From Roubaix to Rhodes

Sean Kelly was famous for his ability to triumph over all types of adversity in the very worst conditions. The roughly hewn cobblestones of northern France, especially those in the vicinity of a small town called Roubaix were no match for the hard man from Carrick on Suir. Wind, rain, sleet and snow could not stop Kelly from crushing the dreams of his rivals. People thought that because he excelled in such conditions that he loved racing in them but in the words of the great man himself “I did not love racing in the rain, I just did not let it affect me one way or another”

Whilst there was a time when you would need a name like Vanderarden, Vanderpoel or Vanvliet to follow in his tyre tracks, or brush against his shoulders, occasionally nowadays us mere mortals get to ride with the King of the Classics on roads that are far smoother, in much more pleasant conditions, than those where he became a legend.

What is it like to ride day in, day out for a week with the second most successful cyclist in the history of the sport, beneath the sunshine, in the Greek Island of Rhodes? A man second only to Eddy Merckx in the pantheon of prolific winners? Hopefully this will give you a brief insight:

Arriving into Rhodes International Airport on Saturday afternoon a coach is waiting to bring us on the 40 minute journey to our first destination, the 5 star Mitsis Maris beach hotel. This was to be our base until Wednesday when we cycled from there to our second hotel in Rhodes city itself. Both hotels were fully all inclusive. This included all meals, snacks, drinks of all kinds and even sun beds and umbrellas on the beach where there is also a beach bar and separate pizza kitchen. A great way to recover after a nice day on the bike.

On Sunday morning the entire group headed out together for a 65km acclimatisation spin. Acacio DaSilva who was a teammate of Seans’ from his Kas days and during the Nissan Classic era drifted into the hard shoulder after just 500m. I asked if he was ok and he replied that he was fine. Then he moved over to the outside line of the group. He has not been doing much cycling for the past few years but with the instincts of a true pro was well aware of the wind direction and how to make life as easy as possible for himself.

A nice wide open road with hills on the right and the coral blue sea on the left was all the more enjoyable given the scarcity of traffic that we encountered. As the week went on this was a common observation with even less traffic on the roads once we headed inland.

Out on the road everybody gets the chance to ride alongside Sean and have a chat. Sometimes he will reminisce about a race where he and Vanderarden might not have been on the best of terms and you get an insight into what actually went on before the days of social media and zoomed in action replays. Other times Sean might advise on what gear to use up a particular climb, or what you should eat as a post training spin snack. Very often you will be just riding along shooting the breeze with a man who has been described as the humblest of heroes, and feel like you have made a new friend.

For an Island, the variety of terrain is amazing. On the days we headed inland and encountered the mountains, sometimes going through forests I was reminded of the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux. Then on other climbs when the countryside opened up in a 360 degree panoramic vista of rolling hills and olive groves it felt like Tuscany. Passing through small villages locals stopped what they were doing and smiled and waved at our apparition. The relaxed pace of life on the island allowed for their friendliness and the serenity was infectious.

On Wednesday we headed north to Rhodes city and the 5 star Mitsis Grand hotel, stopping off at Anthony Quinn Bay where some swopped their bib shorts for budgie smugglers and went for a quick swim. In Rhodes city we still had the beach right across the road but there was more of a buzz and also the old town of Rhodes was just a few minutes walk away.

One of the highlights of the entire trip was the cycling city tour of the old town of Rhodes itself and the Acropolis, a UNESCO World heritage site. Our tour guide George (one of the most common names on the Island) began by informing Sean and Vinny that he too was a Kelly. Then he took off his hat to reveal a shiny bald head and told us that in Greek, Kelly means bald. You learn something new every day.

Rhodes has its’ sights on becoming the new Mallorca as a cycling destination. The flight time is a little longer but the value to be had in the hotels is superior. The roads are far less busy and the scenery is just as spectacular. It is off to a good start.

The best time to visit Rhodes as a cyclist is either April/May or September/October.

The company that organised our trip is https://rctravel.gr/ who provided some great guide riders and a support vehicle for each group. Sean will be there this year in April from the 13th to the 20th and in October from the 12th to the 26th.

There is also a special offer available in April which includes free carbon fibre bike hire for the week.

These are a few images from some of our days on the bike in Rhodes to give you a flavour of what it is like :