Family of previous Auckland to Wellington record holder demands Rapha takes down documentary on Lachlan Morton's new mark for failing to mention late ultra cyclist

The family of Brian Lambert — the previous holder of the record for fastest time cycled between Auckland and Wellington — has asked Rapha to remove a video documenting Lachlan Morton's most recent record-breaking 648km ride after the film completely omitted mention of Lambert's former record.

Rapha apologised to Lambert's family and said "in hindsight we regret not recognising Brian Lambert's record-breaking rides and the place he holds in this history".

The video, titled 'Chapter 1: In One Day', was uploaded to the brand's YouTube and other social media channels and instead focused on Brian Fleck, another former holder of the record, but whose time was beaten by Lambert in 1984, the latter holding the record until Morton's new fastest time was set in January.

In an Instagram post, Lambert's son James explained Rapha had "reached out and apologised" but he suggested "the film should be taken down and any proceeds made through monetisation on platforms like YouTube be donated to the Parkinson's Society of New Zealand in our father's name".

James had earlier spoken to BikeRadar and explained how Rapha's video — which also coincided with the the third anniversary of his father's death after a long battle with Parkinson's disease — failed to recognise Lambert's achievement and focused on the time of Fleck instead. At the time of writing, other articles in the press about Morton's ride and the documentary published since Friday have omitted Lambert from their coverage. 

Lambert, who died in 2022 at the age of 70, first set the record in 1982 and reclaimed it in 1984 after Fleck had set a faster time in between in 1983. The fastest time stood at 19 hours and 59 minutes until Morton recently rode the 648km between the two New Zealand cities in a staggering 18 hours and 26 minutes.

 

 

 

 

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When Rapha shared its film about Morton's achievement, Lambert's son James commented underneath: "Amazing to see my father Brian Lambert's record taken after 40 years. I like the part where Fleck mentions the actual record is 19hrs 54 minutes but fails to mention that it wasn't his time or his record."

In a later post that followed Rapha's apology, James added: "An offer to create an Instagram story that expires after 24 hours while they continue to promote a film that has allowed Fleck to claim a now deceased New Zealand cycling legend's legacy as his own was respectfully declined.

"It is our belief that the film should be taken down and any proceeds made through monetisation on platforms like YouTube be donated to the Parkinson's Society of New Zealand in our father's name."

road.cc has contacted Rapha about that request, although the brand has already posted a lengthy comment under its Instagram post about Morton's achievement and apologised for "not recognising Brian Lambert's record-breaking rides and the place he holds in this history".

Rapha said: "Thank you to those who have highlighted an error in this narrative. In this film, we focused on Brian Fleck's story due to Hayden McCormick's [a friend of Morton and fellow pro cyclist who features in the film] connection with him and his personal memory of that record, however, in hindsight we regret not recognising Brian Lambert's record-breaking rides and the place he holds in this history.

"Brian Lambert broke the Auckland to Wellington record twice, first in 1982 and again in 1984, fulfilling his ambition of breaking the 20-hour barrier by finishing the 650km ride in an incredible 19 hours, 59 minutes and 27 seconds. He held this record for over 40 years, until Lachlan's ride in January 2025 in 18 hours, 26 minutes and 56 seconds.

"Challenges like this are life-defining, and we have the utmost respect for all who go out to set them and shape what true human endeavour looks like. We would like to sincerely apologise to Brian Lambert's family, friends, and fellow riders for this omission. Thank you to those who brought this to our attention."

Morton's latest record-breaking ride followed on from his 450km-a-day epic 14,210km lap of Australia in 30 days and 10 hours – which was over a week faster than previous record.