Sean Kelly rarely got back to Ireland to race but when he did he gave it 100 per cent, which was evident in the inaugural Nissan Classic in 1985. He won the opening stage and took the yellow jersey and also took the time trial from Carrick to Clonmel on the way to overall victory.
By Brian Canty
Sean Kelly has said his lingering memories of the inaugural Nissan Classic in 1985 are of the schools and factories closing so everyone could watch the race.
And exactly 30 years after he won the first road stage of the inaugural edition of the race, he said beating Stephen Roche in the stage 3 time trial from Carrick to Clonmel also sticks out as a highlight.
The Carrick-on-Suir legend went into the race as one of the favourites.
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But on the back of a long season that saw him win Paris-Nice and finish fourth in the Tour de France as well as take the points jersey, he knew the pressure was on to perform.
And boy did he deliver.
“The first thing I remember about that first Nissan was what a following we had,” Kelly told stickybottle.
“On the start line, on the roadside, along the route and at the finish; it was mind blowing.
“That was the first thing and that was a big surprise to me, it was the real eye-opener because even the schools and the factories closed so they could be out to support me and Roche.”
At the time, Kelly was based abroad and rarely got home so when he did he knew he had to bring his A-game.
“It was hard to get home but great to get home to do a tour,” he said of the Nissan, which began on September 25th 1985 with a road stage from Dublin to Wexford.
“It’s extra special and it was a great feeling - though it brought pressure and you had to perform.
“(Pat ) McQuaid wanted us up there contesting it but when you look at the riders they brought, it was a great field and you had to be at your best.”
Indeed, Kelly made his intentions clear when he escaped in the break on the sodden opening stage and managed to put over 10 minutes into the peloton with the help of a willing coalition of riders.
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“That break was amazing because everyone gave it their all and contributed,” Kelly recalled of his dream start in the very first Nissan International Classic.
“I dunno what Roche was doing that he missed out; he must have had a mindblock or something because he lost any possibility he had of winning the race.”
If pulling on the first yellow jersey wasn’t a sweet enough moment for Kelly after stage one, then beating his great friend on home roads two days later surely was.
“That was the setting up of the race for me,” he said the stage 3 time trial from Carrick-on-Suir to Clonmel.
“Roche had the measure of me most times in time trials but to beat him there on my roads over the 20 kilometre course by almost a minute was unbelievable.
“I rode most of the route that morning, not all the way but I went a good way back to Clonmel and the crowds there to support me were inspiring.
“And then the same back in Sean Kelly Square it was jam-packed, the place just went crazy.
“Standing up in the lorry before my TT the hairs were standing on the back of my neck and it definitely helped me win that and go on to win overall.
“The team was small (four-man teams) and it’s always a different one to control but we did the job quite well.
“Because so many missed the break the first day and we got 10 minutes we knew it would be a bit easier after that.”
Kelly, who was riding for Skil-Kas-Miko, won the race overall from van der Poel (Kwantum) and Teun van Vliet (Nissan-Verandilux).
Kim Eriksen (La Vie Claire) was 4th followed by Paul Sherwen (Ever Ready-La Redoute), Nigel Dean (Spenco-Gazelle), Philippe Magnien (France), Tony James (Falcon-Mirror) and Johnny Weltz (Denmark), with Stephen Roche (Ever Ready-La Redoute) in 10th place despite his huge time loss on the opening stage.
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