Anthony ‘Tony’ Lally competed in the men’s road race at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, crashing on the third lap and being unable to regain contact with the main bunch before retiring on the fourth lap.

The Moscow road race was a man-made circuit with continuous corners demanding constant gear changes, described as ‘quite artificial’ by Stephen Roche.

The period of acclimatisation before the race was remembered as ‘horrific’ by team manager Peter Crinnion – too long and in conditions of extreme heat, humidity and poor food that demoralised the Irish riders.