It’s hard to believe that it is over six months since we celebrated our club’s 75th anniversary with Sean Kelly. A lot’s changed since then, but here are 5 lessons we can learn from that great weekend back in October.
Discipline and Denial
During the question and answer session on Saturday, Sean talked about his strict diet during his racing days to keep his weight to a minimum, so it was great to also see him enthusiastically tackling a bowl of apple pie and custard on Friday evening. There’s a time for discipline and denial, and a time to relax the rules a bit!
How to Ride in a Bunch
It was fascinating to watch Sean working his way through the group during our ride. He easily moved around, talking to lots of different people, without any sharp movements or signs of stress. Top riders make this look easy, but it needs to be learned, and Sean is a master.
Love the Sport
The conditions for Saturday’s ride were terrible – windy with lashing rain. Many retired stars would justifiably have cried off, but not Sean – he was cracking jokes with everyone, and seemed to genuinely enjoy the outing. It was inspirational to see the love of cycling still burning brightly after such a long, hard career.
Rest
I once heard Robert Millar tell of going out training in Belgium in February. It would be bitterly cold and wet. Eventually he’d manage to drag himself out and do three hours, returning home exhausted. And the worst thing was, he would know that Sean had done four hours. Sean was famous for his work ethic. But an equally important, but less visible, aspect of cycling is the rest ethic. The two must be carefully balanced. Sean freely admitted that he spent Saturday afternoon in the La Mons Spa after our morning ride, relaxing.
Reflect on what you’ve achieved, and what you still want to do
During his career, and in the first few years after he retired, Sean was famous for giving brief answers in interviews. Over the years, I think he’s reflected on the enormity of what he’s achieved, and how much people still look up to him and want to hear the “Kelly Stories” first hand. And he definitely delivered for us! But, just as in his racing days, it feels like Kelly still has a clear view of what he wants to do. He seemed to really enjoy celebrating with our club, and inspiring our riders, and it’s great that he reserves some time in his busy schedule to give something back to the Irish cycling clubs where it all began for him.
What lessons did you learn? How have they changed you…?
One thing that Kelly learnt – improved choice of helmet, after this early hard shell he wore when winning Milan San Remo in 1992. Still, the sponsor’s bonus was good! (Photo – Cycling Weekly)