Mark Bell

Mark Bell (21 June 1960 – 30 January 2009) was an English professional cyclist from Birkenhead. He rode for Britain in the Olympic Games, 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, Wirral. He had recently recovered from alcoholism.

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!".

Bell made history in 1983 becoming the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud stage race in Belgium. In 1984 he rode for Britain in the Olympic Games road race in Los Angeles. 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. He did not finish the race, and dropped out before the halfway mark.

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 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, 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 British National Road Race Championships (Amateur) 1980 2nd Stage 5, Sealink International 1981 2nd Premier Calendar 2nd Stage 1, Milk Race, Bournemouth 1st Stage 7, Milk Race, York 1st Stage 12, Milk Race, Blackpool

2nd Newton 1982 3rd London – Bradford 9th Commonwealth Games, 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 Olympic Games, Road race 1985 1st Delyn Grand Prix 2nd Derby 3rd British National Road Race Championships (Professional) 2nd Shrewsbury 1986 64th Overall Nissan Classic

2nd Tom Simpson Memorial 1st Douglas Kermesse 1987 2nd Norwich 20th British National Road Race Championships (Professional)