The Times We Lived In: The man who rode alone

Summer in Ireland, late 1950s. Competitive cyclists are speeding along the roads of Co Cork when, as they race towards Glengarriff, one young man crashes, wrecking his bike. Without a moment’s hesitation his team-mate jumps from his own bike and hands it to his friend – handing over, along with it, his chance of winning the race.

It’s not the sort of story we tend to associate with competitive cycling these days. But if you have been sickened by the antics of Lance Armstrong and company, you should check out the extraordinary history of the Rás Tailteann.

Founded in 1953 as a two-day event, the race now known as the An Post Rás – or, simply “The Rás” – has always been unusual in the cycling world, not least for the number of inspirational characters it has produced over the years. The two referred to above are, respectively, Gene Mangan and Mick Murphy.

Our photo today, however, shows the most famous of them all, Séamus (Shay) O’Hanlon, picking up the trophy in the Phoenix Park in 1967 after winning it for the fourth time. He is flanked by Pierre Ropert of France (left), the runner-up, and the winner of the final stage, Jim Kennedy (right).

O’Hanlon is now remembered as the most dominant rider ever in Irish cycling. Known as “the man who rode alone”, he made the Rás his own with 24 stage wins and 37 yellow jerseys. No wonder he looks happy.

Our photo shows a curious, almost intimate moment on the podium. Still in his T-shirt, Kennedy is the picture of robust good health giving the shoulder of his triumphant rival a manly squeeze. O’Hanlon looks as if you could knock him down with a feather – is he going to drop that trophy? – while the French runner-up can’t get a look-in at all.

The crowd, meanwhile, though obviously large and probably noisy, has been muted, the image merely hinting at a silent sea of faces.