The first bicycle racing at Ynysangharad was at the 7th annual Foresters' fete on 26th July 1874, on a grass track marked out at six laps to the mile. There were two bicycle events, a half mile local race and a one mile open race, both of these were won by local man AP Gaskell. After the sports, there were fireworks and a balloon ascent by professor Gyngell of Wells.
The Foresters fete and sports continued to be held through the 1880s, attendances we're good, there were 6,000 people at 1888 event. The sports meetings at Ynysangharad were competiting with the meetings at the Peoples' Park and the Foresters meeting on Whit Monday 1892 was the last bicycle racing to be held at Ynysangharad for about fifty years.
After 1900, Pontypridd Urban District Council wanted to buy part of Ynysangharad fields to build a municipal park, but it took until 1919 and a public subscription before Ynysangharad park was officially opened in the summer of 1923. The park was re-named the Ynysangharad War Memorial park in memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War. Part of the Park was taken for the Caerphilly branch of the railway and another part was turned into allotments.
On 19th August 1944, a 30 miles massed start road race, organised by the National Clarion Club was held over 34 laps of a circuit in Ynysangharad Park. The massed start races continued until 1956.
Grass track racing at Ynysangharad returned in 1947, when the NUM held their sports for miners on 19th July 1947, the meetings were very popular and included bicycle races over ¼, ½, 1 and 5 miles. The miners' sports continued until 1956. This was the last cycle racing to be held at Ynysangharad.
The park was Pontypridd RFC's home ground from 1908 to 1974 and Pontypridd Cricket Club still play there. The park is very popular and a Lido was opened there in 2015.
** A telegraph box was a scoreboard (like a cricket scoreboard) which was manned and displayed the riders' numbers in each race and the results.
