Olympic race, was held as an individual
time trial. Sweden’s Gunnar Sköld won
in Copenhagen with Marsh finishing
12th, over 27 minutes behind. If it was a
disappointment, Marsh would
only have to wait another 12 months
to score his greatest win.
The 1922 World Championships
were scheduled for August, to be
hosted in England. The track events at
New Brighton were a washout due to
heavy rain that fell all week, resulting
in postponement and a transfer of the
competition to Paris later in the year, but
the road race went ahead as planned.
With the UCI-affiliated National Cycling
Union not involved with road racing in
Britain at the time, the responsibility for
arranging the road race was handed to
the Anfield Bicycle Club, which designed
a course based largely on their regular
‘100’ route in Shropshire. Just 14 riders
started, set off at three-minute intervals.
Marsh led from the first official time-
check at the 36-mile mark until the end,
recording a win 1.20 over compatriot Bill
Burkhill. The podium was completed
by another Briton, Charles Davey, while
F.H. Dredge came in fifth. Defending
champion Sköld was the best-placed
foreigner, finishing fourth, more than
six minutes behind Marsh. While itBars and bikes
As well as having a reputation for
consistency, Dave Marsh was also known as
a rider that prepared well for races, paying
particular attention to his bicycle. He soon
discovered a distinctive sweeping design of
handlebars that he particularly liked.
“He developed a shape that he was
comfortable with, much different to
today’s designs,” Marsh’s son-in-law, Eric
Beauchamp, says. “They got popular.
When people saw him riding with these
handlebars they asked him where he got
them and he told them he’d had them
made specially.”
The design caught on and by the late
1920s numerous bike manufacturers were
offering bicycle models ready fitted with
adjustable ‘Marsh Bars’.By late 1929 Marsh had joined the staff of
Ariel Works and was working with designers
on a new bicycle for the serious rider. The
result was the Ariel Marsh which, according
to the company’s advert was built under
his “personal supervision,” designed to
Marsh’s ideals of what a “perfect racing
mount should be.” Miles would apparently
flash by at a thrilling speed, with a generous
return for every ounce of energy expended.
“As you finish the course in record time to
the cheers of the crowd, you’ll be right glad
you chose an Ariel Marsh,” gushed front
page adverts.
Hyperbolic prose it may have been
but the bike reviewed well and the use of
Marsh’s name on a premium product is
the perfect illustration of the high regard in
which this most remarkable of cyclists was
once held.26 | December 7, 2017 | Cycling Weekly