On Tuesday I got the sad news that a good friend of mine and a cycling legend of the 70's Peter Morton died unexpectedly while out on his bike doing what he loved.

A lot of currant cycling people these days probably don't know Peter Morton, he was a very successful cyclist in the 70's (I put a list of his results at the bottom of this page). A super talented rider - I have some pictures of him in an old Tour of Ireland.

Peter fixing his son Eoin's bike before a Cyclocross race in 2011

Peter lived in Swords, Co. Dublin and stepped back from competition in the 80's but he still cycled for leisure both on the road and some mountain biking, he appeared at road events when his son, Eoin took up racing for UCD, Eoin went on to have many successes too.

I first met Peter in a race, it was the Dublin / Drogheda CP, in 1974. I had only started racing with Les Jeunes at 19 and I was put in the first group with juniors and vets. Peter was a junior and in the Dublin Wheelers. The race started in Santry and went out the Belfast road to Julianstown where it turned left and then came back over the Naul hills, as soon as we hit the hills Peter and myself rode away and opened up a massive gap leading the race as we heading to the finish at the back of the airport. With all the hard roads behind us, at about 5 miles to go I ran out of steam and Peter rode on, I assumed he went on to win the race, only to find he also ran out of steam a couple of miles later. Well you remember those things and I was pleasantly surprised to see Peter go on to greater successes in the following years.

In the 90's we regularly went mountain biking together, he loved cycling and was great company.

Irish Cycling has lost a true great and a total gentleman.

It was a pleasure to have known Peter Morton

In my piece above I forgot that Peter came back to road racing briefly in the late 80's. He's pictured here on the Telecom Ras team (L-R) Kevin Sinclair (manager) Ian Wogan, Terry McManus, Paul Keogh, Emma O'Reilly (masseuse), Peter Morton, Julian Dalby and Mick McLynskey.

Peter Morton finishing 2nd in the All Ireland Road Race Championships in Navan in 1979

Peter in the light blue to the right, mountainbiking on the top of Djouce mountain in 1990

The funeral was a incredible send-off for the great person he was, with hugh numbers of family and friends (some of whom I hadn't seen in 40 years) gathered to remember him.

Peter Morton (Ireland) Some of his Results

Peter riding on the Ireland team at the start of the 1978 Tour of Ireland

• 1e etappe Carrick Wheelers - Jimmy Henzey Memorial Two Day, (Carrick-on-Suir), Carrick-on-Suir (Tipperary), Ireland
o 1975: 3
• 1e etappe Dublin - Birr - Dublin Two Day, (Dublin), Birr (Offaly), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• 1e etappe Irish Road Club - Easter Three Day, (Dublin), Gorey (Wexford), Ireland
o 1975: 1
• 1e etappe Lurgan R.C. - Tour of Armagh, (Armagh), Armagh (Armagh), Groot-Brittannië
o 1977: 3
• 1e etappe Tour of Ireland, Cork (Cork), Ireland
o 1977: 4
• 1e etappe Wicklow Holiday Festival Three Day, Wicklow (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 5
• 2e etappe Dublin - Birr - Dublin Two Day, (Dublin), Dublin (Dublin), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• 2e etappe Dublin - Galway - Dublin, Stage Race, (Dublin - Galway - Dublin), Galway (Galway), Ireland
o 1979: 1
• 2e etappe Irish Road Club - Easter Three Day, Gorey (Wexford), Ireland
o 1975: 1
o 1977: 2
• 2e etappe Ritmo Fiat Grand Prix Two Day, (Drogheda), Waterford (Waterford), Ireland
o 1979: 2
• 2e etappe Tour of Ireland, Kenmare (Kerry), Ireland
o 1977: 2
• 2e etappe Wicklow Holiday Festival Three Day, Wicklow (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• 3e etappe An Post Ras, (Ras Tailteann), Ennis (Clare), Ireland
o 1979: 2
• 3e etappe Dublin - Galway - Dublin, Stage Race, (Dublin - Galway - Dublin), Dublin (Dublin), Ireland
o 1979: 3
• 3e etappe Wicklow Holiday Festival Three Day, (Wicklow), Wicklow (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 3
• 4e etappe Dublin Wheelers - Tour of Fingal, (Dublin), Ireland
o 1977: 3
• 4e etappe Irish Road Club - Easter Three Day, (Dublin), Bray (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• 5e etappe An Post Ras, (Ras Tailteann), Mallow (Cork), Ireland
o 1979: 1
• 6e etappe Tour of Ireland, Bundoran (Donegal), Ireland
o 1975: 3
• Banbridge C.C. - West Down Grand Prix, (Belfast), Banbridge (Banbridge), Groot-Brittannië
o 1978: 3
• Bergklassement Tour of Ireland, Dublin Ireland
o 1975: 2
o 1977: 3
• Bray Wheelers - Shay Elliott Memorial, Bray (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 3
o 1979: 1
• Carrick Wheelers Road Race, (Kilcullen), Kilcullen (Kildare), Ireland
o 1977: 5
• D. J. Forde Memorial, (Fermoy), Fermoy (Cork), Ireland
o 1975: 4
• Dublin Wheelers - A.P.R., (Dublin (ao)), Ireland
o 1978: 2
• Dun Laoghaire Grand Prix, (Dún Laoghaire), Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland
o 1976: 1
• Eagle R.C. Phoenix Park Cyclo Cross, (Dublin, Cyclocross), Dublin Ireland
o 1977: 3
• Eindklassement Carrick Wheelers - Jimmy Henzey Memorial Two Day, (Carrick-on-Suir), Carrick-on-Suir (Tipperary), Ireland
o 1975: 5
• Eindklassement Dublin - Birr - Dublin Two Day, (Dublin), Dublin (Dublin), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• Eindklassement Irish C. F. Star Trophy Road Series, (Dublin (x)), Dublin (Dublin), Ireland
o 1977: 6
• Eindklassement Irish Road Club - Easter Three Day, (Dublin), Bray (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1975: 2
• Eindklassement Lurgan R.C. - Tour of Armagh, Lurgan (Craigavon), Groot-Brittannië
o 1976: 7
• Eindklassement Wicklow Holiday Festival Three Day, (Wicklow), Wicklow (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• Enniscorthy Strawberry Fair Festival, Enniscorthy (Wexford), Ireland
o 1977: 1
• Irish Glass Grand Prix, (Roundwood), Ireland
o 1977: 2
• Irish Road Club Road Race, (Dublin (aa)), Ireland
o 1975: 4
o 1977: 3
• Liam Toolan Memorial, (Dublin (w)), Santry (Dublin), Ireland
o 1978: 3
• Nationaal Kampioenschap, Op de weg, Amateurs, Ireland, Navan (Meath), Ireland
o 1979: 2
• Orwell Wheelers - Rudge Whitworth Trophy, (Dublin), Ireland
o 1975: 3
• Philip Lewis Trophy, (Fermoy), Fermoy (Cork), Ireland
o 1977: 5
• Phoenix Park Road Race, (Dublin), Ireland
o 1976: 5
• Round Towers C.C. - Knights of Malta, (Dublin), Dublin (Dublin), Ireland
o 1975: 1
• Round Towers C.C. - Grand Prix of Ireland, (Dublin), Ireland
o 1978: 6
• Round Towers C.C. Road Race, (Dublin), Ireland
o 1975: 2
o 1977: 1
• Roundwood Grand Prix, (Dublin), Roundwood (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1976: 3
• Tailteann-Eagle Road Race, (Dublin), Blessington (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1978: 3
• Tour of the Slade Valley, Tallaght (Dublin), Ireland
o 1978: 2
• Tour of the Sperrins, (Bellaghy), Bellaghy (Magherafelt), Groot-Brittannië
o 1978: 4
• Willaston Circuit - A.P.R., (Douglas), Douglas , Isle of Man
o 1974: 5
• deel c Wicklow Road Race, (Wicklow), Ireland
o 1975: 1

From - https://retro-cycling.com/pages/wielrenner-peter-morton