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Known to many simply as 'the King', Kelly rose to prominence in the 1980s, for many the glory days of professional cycle racing, when icons of the sport such as Eddie Merckx, Greg LeMond, Laurent Fignon, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and an emerging Lance Armstrong did battle in the European classics and Grand Tours.
Kelly's achievements belie his humble beginnings. Born in Co Waterford in 1956 to a modest farming background, he had seemed destined to a life of manual labour before discovering cycling in his early teens, a pursuit for which he soon found an affinity few could match.
Achieving prominence at home as an amateur, Kelly turned professional at the age of 18 and found his talents in demand in Europe, where he was to spend much of his professional life.
His early career saw Kelly earn a reputation as a formidable sprinter, but by the time he won his first Paris-Nice in 1982 he had developed into an all-rounder – fearsome in the sprint and fearless in the descent but with the stamina and climbing prowess needed to win stage races.
Notable achievements followed, including the green jersey (maillot vert) for best sprinter in the 1982 Tour de France – an honour he was to hold four times in total – as well as an astonishing seven consecutive Paris-Nice wins and victories in 'monument' classics including Paris-Roubaix (1984-1986); Milan-San Remo (1986, 1992) and the Giro di Lombardia (1983, 1985, 1991).
In a career of many highlights perhaps the greatest came in 1988 when Kelly won his first and only Grand Tour, the Vuelta av España.
Retired from professional cycling since 1994, Kelly nonetheless remains hugely involved in the sport, from his work as a TV commentator to his participation in a number of high-profile charity cycling events.
A true hero to countless cycling fans around the world, Kelly is also rightly regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen to ever come from Ireland.
Sean Kelly became synonymous with the Vitus marque during the peak of his professional career, when according to his own estimation he rode Vitus bikes to victory in no less than 80% of his pro career wins.
Kelly was particularly associated with the iconic Vitus 979, which was among the first wave of aluminium-framed bikes to begin replacing steel as the frame material of choice in the pro peleton. The Vitus 979, with its then-revolutionary lugged construction, remains one of the sport's watershed designs and is highly sought-after by enthusiasts, no doubt in no small part thanks to the endorsement of Kelly's achievements aboard the bike.
Today Sean Kelly remains as enthused by groundbreaking bicycle design and technology as he ever was, his passion evident in the level of input he provides towards the development and continuous improvement of the Vitus range.
Feedback from Kelly contributed to the development and manufacture of our 2011 Razor, Zenum, Dark Plasma, Venon and Vitesse bikes, with the great man's advice being to keep things simple.
"Use tried and tested components and build a good foundation,” Kelly says, insisting that he is dedicated to the long-term development of Vitus Bikes and to breathing new life into an historic marque that is steeped in history.
To celebrate the reunion of Vitus Bikes with brand ambassador Sean Kelly, we have designed and built a strictly limited-edition series of Sean Kelly signature bikes.
Based around a monocoque carbon fibre frame with tapered head tube to provide extra front-end stiffness, the Sean Kelly signature edition features top-quality components including full Shimano Dura-Ace groupset.
Featuring 'classic' racing angles and a 54cm frame with 55cm top tube, the Sean Kelly signature bike is sure to appeal to racing connoisseurs as well as aficionados of cycling history.
The bike is finished with distinctive white and emerald green livery – including Kelly's signature – reflecting Kelly's Irish heritage as well as paying tribute to his having taken the maillot vert in four Tours de France.
