1. Pat McQuaid had a strong amateur career and a brief professional period before moving into race promotion and administration in Ireland and globally, serving four years as head of Irish cycling's governing body, and later two four-year terms as president of the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale.
Pat McQuaid served three years as a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Pat McQuaid's parents came from Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, where his father already raced.
On Ballygall Road in the locality of Ballygall between Glasnevin and Finglas, Jim Pat McQuaid ran a greengrocers and bakery, opposite a general store belonging to his brother, and the family lived above the shop.
Pat McQuaid himself was inspired by Shay Elliott, who visited his home when he was 12 or 13.
Two of Pat McQuaid's sons have long established business interests in the sport - David McQuaid owns DMC Sports and is the general manager of an international cycling team, while Andrew McQuaid is a lawyer, rider agent and a member of the three-person management team of Team Wiggins.
Pat McQuaid raced from 1966 to 1982, starting as a junior and then riding nationally and internationally as a senior.
Pat McQuaid rode for the small elite club founded in 1949 by his father and uncle, Emerald Cycling Club.
Pat McQuaid rode for the Clifton Cycling Club in Leeds, Yorkshire for some time in the late 1960s, and later still for a year in France.
Pat McQuaid won two of Ireland's three main road cycling events, the Tour of Ireland twice, in 1975 and 1976, and the Shay Elliott Memorial Race.
Pat McQuaid later returned to teaching, at Ballinteer Community School.
Pat McQuaid worked part-time on PE at Synge Street CBS.
In 1983, Pat McQuaid discussed taking an Irish national race on to a "pro-am" basis with Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche.
The idea did not immediately develop, but in 1984, Pat McQuaid persuaded Kelloggs to sponsor a criterium-type road race, the Grand Prix of Ireland.
Pat McQuaid ran for the honorary post of President of the ICF in November 1994, losing heavily, but won a clear mandate in 1995, and was re-elected in 1997.
Pat McQuaid put himself forward for election as UCI President in 2005, after 16 years of Hein Verbruggen's leadership.
Pat McQuaid's predecessor, running, withdrew at the last minute, as did another candidate, and he won strongly, making him the first Irish person to head a major global sport federation.
When elected, Pat McQuaid put strong emphasis on three main areas: managing the professional side of cycling, so that riders' salaries were clean and assured, and teams had a viable business model, anti-doping measures, and development of cycling beyond the traditional core countries of Europe.
Pat McQuaid oversaw an expansion of paid cycling and broadcast activity, bringing new funding to the sport.
Pat McQuaid promoted new races worldwide and worked to expand cycling activity in less active territories, for example negotiating with South Australian Premier Mike Rann to agree the first ProTour status event outside Europe, the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia.
In 2012 Pat McQuaid has a number of discussions with a colleague on the UCI Management Committee, Igor Makarov, the billionaire head of the Russian cycling federation, and advocate of cycling in his homeland of Turkmenistan, about the development of cycling in the former Soviet space.
Pat McQuaid had originally been nominated by the cycling federations of his countries of origin, Ireland, and residence, Switzerland, but both nominations were withdrawn.
Pat McQuaid had pledged not to launch a legal challenge should he be defeated, in particular with reference to allegations of that votes had been "bought" by a member of the Management Committee who wanted Pat McQuaid removed.
Pat McQuaid replaced the head of the UCI professional staff, the director-general, Christophe Hubschmid, with Martin Gibbs, a past UCI staffer who had managed his presidential campaign while Head of Policy and Legal Affairs of British Cycling.
For much of his term in office, Pat McQuaid had to deal with allegations of doping in the sport, many dating back to previous decades, and especially around a handful of elite riders such as Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis and Alberto Contador.
Pat McQuaid denied the negative allegations, as did Armstrong for his part, and Pat McQuaid clarified that he had in 2012 signed a contract to advise on the development of the sport in Turkmenistan but had withdrawn from that contract before commencing work or receiving payment.
Pat McQuaid left the UCI and cycling administration after failing to win re-election.
Pat McQuaid moved from Switzerland, and now lives in the south of France, running a holiday accommodation business.
Pat McQuaid has commented occasionally on his successors, and on ethics and doping.
Pat McQuaid married his second wife Aileen McQuaid in 2004.
In March 2008, Pat McQuaid was made a Commander in the Ivory Coast's Order of Sporting Merit.