Séamus ''"Sé"'' O'Hanlon also known as ''Shay O'Hanlon'' (born 14 September 1941 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) is a former

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

amateur

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

. He was a top amateur in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s, winning the

Rás Tailteann Rás Tailteann (; "Tailteann Race"), often shortened to the Rás, is an annual international cycling stage race, held in Ireland. Traditionally held in May, the race returned after a hiatus in 2022 as 5 day event held in June. By naming the rac ...

stage race in 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967. O'Hanlon belonged to the National Cycling Association (NCA), one of the three cycling associations in Ireland at that time and the one whose members were excluded by the UCI from world championships and Olympic Games.

Specific race history

O'Hanlon dominated the

and wore the leader's

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

for 36 days, winning 24 stages, his first in 1960. The following year, he won three consecutive stages and in 1962 he won the race. He raced in France after his Rás win in 1962, had difficulty with his NCA licence in France but rode well before returning to Ireland. He won three consecutive Rás, leading from start to finish from 1965 to 1967. In 1966 O'Hanlon rode against a French team which included Jean Bellay, who rode the

1954 Tour de France The 1954 Tour de France was the 41st edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 8 July to 1 August 1954. It consisted of 23 stages over . The race was won by Louison Bobet, the second of his three consecutive wins. Teams As was the cust ...

and

1957 Tour de France The 1957 Tour de France was the 44th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 27 June to 20 July. It was composed of 22 stages over . The 1957 Tour was the first win for Jacques Anquetil, who won the Tour five times over his career. The ...

. Bellay finished second to O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon never won the race after 1967 but he was prominent each year until the mid-1970s. He wore the

again in 1973 and rode the race every year until 1984. O'Hanlon also holds the record for wins in the

Tour of Ulster The Tour of Ulster is a road bicycle racing stage race held around the Irish province of Ulster, divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was first run in 1956. It is rated as a National Event on the Union Cycliste Inte ...

– 1961, 1962, 1965 and 1966. During the 1970s while still competing, O'Hanlon became president of the NCA and helped unify the cycling associations in Ireland, which meant riders of all associations could ride any race. The 1979 Rás Tailteann was the first in which the three associations competed together. An ICF team led by Peter Doyle rode the Rás in 1974 and an NCA team rode the Tour of Ireland that year. The three associations unified in 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohanlon, Se Irish male cyclists 1941 births Living people Rás Tailteann winners