Many of you will have already heard the sad news that Mike Morley passed away on 19th January 2021, in Epsom Hospital. He had fought an infection for quite a while and subsequently caught Covid 19.
You will all have various memories of Mike, some funny, some inspiring and this is my take on the man I nicknamed “the mad hatter”, a name Mike later used himself!
His family report that Mike once described himself as “tight, mean, and controversial”. I agree with them, in that the first two did not apply. He spoke his mind, but at least he was honest and true and was a friend to so many.
In recent years, more than I can recall, he was a member of the Kingston Phoenix Road Club and the South West London section of the CTC, also riding most weeks with the Midweek Wayfarers section on a Wednesday.
For the past few years, he took on the role of main organiser of the CTC section Hilly 50Km Reliability Trial. An annual event based at Box Hill and taking in many of Surrey’s hills. He also edited their magazine and runs list, the Sou’Wester.
Mike rode most Phoenix club events, targeting the Handicap Points Trophy, which he won a few times and supported the club’s annual attempt to win the Southern Counties Cycling Union’s Rawson Shield.
Over time, Mike used many of the events he was involved in, to support and fundraise for St Raphaels Hospice.
Before Mike came to the Phoenix, he started cycling and time trial racing as a member of the Long Eaton Paragon CC.
He had many racing achievements. One of them being his first win in a 100 Mile Open TT at the age of 23. Winning the Burton 100 with a time of 4-18-and a few seconds, Cycling Weekly carried a full-page article on the event, with the heading, MORLEY WINS BURTON 100! He went on to finish 5th in his first 12 Hour TT with a distance of 243 miles.
In the 1963 100 Mile National Championship, which was won by Derek Woodings in 4-02-38, Mike clocked a short 4-13 which was a Long Eaton Paragon club record at the time.
Also in 1963, with the Long Eaton Paragon being a member club of the Burton and District Cycling Alliance, he won the BDCA Senior Best All Rounder Competition with the following times and an average speed of 24.068 mph.
25 miles = 1-0-41, 50 miles = 2-3-08, 100 miles = 4-19-28
With these times and his 12 hour distance Mike could have been Phoenix Club Champion through many years of the 1960’s!
To this day, Mike still holds the Long Eaton Paragon CC Club Record for the Hill Climb up Holly Bank, Ambergate, off the A6 road near Matlock, Derbyshire.
Moving on to more recent times, I recount how Mike was always one to help a friend in need.
It so happened whilst cycling with the mid-week section, out near Dorking, Surrey, there was a small bunch “pile up” with Frank Cubis also crashing on his trike. Frank’s trike suffered damage to the rear triangle, knocking the wheels out of alignment, rendering it unroadworthy.
Mike offered his help. Cycling home to Walton on the Hill, returning in his car, collecting Frank and his trike and then driving Frank home. When you realise Frank lived at Perivale, two miles from Wembley, Mike drove Frank across Surrey and London, taking him home, before returning home himself. Actions speak louder than words!
And to finish, something funny. Mike was always one to stand up and make cross toasts at social functions and I warned him a few times, to bang his spoon in the table to get people’s attention. However, Mike had his own way. I watched him once stand and hit his wine glass with a knife, to attract people’s attention, so breaking the glass in his hand and losing the rest of his wine.
The broken glass got a bigger laugh than the cross toast!
So we have lost a character and good cycling friend, made all the more difficult in these hard times.
His funeral is arranged for 1.30pm on 18th February 2021 and understandably can only be attended by close family.
You can use the below link to the just giving page set up for St Raphaels Hospice with further details.
https://www.funeralguide.co.uk/obituaries/85218?
Please raise your glass at 1.30pm on 18th February and toast Mike Morley.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Barbara, his wife, who I understand is also recovering from Covid, and the rest of the Morley family.
RIP Mike Morley.
29/10/1941 – 19/01/2021
God bless and regards to all, Brian.
Brian Powney,
President, Kingston Phoenix Road Club.
