Richie with Carol on their bikes. He was a huge figure in every sense and his passing leaves a gap that will never be filled.
By Brian Canty
The Irish cycling community is today coming to terms with the death of Richie Byrne who passed away peacefully overnight.
The larger-than-life Dubliner (54) had been fighting cancer since he was diagnosed almost 12 months ago and though he won many big battles in his life, this was a unfair contest that not even he could conquer.
His courageous effort to tackle the disease won him legions of followers and inspired many; his fight to get back to full health and back out on his bike garnering admirers from all over the country.
It was early October last year when he was given the life-altering news; a massive tumour had been found in his brain and another was invading his perfectly-fit body from the hip.
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Like most obstacles Richie was confronted with in life, he ploughed head-first into it and refused to accept the hand he was dealt.
Richie with some of his boys. He made a huge contribution to the Irish scene helping and mentoring more people than even he could remember.
Within days of his diagnosis he was pictured laughing and joking with friends out training in the Wicklow Mountains – though never taking the diagnosis for granted.
He was adamant the disease was there for a visit but had ‘picked the wrong person’ to scrap with.
Richie even had t-shirts printed with the slogan ‘if only you know who you’d started on’.
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Club runs on the Wicklow trails were rammed as his followers rowed in behind him, determined to support him.
The conviction that he’d win (again) never dimmed and though the country’s best oncologists told him he’d never ride a bike again if he came through, he looked the other way and would often reply ‘that’s what ye think’.
Richie had a unique attitude to life and his battle against cancer was no different; sharing his thoughts on his blog and social media.
In addition to four initial bouts of radiation and a multitude of medication with varying side-affects, Richie eventually had to cope with the fact that he would actually have to stay off the bike while in recovery.
He took up sea kayaking with his wife Carol because he took one too many falls while he also set up a blog to chart his battle with cancer.
And not once in his posts did he ever appear like he was losing that battle – though in his own mind, that probably wasn’t the case.
It’s testament to his character that he stayed so positive in the face of overwhelming odds and it’s that exact trait that made him such a success in life and in business.
He is responsible for the creation of Ireland’s first mountain bike club and that was followed shortly by the inauguration of the country’s first national championship race.
Subsequent to this, he devoted all of his time to the sport – he ran the Giant Store, Dublin, founder of the Giant Dublin Off-Road Team and the Giant Dublin Club and he led countless rides for kids, women and total beginners.
He was a busy man but raced elite level throughout his career, never living life off the edge.
We will bring you details of his funeral when we have them and also more on Richie in the next 24 hours, hopefully from the people who knew him best in cycling.
We'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to Carol and Sophie from all at stickybottle.
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