clipless pedals from Look were totally fixed and if you didn’t have the cleats set up 100% correctly you were forcing your knee into an un-natural position 90 times per minute. It might be subtle, but after 200k chances are it would have a negative effect. As there was so much attention around my pedal choice at the time my choice of clip-less pedal was going to attract a bit of publicity for the manufacturer so I was happy to get a little compensation for that too.

A bike or equipment won’t make up for a lack of training, but a well maintained good quality bike will allow you to get the most out of yourself. 

Sean

​

In the middle of February this year I sat down after watching a stage of the Tour of Valencia and made note of how many riders had already crashed and broken bones this season. This was the list that I compiled just off the top of my head , there are many others:
​

• Ben Hermans - Broken Collarbone, fractured scapula and ribs
• Christophe Laporte - Broken wrist
• Baptiste Planckaert - Broken collarbone
• Tony Gallopin - Fractured scaphoid
• Matteo Moschetti - Dislocated Femur
• Ivan Sosa - Broken Finger
• Martijn Tushveld - fractured shoulder 
• Sebastien Langeveld - Broken Collarbone
• Thimo Willems - Broken Collarbone
• Andre Greipel - Broken shoulder

At that time also, I watched in amazement as Nairo Qunitana won a stage in the Tour of Provence where he did a similar time up Mont Ventoux to what Pantani had done during his heyday in July at the Tour de France. Even taking the cooler conditions and shorter days racing into account, this was still an incredible performance.

Then as I watched Adam Yates put in a blistering ride on stage 3 of the UAE Tour, once again I began to look at the way riders prepare for the season now compared to the past, especially the years during my career, and on how unbalanced they have become. Some of the riders have mentioned about the levels of racing right from the beginning of the season now and how it is full on even during the very first races. 

Initially let’s look at the injuries from crashes. A good place to start is Mark Cavendish from about 10 years ago. One year in the Giro he was crashing frequently, through no fault of this own, but due to the hectic finishes of each stage. Sometimes at speeds in excess of 60kph, but there he was back on his bike the following day contesting the sprints again. How was his body able to withstand the impact without breaking bones?

Next let us look at how riders of my era began the season. Most were carrying a few extra kilos, or in Greg LeMonds case many extra kilos sometimes. Even Hinault, Fignon and many other top names would all rock on to early season races with a hint of a belly on them. Then we all raced ourselves into fitness. But our bodies had been given a chance to rebuild and recover during the off season so we were strong, not just in power figures, but physically strong. Cavendish too, had this sort of strength to be able to withstand the crashes without breaking any bones. 

When the season finished back then we hung up our racing bikes, or sold them off, and then built up our physical strength by Mountain Biking, running, indoor circuit training in a sports hall with Tony Ryan (this consisted of a 30 minute warm up run outdoors, then 1 hour of push ups, squats, planks, lunges, etc), cross country skiing, and some of us even went back to work on farms. This made our bodies strong and kept our minds fresh. When the time came after a break of perhaps 6 weeks to get back out on the road we enjoyed it and also kept on mixing in other forms of physical exercise until we left for the early season races at the end of January. 

Given that I won Paris Nice 7 times this system seemed to work pretty well. Nowadays however, many professional riders never get off the road bike all year round. They may do a bit of stretching in the evening but many just ride their bikes all the time. This leads to a lowering of bone density and this is what causes so many broken bones. The teams nowadays are just worried about results and there is little concern for the long term health of the riders. 

For Quintana and Yates to be able to perform as they did in February of this year, they had to have been training really hard on the bike throughout the winter. Too hard. They were close to Tour de France level fitness at that time of year, and in the long term that is not sustainable. 

Weight is another issue that has become too much of a focus. In the search for marginal gains riders are now worried about every extra gram. They eat like sparrows and many are always hungry, for food that is. Again a bit more balance is needed. By having such restrictive diets they are missing out on many natural minerals and vitamins etc. They may be super bike fit, but they are not a healthy fit. 

So, given the time that we are currently in, my advise to all cyclists, professional and amateur alike, would be to expand your general fitness. My recommendation would be to do some running once or twice per week, any more and you might pick up an injury. Lift some weights if you have them or else do exercises like push ups and squats using your own body weight. Go chop some wood or find some other form of outdoor work that requires physical effort. Eat a varied diet. Don’t worry if there is a bit of fat on your plate and don’t get carried away with any of these fancy fad diets. Drink a few beers or a glass of wine and relax. And my advice, especially for us Sportive riders who are carrying an extra 10kg is to relax about the beer belly. A small one is a sign of health. For the pros, this is going to be difficult to do because everybody wants to be in peak condition for racing and to be able to perform at the levels that teams demand. However, in my mind this is something that needs to be seriously looked at.

Sean

​During my racing career it was often said that I used to like to race in poor conditions. This was not the case. I just used to dislike it less than my competitors. My focus was always on getting on with things and getting the job done. 

Nowadays, I still ride my bike as much as possible, in all weather conditions. I have to be fit to keep up with the Carrick Dole Gang. If you are not in shape they will show you no mercy, no matter what type of palmares you may have. 

For me now it is especially important that I am dressed correctly for whatever conditions come my way. Long gone are the days of the wooly jerseys, thankfully. 

Having spent most of my career living in Belgium and coming home to Ireland to train for the winter I learned a lot about what to wear and how to cope with bad conditions. It is now good to be able to pass on much of that knowledge to help other cyclists of all levels and abilities. 

Some simple tips are as follows:

• Always wear your shorts tight. If there is any movement it can cause friction and lead to saddle sores.
• Wear something under your helmet, even on hot days. In cold weather, especially anything below 8 degrees, it keeps your head warm and on hot days a light cap will soak up some of the sweat and stop it rolling down into your eyes. 
• When wearing arm warmers pull down the sleeves of your undervest and pull the armwarmers up over them. This gives them more to grip on to other than your skin. Then roll down the sleeves of your jersey to cover the top of the armwarmers and they will never move. 
• Check the forecast and know your group. Three hours in the rain with a group doing 34kph with no stop requires different clothing to three hours with a group doing 24kph who stop for a coffee. 
• Bring a spare undervest if you are stopping for coffee in summer or winter. I often fold one up tightly in a freezer bag which I store in a  water bottle or in my back pocket.
• I always bring a rain cape or a gillet in Ireland, summer or winter. If you puncture or have to stop for some reason it will keep you warm and avoid getting a chill. 

Working with the An Post Chainreaction team and ONDA I have had a good deal of input into what is needed for different weather conditions and these were my priorities:

• The clothing must keep you warm and dry for as long as possible in poor conditions, whilst still being very breathable.
• It must be hardwearing and washable at 40 degrees to keep it fresh and new looking, and to get rid of the Belgian cobblestone grit and grime. 
• It must be comfortable enough to wear for long periods time. This especially applies to the padding in the shorts and leggings.
• It must fit correctly at all times. 
• It must offer value for money and be cost effective. 

Having tested all clothing myself in all types of conditions I have been very pleased with the results. (Take a look below to see just how we test the clothing)

If any clubs, teams or companies would like to become weather prepared or to find out more about the services and full range of custom products that we can offer, you can contact us via email at : [email protected] or call Barry on 086 8158727 or just fill out the form below

​

Paris Roubaix for me was a horrible race to ride but a beautiful race to win. On a wet day the cobbles are real slippy and the bike almost has a mind of it's own. You have to be able to relax and almost let the bike find its own way. In the dry it's almost as bad. The dust from the cars and motorbikes is so dense up at the business end of the race where the action is that you cannot see what's in front of you. It's almost like riding through a sandstorm.

My first victory was in 1984. I was in real good form and felt strong all day. In a race like this which is over 260k long you have to be patient. The race is won in the  last hour, not the first. Two riders, Gregor Braun and Alain Bondue had broken away and were going strong. After Arenberg I wanted to attack and jump across to them but 'DeGri' told me that it was too soon and to wait. 

On 'Orchies' I went to the front and drove it on. Rudy Rogiers, a big Belgian came with me and we soon caught the two up front. Braun was gone straight away but Bondue hung on for a while before falling off. 

I was real nervous approaching the finish in the velodrome and was not taking any chances. I should have been able to get the better of Rogiers in a sprint most of the time but I still made him lead it out and was happy to go around him on the final bend to take my first victory in 'The Hell of the North'.

In 1985 I felt even stronger than the previous year but luck was not on my side. In a race like Roubaix crashes are almost inevitable and I crashed at the wrong time which probably cost me the race. I still managed to finish third so at least I made the podium.

In 1986 I had finished second in The Tour of Flanders the previous Sunday. That evening I took a plane down to Spain to start the Tour of The Basque country the following morning. A five day race with plenty of short steep climbs I still managed to find myself within fighting distance of the leader going in to the final time trial on the Friday having also won 2 stages. My legs were good so I really gave it everything to win the time trial and also managed to win the overall too. Next day I jumped back on a plane to Belgium and drove down to the start of Paris Roubaix. 

I felt a bit fatigued for the first hour but once I came around I knew that the legs felt strong. In the end 4 of us came to the finish together. When Van Den Haute attacked, I remembered Flanders the previous Sunday and let Van der Poel chase. When I started my sprint I gave it everything and managed to have a good enough gap to savour the moment as I crossed the finish line. 

This years race could be pretty open. Etixx Quick Step are unlikely to try to control it early on. Sky will have a big interest with Wiggins. If he wins it will do away with all the traditional approaches to riding the classics. Instead of racing to get fit he has been mostly training alone, concentrating on watts and power. He puts this method to remarkable use for Time Trials and on the track but it will be interesting to see how it will work out after 260k of Paris Roubaix. Last year he was in the big group towards the end but did not attack when a podium place was still available after Thomas had been doing a lot of riding.

Some years, an attack goes from a long way out after Arenberg when the top favourites are watching each other. There is a long section here between the cobble sectors. O'Grady and Van Summeren both made their moves at this point and this could happen again this year. 

Terpstra was strong in Flanders last week and already knows how to win this race. Kristoff was really impressive, but Geraint Thomas would be my pick for the race, as long as he stays upright.


Sean

The Tour of Flanders is a race that I look back on with mixed emotions. Some good, some not so good. It is a race that I finished second in three times and is the one major classic that got away on me.

In 1984 I was feeling really strong in the finale. We were down to a small group but I showed my hand too early. Everyone in the group could see that I was strong, so when the attacking started they looked to me to chase all the time.

I chased a few times, but when Johan Lammerts attacked I decided that it was time for someone else to do the chasing. Everyone else looked at me and soon he had a fairly decent gap and the chance of victory was gone.

When I crossed the line 'DeGri' was going mad. He did some giving out. He said that I should have chased everything and he was right. If I jumped onto everything as soon as someone attacked, everyone who followed would still have had to make 95% of the effort that I was making. If I was alert enough I would only have been a few bike lengths off each attack and could have closed down each one pretty quickly. If you are feeling good you can do this. A big lesson was learned that day.

In 1986 I was having a pretty good start to the season winning Paris Nice and Milan San Remo. I headed to Flanders in good form and part of me was already looking towards Paris Roubaix the following week. I was feeling really good and was probably a little over confident. I led out the sprint and Van der Poel came around me to take it on the line. Why did he win? Because on the day I wanted to win, but he really really wanted it more.

In 1987 I was again in the break as we approached the finale. I suppose having been beaten the previous two years I was a little more cautious about the finish. When 'Criq' attacked I was not going to be the one to go after him immediately. We sometimes worked together in races so it was really up to the Panasonics to do the chasing. Criq held on and once again I finished second beating Vanderarden in the sprint. 

And so, to this years race. With Cancellara and Boonen out, the whole dynamic of the race will change. Etixx Quick Step will be less inclined to take control of the race early on so it could be very open. 

Peter Sagan would be an obvious choice normally but he looks like his legs are staying a little too long under the dinner table at present. This year he faces a new challenge. Liquigas had a small budget so his contracts were never really huge. This year however, he has signed a real big contract with Tinkoff. Sometimes, when that happens it can be very difficult to have that real hunger that you would have in the lean years. It can take a while to get that hunger back, but when he does the victories will follow again. 

Last year John Degenkolb was just a few bike lengths off the Cancellara/Vanmarke train when it left the station on the Oude Kwaremont, but this year, just like Milan San Remo he would again be my top choice for victory.  



Sean

www.seankellycycling.com

Standing at the edge of the West Gate in Clonmel as an entire Country came to a halt as Sean Kelly strove for a second consecutive victory in the second ever Nissan Classic emotions were running high. Beside me was a local farmer, on the other side was a girl in a Dunnes Stores uniform. All shops and business' in the town closed for two hours in order to let their employees witness the unfolding of events.

Anthony and Dick O'Gorman led the race into their hometown to a tremendous applause. Then the crescendo heightened as a yellow jersey on the back of the Worlds number one cyclist came in to view. It was all well and good winning races over there in foreign countries. Now Kelly was home, back in Ireland showing an entire nation what was possible. A stage passing his front gate, through his hometown of Carrick on Suir and finishing in Clonmel, a destination on most of his training spins, was the stuff dreams were made of. Now Kelly gave an entire nation a reason to dream, to hope, to pray and to come out and shout and roar as he passed by, inches from their outstretched arms. 


On the first passage the farmer beside me in a pair of green wellies and a tweed cap almost blew out my 14 year old ear drum when he spotted Kelly with a bellowed out 'GOWANN SEANNNNNN , YOUR ONE OF OUR OWN'
I was roaring too, as was the Dunnes Stores girl beside me, but became slightly distracted with the ringing in my ears. 

The PA announcer must have felt like the pied piper. All he had to do to get an enormous roar from the crowd of tens of thousands was to mention Kellys' name in any way, shape or form. Teenage girls may get hysterical about a boy band, teenage boys about a soccer player, but on this day in this town, every man, woman and child was part of the hysteria surrounding 'Kelly mania'

The excitement and tension was incredible. Throughout the crowd were teenagers in cycling jerseys. The first edition of 'The Nissan' the previous year had been the first glimpse of Kelly in the flesh for most and they all wanted more. They were now 'into the cycling' and had no qualms about walking about the main street in black wooly tights with upturned peaked cotton caps on their heads. They wanted to be recognised as cyclists, this would give them something, anything in common with their newfound hero, Sean Kelly.

The bell rang out for the final lap and Kelly was looking good. A town, a county and an entire Nation were all willing him to victory, and the man himself wanted it too. He wanted to perform here on his home stage. Winning multitudes of big races abroad was one thing but winning a huge race back home in Ireland was another feeling altogether.

Over the top of Knocklucas for the final time Australian Phil Anderson attacked on the dangerous descent. Ordinarily Kelly would have followed and pushed right up to the limit. But this time, Anderson had a gap that Kelly wanted to close. He wanted that victory in front of his home crowd. He pushed himself and his bike beyond the capabilities of any other cyclist alive. He pushed fear so far to the back of his mind that it no longer existed at all. He pushed beyond all limits and the low wall on a treacherous bend pushed back. A hole in a grass verge upended Kelly and he smashed hard into the low wall with his head. 

For almost any other human being on that day it would have meant a call for an ambulance and an overnight stay in hospital. For Kelly, the man of Iron, it meant only one thing. Get up and back on the bike as quickly as possible. 

Kelly remounted, battered, bruised, cut and dazed. He put all thoughts of pain out of his mind and concentrated on winning the stage. By now he was just 2k from the finish and the group had all gone past. They were already 500m up ahead as he remounted the bike, with Anderson off out ahead and another 2 chasers in pursuit.

The crowd gasped as the announcer relayed the news of Kellys' crash. The farmer beside me was almost in tears, I was almost in tears, the dunnes stores girl was actually in tears. Our excitement was ruined, but then came a glimmer of hope. Kelly had remounted and was chasing hard. The roars went up once more and The Farmer deafened me for a second time that day. 

From 500m behind in the space of 1500m Kelly had caught the group ahead and was now diving into the final corner passing all and sundry. The entire crowd went crazy. Phil Anderson was waving mad, thinking that all the roars and screams were for him taking victory. The thunderous roars had nothing to do with Anderson, but everything to do with the Yellow jerseyed Kelly travelling at the speed of a Kawasaki ZZR1100 up the main street behind him. Kelly took 4th on a stage where any other cyclist in the World would have been minutes down. He had given the assembled crowd the performance of a lifetime that they had craved.

As Kelly shot past our vantage point with blood streaming down his face, the farmer gave me a belt across the back that almost drove me out through the barriers and shouted in my ear once more ' THAT KELLY IS SOME FU**ING MAN'

Barry

www.seankellycycling.com

With many jerseys in the collection here are just a few, some with a story to tell.

There will be more and more of these insights to follow so stay tuned.

Barry

www.seankellycycling.com

It's not very often that you feel confident enough to turn a water hose on your feet on a cold wet day. But with these ONDA overshoes it's easy to do.

A handy tip if you arrive home and don't want to drag mucky overshoes in all over the house. Just hose them down first and in you go :-)