[2][3] Jack Lauterwasser - he pronounced it Law-tuh-woss-uh with the "w" as in English[4] - was the son of a German who emigrated to France in the late 19th century and then to England.

[4] His father was returned to Germany at the outbreak of war in 1914 and Lauterwasser lived with his mother and the rest of her children.

They moved to Highbury in north London and Lauterwasser worked as a cycling delivery boy for a grocery store.

[4] "I really was a novice, a greenhorn who knew nothing, but in my first season I progressed to being club champ and winning some good time-trials," he said.

[2](ref RRA General Secretary) Lauterwasser was picked for the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and cycled there from London.

The race was run against the clock as an individual time trial, a British speciality, with riders starting at two-minute intervals.

He and his team-mates, Frank Southall (second) and John Middleton (26th),[6] were originally judged third best team but were raised to second after Italy was disqualified.