Billy Kerr

Billy Kerr (26 February 1945 – 14 August 2012) was an Irish cyclist.^[1][2] He competed in the individual road race event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.^[3]

Kerr was born in February 1945 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.^[1] At the age of 16, Kerr was working in a local shoe factory and later joined the Ballymena Road Club.^[2] However, as a junior cyclist, Kerr initially had to give up the sport due to a back injury.^[4] After successful physiotherapy, Kerr won multiple club races and national championships in the 1970s.^[4]

Kerr's took part in the road race and team pursuit events at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, his first international races.^[1] Four years later, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Kerr was part of the team that finished in fourth place in the team time trial.^[1] He also competed at three editions of the UCI World Championships in the late 1970s and early 1980s.^[1] Kerr was part of the Irish team for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, finishing in 41st place in the individual road race.^[2][5][6][7]

In 1980, Kerr won the King of the Mountains classification in the Milk Race,^[2] and in 1982, Kerr won the Tour of Ireland.^[1][8] At the Irish National Cycling Championships, Kerr won the men's time trial in 1981, and the men's road race in 1982.^[9] Kerr was also a two-time winner of the Tour of Ulster.^[10][11]

Kerr died in August 2012 following a short illness, at the age of 67.^[12][13]

• Billy Kerr at Cycling Archives (archived)
• Billy Kerr at ProCyclingStats
• Billy Kerr at Olympedia