Sean Kelly, then a Festina rider, gets his only Giro appearance underway in 1992; not the happiest Grand Tour in the career of a great champion but one that prepared him for his last big win.
By Graham Healy
In total during his career, Seán Kelly would start 21 Grand Tours but remarkably he only ever started the Giro d’Italia once. That one and only appearance came about in 1992, when he was in the twilight of his career.
Kelly had started off the season really well, claiming victory in Milan-San Remo. But he would acknowledge afterwards that his form and enthusiasm went downhill as the season progressed.
Kelly had no plans to, or interest in, taking part in the Giro that season. But his Festina team had been offered the last of the wild card slots on condition Kelly was listed amongst their starters.
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The race started with a time-trial in Genoa where he finished well off the pace in 135th, nearly a minute behind Thierry Marie who took the first pink jersey.
The race then headed south and on the opening road stage, won by Endrio Leoni, it was an indication of Kelly’s lack of motivation that he trailed in at the back of the bunch in 147th place.
It didn’t get any better for the Irishman, and by half-way through the race, he was well over an hour behind race leader Miguel Indurain.
In an interview conducted at that stage of the race, Kelly admitted that he was considering retirement, and was unsure whether he would continue on into the next season.
He would end up racing for another two. The race continued on into the Dolomites, where the riders would tackle some of the race’s most famous climbs, including the Passo Giau, Passo di Valparola and Passo Pordoi.
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Kelly struggled on, but he eventually withdrew from the race after Stage 16 from Palazzolo sull'Oglio to Sondrio.
Reports afterwards outlined that he had withdrawn for personal reasons, with the following statement appearing in the press: “Sean Kelly did not start the stage after obtaining permission to abandon the race so he could join his wife Linda, who suffers from severe asthma attacks.”
Kelly later admitted that he had no intention of finishing the race, and had agreed with his directeur sportif that he would withdraw at some stage.
The Giro was won overall the following week in Milan by Miguel Indurain for his first of two Giro wins, as he finished over five minutes clear of second-placed man, Claudio Chiappucci.
Kelly may not have finished the Giro d’Italia, but at least he came out of the race in good form.
After some rest, he would start the Tour of Switzerland a few weeks later, where he claimed a stage win. After hundreds of victories as a professional, it would be his last big win.
Flat out TT effort? Sean Kelly was only at the 1992 Giro because his team needed him to get a place in the race. He would depart long before the finish.
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