The first bicycle racing at the Park was on 2nd October 1875 when the cricket club held a sports meeting and included a two miles bicycle handicap race for club members and a two miles bicycle race open to gentlemen amateurs in Windsor and district. The ground was very heavy after rain and several thousands of people watched the sports. The club race was won by TG Dyson and the open race by GC Moore of Windsor Star Cycle Club. The Royal Horseguards Band played at the event. The sports were held annually with the same events each year, unfortunately it usually rained on sports day for the next six years.
At the 7th August 1880 sports it rained through most of the meeting. In the two miles local handicap HL Cortis* of the Wanderers BC (off scratch) won his heat and then won the final fairly easily by seven yards from J Hamilton, Druids' BC (off 60 yards), time 7m 44s.
Cortis returned for the 1881 sports, which were held in beautiful weather. Cortis was scratch in the two miles handicap race, but unfortunately, when riding in excellent form, he crashed rather badly and retired from the race. Cortis got up again for the one mile handicap which he won in a splendid race by three yards in 3m 11s. Prince and Princess Christian** regularly attended the sports meetings.
At the 1883 sports a one mile tricycle handicap race was added, CE Liles of the London Athletic Club was on scratch and Henry Sturmey of Coventry CC was on 80 yards. Unfortunately Lilies crashed in his heat but he carried on to make the final, where he was beaten into second place by G Smith of Merry Rovers BC.
In 1886 A Keen of Surbiton BC won the two miles bicycle handicap race and SF Edge of Annerly BC won the one mile tricycle handicap. There were 10,000 spectators at the 1887 meeting and a tandem tricycle race was included in the sports. The change in date of the sports meeting from July to September did little to affect the attendance, which was 6,000 in 1889.
The last bicycle racing at Home Park was at the annual sports on 19th July 1890. The organising club could not charge admission at the Home Park ground and they had found that subscribers to the meeting, who automatically obtained free tickets for the private enclosure, frequently 'forgot' pay up. Over the years the meeting became a financial burden on the organisers, so they had to move to a ground where they could charge an entrance fee.
The sports moved to Balloon Meadow at Clever in 1891, which was a mile away from Windsor, at the same time, the Alexandra and Phoenix cricket clubs amalgamated to form the Windsor and Eaton Athletic Club. The moved enabled the new club to charge an admission fee for the first time.
On 9th August 1902, early motorised bicycle races were held at the park and Victor Rigal, the French Champion, won all of his races on a 10hp Buchet.
There was a Victory Day sports meeting at the Park on 8th June 1946 organised by the Windsor Harriers Athletic and Cycling Club that featured a game of bicycle polo, in which the club played against Norwood Paragon. The Edinburgh Evening News reported that Prince Charles had been learning to play polo by playing bicycle polo at Home Park in 1958.
Windsor Great Park, which is adjacent to Home Park, hosted the 1948 London Olympics cycling road race, which was won by Jose Beyaert of France, England won silver in the team event with Bob Maitland, Ian Scott, Gordon Thomas and Ernie Clements.
Windsor Home Park is still the grounds of Windsor Castle and it contains a golf course, bowling green, cricket pitch, tennis courts, St George's school playing fields and the Frogmore estate.
* HL Cortis was a medical student and a member of the Wanderers Bicycle Club, he had a short but brilliant career as a professional bicyclist, being one of the best riders in the country. In the four years that he rode, he won National Championships, was the fastest rider in the world over 1 mile and broke the world hour record four times, eventually achieving over 20 miles in the hour. Cortis must have been tall as he rode a very large wheeled ordinary, which was pictured when he was featured on the Players cigarette card cycling series. Cortis emigrated to Australia in 1883 to pursue his career as a doctor and he died there on 28th December 1885 aged only 28.
** Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife, Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, who was the third daughter of Queen Victoria.
