The first bicycle racing at the Castle Ground were match races, on 28th June 1886, Wood and Green rode a 15 miles challenge race and on 14th August 1886, Howard and Toone of the Boulevard RC raced over one and two miles
This cinder track was the home of Notts Castle Bicycle Club. Nottingham Harriers Club held their first annual sports on 6th April 1889 at the Castle Ground. In the one mile open handicap for ordinaries, Herbert Synyer of the Boulevard CC sprinted from behind on the final corner and beat G Wright of Beeston by a length. There was also a one mile open handicap for safeties, which was won by R Millthorp of Mitchell's BC. The Nottingham Police Band played through the afternoon. Admission cost was six pence. The attendance was disappointing.
A team of five American women professional cyclists appeared at the ground on 4th October 1889, with their manager Mr T Eck. The Nottingham Guardian described the meeting, their star rider was Miss Lola Stanley, 19 years old from New York, who rode a 6 day race at Madison Square Gardens and won the World 48 hour championship. The other riders were Mdlle Louise Armaindo, 23 years old from Montreal, Miss Lillie Williams from Omaha, Miss Jesse Wood of Philadelphia and Miss Mary Allen of Pittsburgh. The exhibition races were scratch and handicaps and two races against men. In the three miles race, the men Jack Lee and JW Allard covered three miles, whilst the ladies had three laps start. The two men also rode a ten miles challenge race, which was won by Lee from Beeston in 34 min 53 sec.
The Nottingham Evening Post of 26th Feb 1890 reported a special meeting of the Notts Castle Bicycle Club which had reached an agreement with the Notts Castle Cricket Club that the cricket club would "put the cycling track on their ground in such a condition that it should be rendered fit for racing purposes and to maintain the track in the same condition". They also negotiated access to the track for the cycling club on 12 alternate Monday evenings from April to September and the free use for an annual athletics meeting.
This seemed to ensure future racing on the ground and Notts Castle Bicycle Club held a series of Monday evening meetings on the track which, in 1890, attracted the leading local cyclists and crowds of up to 600 people. Unfortunately these were to be the last bicycle races that were held at the Castle Ground. Notts Castle BC held their club championships at Long Eaton Recreation Ground and Trent Bridge from 1893.
Nottingham Forrest Football Club played at the Castle ground from 1879, after they left Forest Recreation Ground, and the stayed until 1881, when they move to Trent Bridge. Notts County also used the ground from 1880 until 1894. The ground was developed in 1898 for the Great Central Railway.