Bicycle racing took place annually at the Leighton Buzzard Amateur Athletics Sports, which was usually held on a grass track at the Bell Close. In the 1880's old maps show that there was a recreation ground called Parson's Close and nearby was a field that became a football ground. Cycling events were reported from 1879 until 1909 and the race program usually included 1 and 2 miles handicap and a 1 mile race for local riders. The attendance was good, the 1888 meeting reports 2,500 with a prize fund total of £100.
The Beds Advertiser of June 16th 1905 reports that years sports meeting "Most of the bicycles used in the races had the now fashionable ‘drop' frame, with the wide, dropping handlebars, which are becoming common. The machines, for the most part, also had wooden rims for lightness and the average gear was about 80. The ring was about 320 yards in circumference, with a very gentle fall on one side and rise on the other, and the track was in fine condition."