Michael Horgan competed in the men’s 1,000 metres time trial and match sprint at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games in one of the most eventful individual cycling performances at any Games.

A member of the Maryland Wheelers Club in Belfast alongside clubmate Martin McKay, Horgan first used the velodrome just twenty minutes before racing, an entirely unfamiliar experience compared to the tarmac and concrete tracks at home.

His 1,000 metres time trial was preceded by a remarkable sequence of tyre misfortunes: his back tyre and its replacement both exploded at the start line, the back wheel was then replaced with one fitted with a heavy village-riding tyre, and as he approached the start, the front tyre also exploded.

While a solution was sought, the final heat went ahead and Italy’s Sante Gaiardoni broke the world and Olympic record and completed laps of honour. Horgan eventually competed and finished. He was Ireland’s first Olympic track cyclist since 1928.