A bit cheeky, this one. It’s doubtful that ‘The Boot’ was even aware that he rode a Carpenter…..

…..He won the 1958 Empire Games road race on his Raleigh.

But not quite all of it. At the end he had to wait 2 hours for confirmation of his victory before the stewards rejected a protest from the Australian team, that he had illegally received support after puncturing while away on the long solo effort that ended with the chequered flag. Illegal or not, Mike Gambrill had lent him his road bike (a Carpenter) for a lap of the course while Ray’s bike was fixed. Ray and Mike were both tall, riding 25″ frames, Mike was a member of the English track squad, out on the course as a spectator.