given directions to Kelly's home in rural Curraghduff. Arriving unexpectedly, Jack and Nellie Kelly greeted them. Sean, who wasn't at home, was out driving a tractor. The trio decided to drive out the Dungarvan road in the hope that they would discover Kelly on his trip back home in the tractor. Soon they encountered a tractor, driven by a young man, travelling towards them. De Gribaldy asked Converset, "Is that Kelly?" to which the uncertain Converset hesitantly answered. De Gribaldy ordered the driver to bring the taxi to a halt. Dagot emerged from the taxi hailing the tractor and asked the driver, "Are you Sean Kelly?" to which the response was, "Yes, "I am Sean Kelly." Both parties agreed to go to Kelly's home in Curraghduff for negotiations. De Gribaldy offered Kelly an annual salary of £4000, which Kelly declined. Kelly consulted Pat McQuaid and Ireland's cycling team manager John Lackey for advice. A week later, de Gribaldy telephoned Kelly, at home in Ireland from Besançon. Kelly successfully negotiated a deal, asking for £6000 in the process, which Gribaldy agreed to. Kelly now had a professional contract with Flandria. Pat's brother Oliver replaced Kelly at Velo Club Metz. Kelly travelled to France in late January 1977 and lived for two years at 18, Place de la Révolution (formerly, Place du Marché) in Besançon, de Gribaldy's home town. The apartment was above a bike shop owned by de Gribaldy. He shared with four teammates, Noël Converset, Marcel Tinazzi, René Bittinger and Dominique Sanders. Professional career Early years Flandria were a Belgian cycling team sponsored by a Belgian company Flandria, which manufactured bicycles, mopeds and scooters. Guillaume Driessens was the directeur sportif of the Flandria team, one of the world's best, with riders such as Freddy Maertens, Marc Demeyer and Michel Pollentier among their ranks. Flandria required a French squad to expand its commercial interests in France, so they hired Jean de Gribaldy to assemble and direct a new team. The French squad competed predominantly in smaller French races. The Belgian team based in Belgium contained the strongest and most experienced riders. Good performances meant promotion from de Gribaldy's French squad to the Belgian team. On 7 February 1977, Kelly participated in his first race as a professional competitor, the first stage of the six-day stage race Étoile de Bessèges. He made an impressive debut, finishing tenth in the opening stage and