Richard Lamb
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Richard William Lamb |
| Nickname | Fatty |
| Born |
26 December 1907 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 1974 (aged 66–67) |
| Weight | 11 st 10 lb (74 kg) |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road & track |
| Role | Rider |
Richard "Fatty" Lamb (26 December 1907 – 1974) was an Australian racing cyclist who competed on both road and track, as was typical of Australian cyclists of the era such as Hubert Opperman. Throughout his career, Lamb was associated with Malvern Star Bicycles and Bruce Small.
In August 1925 Lamb made his first attempt at motor-paced cycling riding 10 miles in 11' 22", easily beating the Australasian amateur record of 17' 32" and the British Empire record of 14' 21". During this ride, Lamb was reported to have broken eight world's records, eight British Empire records, nineteen Victorian standing and flying start records, and a similar number of Australasian records.
Lamb won the Goulburn to Sydney race twice, in 1925 and 1926. The Goulburn to Sydney was a handicap race where the slower riders start first. On each occasion Lamb started from scratch, being the last group to start, and in winning the race, also set the fastest time. The win in 1926 was controversial because Lamb had swapped bikes with another competitor, which was contrary to the written rules, however an official from the NSW Cyclists Union had assured riders before the start that they would not be disqualified for changing bikes. In 1927 Lamb was again starting from scratch and again set the fastest time, but came 9th on handicap, with the winner JA Shaw starting 52 minutes before Lamb. Lamb's time in 1925 was 6h 17' 55" which was 6' 35" better that the amateur record and 1' 36" better than the best professional time for the race. In 1927 Lamb finished in 6h 00' 44".
Newspapers at the time reported that Lamb was expected to be selected for the Australian team to the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Lamb won the Victorian Olympic Time Trial test race in October 1927, covering 126 miles in 6h 14'43", winning by over 24 minutes. He then won the Australian Olympic Time Trial test race in November 1927, covering 120 miles in 6h 08'14", winning by over 36 minutes. Lamb also competed in the Australian Olympic track trials but was not successful.
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