Gloucester - County Cycling Grounds
Bristol Road : GL1 5TW
Gloucester - County Cycling Grounds : Map credit National Library of Scotland The Avenue Hotel on Bristol Road opened in 1893 and Ralph Sibley took over the premises the following year. Sibley was a cycling supporter and hosted the finish of a road race and prize giving at his hotel in August 1894. Sibley decided to build a bicycle racing track in the grounds of the Avenue Hotel and spent several months and a large amount of money completing the project.

When the new track was built, there were two cycling clubs in Gloucester. The Gloucester Tyndale Cycling Club was formed in 1891, they started holding their races on the Road. The Gloucester and County Cycling Club (GCCC) was formed in 1892 and at their AGM on 5th March 1895, it was reported that the club was in a strong position and that membership had increased by sixty in the previous fortnight. The club had granted Mr Sibley permission to use the club name for the new track and club members would be given special terms to use the track.

The Gloucester Citizen of 21st June 1895 described the new cinder track, it was a quarter mile around, 23 feet wide and the bends were banked 4ft 6in. The track was built from a thick coat of ballast with burnt clay, covered with a sanded coating of tar. There was a grandstand for 500 people, with dressing rooms, refreshment room and lavatories. The new track was well placed as the new tramcar system ran from the city to the ground.

The Gloucester and County Cycling and Recreation Ground open their new track for training on 24th June 1895, the cost of a season training ticket was ten shillings, 7/6d for GCCC members, tickets by application to Ralph Sibley. The new track was formally opened with an evening race meeting on 18th July 1895, two club and two open events were included, but unfortunately the weather was very stormy and there were only 700 spectators.

A Flower and Poultry show was held at the ground on 22nd August 1895, which included a boy's bicycle race. Ralph Sibley applied for drinks licences for his bicycle race meetings and after some resistance from the bench, he was granted afternoon licenses only from 3 until 6pm. The Tyndale CC held their first track meeting at the ground on 29th August and included one, two and ten miles club handicap races. The meeting was closed, only members and friends were there, an attendance of 200 people.

The second GCCC sports were held on 7 September 1895, there were 172 entries for the six events. ¼, 1 and 2 miles open handicap ½ mile local handicap, 2 miles roadster handicap for club members and a 5 miles open scratch race. The club made a profit of £4 11s from the meeting. This was to be the last bicycle racing at the County Cycling Ground.

At the GCCC AGM on 13 November 1895, the club reported that they had made a profit on their two track meetings and a very large increase of 115 members during the past year. It was reported at the club dinner, that Club runs unfortunately were a failure last year because of the un-sociability amongst some members, probably due to the club captain being a racing man.

For some reason there was no report of any bicycle racing on the track after 1896, but Mr Sibley continued his interest in sports by offering the Gloucester Association FC a home ground at the Avenue Hotel. It transpired that Sibley was quite ill, which probably affected his ability to promote sports at the ground. In 1900 Sibley transferred the licence to his wife, saying that he had been unwell for some time. He was made bankrupt the following year and died a few months later aged 44 years.

By 1921, the ground was developed as a sawmill, then later, as housing around Newark Road.


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