Sean Kelly ?

[Flick of the Elbow]

Sean Kelly was ranked as the No1 cyclist in the world for a number of years yet he never won or to the best of my knowledge never came close to winning the world's No1 race the Tour De France why did he never win the De Tour ?

And this notion that the Tour is the World's No1 race is seriously misguided too. Yes it's probably the No1 Grand Tour but there's no way it ranks above the Spring Classics season.

 

[smutchin]

I believe he is a bit like Marmite in that respect.

Yeah, Sean Kelly is great on toast. Although Marmite is a bit rubbish at cycling commentary - no tactical awareness whatsoever.

 

[smutchin]

Cycling doesn't work that way, a lot of people would argue Peter Sagan is the current individual greatest cyclist, but there's no way he's going to win the Tour de France

I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Kelly and Sagan, and I think it is possible that Sagan could emulate Kelly by winning a Grand Tour later in his career. He'll need to work on his climbing though.

 

[themosquitoking]

I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Kelly and Sagan, and I think it is possible that Sagan could emulate Kelly by winning a Grand Tour later in his career. He'll need to work on his climbing though.

A Giro or a Vuelta should be achievable for him. Sometimes less competitive.

 

[jarlrmai]

I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Kelly and Sagan, and I think it is possible that Sagan could emulate Kelly by winning a Grand Tour later in his career. He'll need to work on his climbing though.

It depends on the profiles lots of hills or TT stages, lots of retraining required.

 

[Adam4868]

Maybe they will design one for him......

 

[smutchin]

It depends on the profiles lots of hills or TT stages, lots of retraining required.

Kelly won in 1988 by concentrating on bagging lots of time bonuses... sorry, bonifications in the intermediate sprints, avoiding losing too much time in the mountains (with Robert Millar's help!) and beating Cubino in the time trial. Also helped that Delgado was concentrating on the Tour that year.

It would take similar circumstances for Sagan to win a GT but it's not inconceivable. Sagan has already won a lot more at 27 than Kelly had at the same age, and is arguably only just reaching his peak - as he gets older, he could transform himself from a pure sprinter into more of a stage racer/all-rounder in the same way Kelly did.

 

[jarlrmai]

Yeah I'd really like to see it happen, I get this horrible feeling he'd get second though

 

[reacher]

It's a good job he was a great cyclist as he's as monotonous and boring as heck as a commentator!

Perhaps you would prefer Ant an Dec if you want entertainment

 

[User33236]

Perhaps you would prefer Ant an Dec if you want entertainment

Uncalled for .

 

[Levo-Lon]

I like his commentry..he does know his subject..

 

[Dogtrousers]

I like his commentry..he does know his subject..

That's true, but making him inhale helium at random times, or stabbing him in the backside with a sharp point or dropping ice down his collar while he's taking would go some way to relieving the monotony of his voice.

 

[TheDoctor]

Sean Kelly may not have won the Tour, but he did take the green jersey four times. And win the Vuelta, and no end of stage races and Classics.
He was a fantastic rider.
I think Stephen Roche said "People shouldn't say that I have won this race and Sean has won that. They should look at our careers and say that between us we have won every race on the continent worth winning."

 

[Adam4868]

It's a matter of choice I guess,always loved Sean Kelly and his commentary,where as Rob Hatch and his annoying pronunciation of everything.No he does my head in !

 

[SWSteve]

Kelly has said many times that riding for CAS their aim was to win in Spain, and the tour was secondary to the Vuelta. Although it may be easier to say that, rather than the race didn't suit him