The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling's Golden Generation

In the 1980s two young men from Ireland rose from obscure beginnings to dominate professional cycling: Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. Kelly was quiet, consistent and famously resilient - the dominant classics rider of his era. Roche, by contrast, was a charismatic and mercurial presence, whose unruly talent would carry him to the Triple Crown in 1987 - victories at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships - a feat unmatched since. But behind the races there lies a bigger drama: an untold story of influences shared, friendships made and broken, and conflict with cycling's old guard. Based on new and exclusive interviews with Kelly and Roche themselves, as well their teammates, rivals and confidantes, this is the inspiring story of how a generation of Irish cyclists took on the world and won.

Barry Ryan is European Editor at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and other events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is from Glanworth in County Cork.