John James 'Sean' Kelly (born 24 May 1956) is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer, one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest Classics riders of all time. From becoming a professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won 193 professional races, including nine Monument Classics, Paris–Nice a record seven years consecutively and the first UCI Road World Cup in 1989. Kelly won one Grand Tour, the 1988 Vuelta a España, and four green jerseys in the Tour de France. He achieved multiple victories in the Giro di Lombardia, Milan–San Remo, Paris–Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, as well as three runners-up placings in the only Monument he failed to win, the Tour of Flanders. Other victories include the Grand Prix des Nations and stage races, the Critérium International, Tour de Suisse, Tour of the Basque Country and Volta a Catalunya. Kelly twice won bronze medals (1982, 1989) in the Road World Championships Elite Men's Road Race and finished fifth in 1987, the year compatriot Stephen Roche won gold. When the FICP rankings became established in March 1984, Kelly was the first cyclist to be ranked World No.1, a position he held for a record five consecutive years. By total career ranking points, Kelly is the second-best cyclist of all time after Eddy Merckx. In the 1984 season, Kelly achieved 33 victories. Early life and amateur career Kelly is the second son of Jack (John) and Nellie Kelly, a farming family in Curraghduff, County Waterford. He was born at Belleville Maternity Home in Waterford City on 24 May 1956. He was named John James Kelly after his father and was referred to as "Sean" to avoid confusion at home. Seán is the Irish form of John. For eight years, he was educated, at Crehana National School, County Waterford, to which he travelled with his older brother Joe. The journey from home in Curraghduff to Crehana School was approximately a-mile-and-a-half. Together, both he and Sean cycled to and from school. Joe later recollects: "I suppose we were like most young fellows at that age – walking was too dull." Official records from his days at Crehana National School confirm Kelly's satisfactory attendance. At school, he was exceedingly shy, unsure of himself and felt intellectually outclassed by other pupils in his class. As a result, Kelly retreated into almost total silence. His education ended aged