Raymond Clyde Rimple (16 June 1937 – 2 April 2022) was a Trinidadian and British cyclist and politician. Born in Marabella, he took up cycling after being persuaded by his friends. He competed at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, staying in the UK after competing to work. He joined the Royal Air Force and was selected to compete for the British West Indies at the 1960 Summer Olympics. After his cycling career, he moved back to Trinidad and Tobago before moving back to England, becoming the Bracknell town councillor from 1974 to 1978.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond Clyde Rimple |
| Born | 16 June 1937 Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Died | 2 April 2022 (aged 84) Newbury, Berkshire, England |
Biography
editRaymond Clyde Rimple was born on 16 June 1937 in Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago,[1] to a family of four brothers and three sisters. Rimple worked as an instrument fitter at an oilfield and owned a bicycle shop in Trinidad and Tobago. He was then persuaded by his friends to take up cycling as a sport.[2]
Rimple was selected to compete for Trinidad and Tobago at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, Wales,[1] competing in every event besides the individual pursuit.[3] Instead of leaving the country after the Games, Rimple decided to stay in London and worked as a sheet metal worker for 18 months.[2] He also continued to cycle, winning multiple club championships.[1] In 1959, he enrolled at a college and joined the Royal Air Force (RAF), being stationed in Locking.[2] His camp's sports officer knew about Rimple's success in cycling and contacted the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation, to where he was selected to compete for the British West Indies at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[3] Earlier that year, he won the five-mile scratch race in the RAF track championships over Karl Barton.[2] At the 1960 Summer Games, he competed in both road and track cycling but failed to medal in either of the events he entered in.[1]
In 1961, he was featured on the cover of the magazine Sporting Cyclist, where his career was covered about. After his cycling career, he moved back to Trinidad and Tobago to work in the oil industry but moved back to England later in his life.[3] From 1974 to 1976, he was named a town councillor for Bracknell and resided in Great Hollands with his wife and four children. The following year, he was involved in a case with his wife where he was charged a one-year long conditional discharge and fined 60 pounds after pouring bleach and urinating on his wife's clothes.[4]
Rimple later died on 2 April 2022 in Newbury, Berkshire, England, at the age of 84.[1]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 "Clyde Rimple Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Locking airman in Olympic cycling". Bristol Evening Post. 16 August 1960. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 Wilcockson, John (16 February 2024). "The First Black Olympic Cyclists: from the Caribbean to New York City". Velo. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ↑ "Former councillor on damage charge". Bracknell and Ascot Times. 29 September 1977. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.