Mark Bell (21 June 1960 – 30 January 2009) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

professional

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

from

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

. He rode for Britain in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

, won the national road championship as an amateur and then a professional and was the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud stage race in Belgium. He died at 49 after collapsing at his home in

Bebington Bebington () is a town and unparished area within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. ...

, Wirral. He had recently recovered from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

Origins

Mark Bell was an early talent. A rival, Neil France, said: "I first met Mark in Barnston dip on the Wirral when I tried to drop him. As a 12-year-old imagine my surprise when the nine-year-old Mark kept up with me!". At 10 he finished a 10-mile time-trial in 33 minutes, wearing soccer clothes and school shoes. He came sixth in a race against boys several years older when he was 12, won cyclo-cross races and as a 14-year-old rode for the North of England in the English Schools Cycling Association international three-day at

Filey Filey () is a seaside town and civil parish in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire, it is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on Filey Bay. Although it was a fishing ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

Amateur career

Mark Bell won the season-long Peter Buckley Trophy competition for the best under-18 in 1978. He turned 18 the following season and won the Benedictine GP at Leyland, Lancashire. In 1979 he earned his first senior international selection, which was for the Sealink International and was 3rd in the

British National Road Race Championships The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually. History Between 1943 and 1958, two separate bodies – the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) and t ...

. Later that season still only 19 he finished the world amateur road race championship in Valkenburg, Holland. He also spent some time in 1979 with the ACBB, riding alongside Phil Anderson and

Robert Millar Philippa York (born Robert Millar on 13 September 1958) is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist. York, who competed when known as Robert Millar, is one of Britain's most successful cyclists. York won the "King of t ...

. In 1981, he won the

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and won two stages in the Milk Race. The following season Bell and track rider Piers Hewitt spent some time living and racing in

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for UVCA Troyes. Bell represented

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when he competed in the road race at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in

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finishing 9th, the gold medal won by compatriot Malcolm Elliott. Bell made history in 1983 becoming the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud stage race in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. In 1984 he rode for Britain in the

road race in

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. Bell was the top British rider for the Olympic road race. However the course contained a tough climb that no-one had told him about as the BCF selectors had said it was flat. Consequently, Bell felt he was the wrong type of rider for the course. Bell was not a climber – evidence his 110th place in the British National Hill Climb Championships, several years before the Olympics.'Mark Bell- A brilliance that comes in flashes', Keith Bingham, Cycling Weekly,1987,p10-13, He did not finish the race, and dropped out before the halfway mark. However he had an extremely successful amateur career, winning around 200 races as an amateur. That included classics such as the Pernod GP, the Lincoln GP and GP of Essex.

Professional career

Bell returned from

and turned professional for Falcon, alongside Shane Sutton. Falcon were one of several teams riding largely in Britain. He won the Delyn Grand Prix in his first season and finished third in the

. The following year he moved to the

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

team, riding with Paul Sherwen,

Paul Watson Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. Th ...

, Jon Clay and former Manchester Wheelers teammate Jeff Williams. In his first season with

he won the

. Brian Cookson, later president of the

Union Cycliste Internationale The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues raci ...

, said: "I remember, as a commissaire, following Mark throughout his successful breakaway to win the national pro road race title in 1986, when he simply rode away from some of the greatest names in the sport." Bell was often labelled as a sprinter and won his first two stages in the Milk Race at

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and Blackpool from bunch sprints. However Bell disputed this tag as he said "I sprint better from a small group than from a bunch. I’d say, basically, that on my day I’m a strong rider that has the ability to nick a sprint or go alone in a breakaway." In 1988 he joined Emmelle-MBK riding alongside Graham Jones. He retired at the end of the 1988 season.

Later life

Bell had repeated health trouble after he stopped racing, including alcoholism. He wrote on a web site in 2008: "After stopping racing, I was dogged with alcoholism which at present I am on top of, but I am partially temporarily disabled with DVT

deep vein thrombosis Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enla ...

damage to my lower right leg and foot and also have osteomyelitis damage to my left shoulder requiring a replacement shoulder operation." He was found dead in January the following year. His brother,

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

, also a former professional, said: "Mark battled with a lot of his own problems in his last years, but, when he was on top of things and doing well, he was a lovely man."

Palmarès

;1978 :1st National junior road race series ;1979 : 3rd

(Amateur) ;1980 :2nd Stage 5, Sealink International ;1981 :2nd

Premier Calendar The British Cycling Premier Calendar Road Race Series is a season-long competition run by British Cycling. It comprises a series of road bicycle races for the country's top domestic road riders. Organisation and events In 2010 points were awar ...

:2nd Stage 1, Milk Race, Bournemouth :1st Stage 7, Milk Race, York :1st Stage 12, Milk Race, Blackpool :1st MaillotReinoUnido

(Amateur) :2nd Newton ;1982 :3rd London – Bradford :9th

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

, Road race :1st Lincoln International GP :1st Stage 11, Milk Race, Harrogate ;1983 :1st Overall Étoile de Sud :: 1st Stage, Étoile de Sud :1st Archer Grand Prix ;1984 :DNF

, Road race ;1985 :1st Delyn Grand Prix :2nd Derby : 3rd

(Professional) :2nd Shrewsbury ;1986 :64th Overall Nissan Classic :1st MaillotReinoUnido

(Professional) :2nd Tom Simpson Memorial :1st Douglas Kermesse ;1987 :2nd Norwich : 20th

(Professional)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Mark 1960 births 2009 deaths British cycling road race champions English male cyclists Olympic cyclists of Great Britain Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for England Sportspeople from Birkenhead