Charley Barden
Encyclopedia
Charley Barden was a British cyclist whose fame and looks led to his being mobbed wherever he went. He twice came second in the world professional sprint championship and held the English title and several records. His career was ruined after he alleged that other riders rode dangerously and killed another rider.
. He started racing when he was 14 and moved to London. There he joined the Polytechnic cycling club in the city centre, making friends with one of the stars of the day, Bert Harris
of Leicester
. The two eventually toured Europe together to ride tournaments.
A year later Barden moved to the club at Catford
, then in countryside south of the city. The Catford club held races in the streets of the village and built a track reputed to be the fastest in Europe. It was there that Barden's talent was notice and developed.
of Wales
, who won the world's first motor-paced championship that year in Cologne
. The occasion - which prompted tales of doping
and fixing of races - was the so-called Chain Match. Riders who used Simpson chains were contracted to ride against those who didn't, to prove which design was superior.
Such races were held at different venues and, while most accounts say it was Catford, others say Germany. All the accounts say that Barden and Michael were pitched in a five-mile race in front of a crowd of about 15,000. They start with Michael taking a drink from his coach and manager, Choppy Warburton
and end with his riding poorly to his falling off his bike, remounting and setting off in the wrong direction.
Michael's strange behaviour led him to accuse Warburton of doping him. Barden, too, later made accusations of race-fixing and they were to ruin his career in Britain.
Barden rode the world professional track championship at Copenhagen
in 1896 and Glasgow
in 1897, finishing second on both occasions. His fame and looks drew huge crowds at velodrome
s and he was mobbed by fans wherever he went. He was English champion in 1896 and broke records from 440 yards to 10 miles.
He married his first wife, Mary, in 1897 and, by 1911, had 5 children - 2 of whom had died by then. (Census)
, Birmingham on Easter Monday, 1897. He crashed in the 10-mile race, hit his head on the cement track and died on 21 April after not regaining consciousness.
Barden accused the others in the race of making him fall, cutting away his front wheel through their riding so he would not win. The National Cyclists Union held an inquiry and Barden made himself more unpopular by accusing the witnesses of "out and out lies". The issue split fans of cycling but race promoters were more united and Barden found it harder to get engagements.
He could still race on the continent and he moved to Paris. He lived there until 1899, then returned to Britain and retired. He died in 1962.Leicester
.
, sailing on a troop ship to the Boer War
. He moved to Leicester, where Bert Harris had lived, and married a girl in the city. He opened a shop in Saffron Lane, Leicester, where a cycle track was later built, then worked at Bentley Engineering in the city. He joined the Working Men's Club
but rarely spoke of his career.
Background
Charley Barden was born in Canterbury in 1874. In 1881, he was living in the Brough of Chelsea and in 1891, in Kensal Rise. (Census) He may have grown up in the riverside town of Maldon, EssexMaldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
. He started racing when he was 14 and moved to London. There he joined the Polytechnic cycling club in the city centre, making friends with one of the stars of the day, Bert Harris
Bert Harris
Albert Bert Walter Allen Harris was a professional racing cyclist. He was raised in Leicester and attended Holy Trinity School...
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. The two eventually toured Europe together to ride tournaments.
A year later Barden moved to the club at Catford
Catford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
, then in countryside south of the city. The Catford club held races in the streets of the village and built a track reputed to be the fastest in Europe. It was there that Barden's talent was notice and developed.
Racing
In 1895 Barden rode at Catford against Jimmy MichaelJimmy Michael
Jimmy Michael , was a Welsh world cycling champion and one of the top riders in the sport for several years.-Origins:...
of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, who won the world's first motor-paced championship that year in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. The occasion - which prompted tales of doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
and fixing of races - was the so-called Chain Match. Riders who used Simpson chains were contracted to ride against those who didn't, to prove which design was superior.
Such races were held at different venues and, while most accounts say it was Catford, others say Germany. All the accounts say that Barden and Michael were pitched in a five-mile race in front of a crowd of about 15,000. They start with Michael taking a drink from his coach and manager, Choppy Warburton
Choppy Warburton
James Edward 'Choppy' Warburton was an English record-breaking runner and a cycling coach. His career in cycling has frequent claims that he drugged riders to make them ride faster.-Origins:...
and end with his riding poorly to his falling off his bike, remounting and setting off in the wrong direction.
Michael's strange behaviour led him to accuse Warburton of doping him. Barden, too, later made accusations of race-fixing and they were to ruin his career in Britain.
Barden rode the world professional track championship at Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1896 and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1897, finishing second on both occasions. His fame and looks drew huge crowds at velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
s and he was mobbed by fans wherever he went. He was English champion in 1896 and broke records from 440 yards to 10 miles.
He married his first wife, Mary, in 1897 and, by 1911, had 5 children - 2 of whom had died by then. (Census)
Accusations and downfall
Barden's friend and his colleague in tournaments across Europe, Bert Harris, was the first English sprint champion. In one meeting in Australia he won £800 at a time a skilled worker in England earned £85 a year. Three years after his national championship, and with his career starting to fade, he rode at a meeting on the track at AstonAston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
, Birmingham on Easter Monday, 1897. He crashed in the 10-mile race, hit his head on the cement track and died on 21 April after not regaining consciousness.
Barden accused the others in the race of making him fall, cutting away his front wheel through their riding so he would not win. The National Cyclists Union held an inquiry and Barden made himself more unpopular by accusing the witnesses of "out and out lies". The issue split fans of cycling but race promoters were more united and Barden found it harder to get engagements.
He could still race on the continent and he moved to Paris. He lived there until 1899, then returned to Britain and retired. He died in 1962.Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
.
Retirement
Barden joined the Merchant NavyMerchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
, sailing on a troop ship to the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
. He moved to Leicester, where Bert Harris had lived, and married a girl in the city. He opened a shop in Saffron Lane, Leicester, where a cycle track was later built, then worked at Bentley Engineering in the city. He joined the Working Men's Club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
but rarely spoke of his career.