This photographer knew the picture that people would remember and that would shine a light into Sean Kelly’s character wasn’t of his face; the story is all below. These are legs only a cyclist could love.
In 1988 these legs won Paris-Nice for the seventh time, Gent-Wevelgem and his only Grand Tour Victory, the Vuelta a España, at that time, held in April. He raced to win from Paris-Nice in March to Lombardia in October with no peaking, or vacations, just single minded ambition.
You have to stay with the lithe Spanish climbers to win Vuelta. Kelly’s legs show no extra fat and no lack of might.
There he sits on the top tube of his Vitus 979 Aluminum framed race bike, answering questions in his hard- to- decipher Irish brogue. Even in black and white, one can see he is deeply tanned. No sunscreen and no Look pedals for Sean- he was possibly the last man in the peloton to switch. He always rode a bike that looked too small and cramped. Perhaps this wouldn’t have worked for anyone else but how does one argue with his method?
For all The Rules followers, study the socks. Ponder carefully, for this is what yours should look like: white and the perfect height. This is the way to set off tan, veiny, incredibly powerful legs. Do your legs look like these? No, I didn’t think so, but these socks would be a start.
The Rules readers might also study the gearing; maybe a 23-tooth sprocket as his largest on his seven speed freewheel and 52 and 42 chain rings up front. This must have been a very hilly course. Rule #5 was his middle name.
For my money, American writer Robin Magowan‘s books and articles about this cycling era are without peer; his summation of Kelly is perfect.
It is customary to talk of Kelly as quintessentially an Irish rider. For my part, though, I think it helps to place Kelly better as a cyclist to see him as the last of the Flemish riders. This is usually a title associated with the post-war rider, Briek Schotte who has become appropriately enough the man in day-to-day charge of the de Gribaldy teams. As exemplified by Schotte it stood for a certain type of mentality, willing to suffer, narrowly focused, and hard, hard, hard. Kelly had all this in him from his Irish small farm background: the outside loo; the dogs that have to be chained before you can step from your car; the one career possible, as a bricklayer on a construction site, stretching away and away into the grey mists. On the positive side, along with the self-reliance, came a physical strength that even by peasant standards is impressive. In a profession of iron wills, there is no one harder.
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@Geof, the Rule Holist, is getting close to violating more rules than me, the Rule 5 fundamentalist.
@Geof Heh. I just counted up the Rules I'm violating. As of Monday, after putting the arms of my glasses outside of my helmet straps, I'm violating only one Rule. (Well, if you violate any Rule, you are also violating 1 and 3, but leave that aside). That is, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I'm violating one less Rule that Geof. Are you sure you are up to expounding the Rule Holist view of things Geof??
And, after putting pristine white bar tape on, I also bought brand new, old school length white socks. I think even Frank would have waved to me today.
However, tomorrow, I return to putting the arms of my glasses inside the straps, hence violating Rule 37. Outside the straps, they dislodge too easily and annoyingly. And, at certain times of the year I'm violating at least a half a dozen Rules.
I've been contemplating this Rule, Rule 37, for some time, since I've violated it for years. The only reason I can think that all the pros put the arms outside the helmet straps is for this reason. If you crash, it is more likely that the glasses will just pop off you face, rather than break and cut your face. I was in a crash last year in a race, in which I hit the back of my head on the asphalt, kind of like Haussler. (Although, it was not my fault, like it was Haussler's) Somehow my glasses broke, and cut my face, right below the eye. I have no idea how that happened. Perhaps, if I had the arms on the outside, the pressure on the glasses from the helmet straps, as the helmet receives various forces on impact, would dislodge the glasses away from your face.
@david
Isn't that the great thing about Rule Holism? It's all about the vibe, the interpretation, the spirit rather than the letter. It's a bit like the modern Anglican church, which seems to regard as optional most of what previous generations would have regarded as fundamental tenets of faith, requiring instead only that one turn up to church occasionally and generally subscribe to the view that it would be more better if more people were more nicer to each other more of the time. Or maybe it's more like post-modernism, where traditional notions of rationality, truth and objectivity must never be spoken of in anything other than a tone of deep "irony" (a word which, ironically, Alanis Morriset never seemed to understand) and in which the only reason for knowing the "rules" is to be able to "subvert" or "deconstruct" them (whatever that means). Or maybe I've just talked myself out of seeing much benefit in being a Rule Holist after all. As they say, the problem with "anything goes" is that nothing stays. Oh shit ... crisis of faith / identity about to engulf me ... must .... seek .... help ...
@david
BTW, isn't the reason pros wear their eyewear over their helmet straps so that the brands / logos can be seen (and sponsoship revenue can be maximised)? I mean, if you're standing on the side of the road watching OckerBosch and C-Diddy get all wrapped up in each other, the thing you'd be most interested in getting a good view of is the brand of their eyewear, isn't it, and you'd be pretty pissed off if there was a helmet strap obscuring your view...
@Geof
good grief man, you wear the glasses over the helmet straps so that they don't cause an unsightly loop in the helmet strap. Whatever would have made you think that it is all about money?
@Jarvis
Finally! Someone says it! Christ. I was reading this comments, wondering what was happening here!
Helmet straps: flush to face (when fitted properly).
Eyewear earpieces: some distance from face.
Glasses go over the straps because it's more confortable and makes sense. Sure, maybe the logos show, but that probably has more to do with choosing a place that's visible more than it does dictating to the pros that they shall always wear it outside to show the logos.
Although, the "comes off in a crash" is also practical.
@Geof
Don't loose your faith, my son. Stay the path. And, the only thing ironic about Morriset's song is that none of the examples she uses are actually examples of irony. When that song was popular, I would have supported a trade embargo against Canada if it meant they'd stop playing that song.
Sorry, Steampunk.
@Ron
The socks in the bunch are getting a bit long - I have to assume for purposes of advertising space. Heinnie Saussler, while rockin' a sweet-ass set of White Ladies, is going a bit long in the sock. Mid-calf? Too long. We're not footballers here!!
@david, @Geof
I got so frazzled by the glasses thing that I forgot to say:
1) Geof. No fucking women's tennis socks. OK? Take your frame pump, mirror, and socks, and walk over to the rubbish bin right now and discard them all. Then proceed to Brett's bike shop and do a confession. After that, Hill Repeat Penance.
2) David. Up is down, left is right, Cognoscenti is Holist. I'll be glad today when you go back to your Rule breaking and Geof finishes his punishment and gets back on the straight and skinny.
@frank
No worries. I left the country. Canada's been a bad tear since Bryan Adams did that Robin Hood song almost twenty years ago. Which is a shame, because there are some good bands up here.
@Jarvis
I thought I wore them over the straps so that each time I went to take off my helmet, I had to do a goofy catch as the glasses flew off my head.