Paris-Roubaix image of the day: Sean Kelly at Paris-Roubaix in 1985

Irish cycling legend Sean Kelly won Paris-Roubaix twice, in 1984 and 1986. 

Two-time Paris-Roubaix winner Sean Kelly struggling during a very rainy edition in 1985.

A bit more about Paris-Roubaix in 1985

Besides defending champion Sean Kelly, Francesco Moser ( a three-time winner, ready to equal Roger De Vlaeminck's record) was one of the favourites of the edition that often remembered of its harsh weather conditions. Unfortunately the Italian rider crashed after hitting a hole in a the cobbles damaging his bicycle. The slow repears cost him the chance of contesting the finale. 

The most significant move happened with 15 km to go, when a breakaway group of favourites formed including Sean Kelly and Greg LeMond. But Marc Madiot attacked at the Carrefour de l’Arbre sector. According to Sean Kelly, a motorbike caused a crash near the end of the race, disrupting the chase and helping Madiot extend his lead. Without this incident the outcome of the race might have been different. 

Madiot arrived alone to thunderous applause; his teammate Bruno Wojtinek came in nearly two minutes later, and Kelly held off others for third.

________________________________

The legacy of Paris-Roubaix, especially the harsh weather conditions of the competition is one of the key points of this blog. 

Read more:

The fading glory of Paris-Roubaix

The almost 1000-day hiatus between two Paris-Roubaix editions (2019, 2021) became symbolic in several ways in the most recent history of road cycling

 






Popular posts from this blog

Monument winner of the day: Cyrille Van Hauwaert

Image
Cyrille Van Hauwaert (1883-1974) was one of the most successful Belgian cyclists of the pre-WWI era.  Van Hauwaert’s story reads like a folk legend. A big, strong Flemish farm boy who didn’t speak French, he arrived at the office of La Française cycling team’s directeur sportif, Pierre Pierrard, just two days before the Paris-Roubaix 1907. In his hand was a letter of recommendation from a regional agent of the bicycle manufacturer sponsoring the team.  Despite the late hour and the lack of available pacemakers to support him, Pierrard took a chance, ordering the mechanics to set up a bicycle for the young Belgian. With instructions to keep up with the pack as long as he could, Van Hauwaert exceeded expectations.  In a stunning debut, he finished second, just behind the winner, Georges Passerieu.  Van Hauwaert’s next race was the prestigious Bordeaux-Paris, where he emerged as the top rider, cementing his reputation as a powerful competitor.  The following yea...
Read more

Monument winner of the day: Hippolyte Aucouturier

Image
Who else could be the first cyclist of the series  about Monument winners than the epitome of early day road cycling races, Hippolyte Aucouturier (1876-1944). The image of a French cyclist in a striped shirt may feel like a cliché, but sometimes stereotypes hold a surprising amount of truth. Recognizable for his distinctive outfit, Hippolyte Aucouturier  also found considerable success during his career, active from 1900 to 1908 as an independent rider.   He claimed victory at the 1903 Paris-Roubaix under rather chaotic circumstances. Traditionally, riders switched bikes upon entering the velodrome, but when Aucouturier arrived alongside Claude Chaperon, Chaperon mistakenly grabbed Louis Trousselier's bike. By the time he realized and corrected his mistake, Aucouturier had surged ahead, winning the race.   Following this victory, Aucouturier was one of the favorites for the inaugural Tour de France. He abandoned the first stage due to stomach pains, bu...
Read more

The unpleasant anachronism of the Cycling Monuments

Image
There is a reason, obviously, why they called that. The five most prestigious one-day races, traditionally called Monuments, are carrying history. Sometimes not just road cycling history but they also remind us of pivotal moments from the history of Europe in the 20th century.  In 1981, Bernard Hinault delivered a spectacular Paris-Roubaix victory fuelled rather with anger and frustration. After the race he called Paris-Roubaix a bullshit All the five Monuments was born in the first great era of road cycling competitions ended with the outbreak of Word War I. Liege-Bastogne-Liege , a classic amateur cycling tourist adventure in 1892, Paris-Roubaix , a typical French cycling enterprise in 1896, the two Italian (more precisely, and not coincidently at all, two Lombardian) events, Giro di Lombardia in 1905, Milano-Sanremo 1907, and finally, Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1913, these latter three following the French recipe too, as newspapers were heavily involved in the founding process o...
Read more