Bury - Cycling Stadium
Gigg Lane : BL9 9HR The first newspaper report of bicycle racing at Gigg Lane was on 17th July 1880 when the Manchester Courier reported "the sixth annual amateur athletics festival was held in a large field in Gigg Lane, Fishpool, Bury. The weather was very fine, and the gathering was a decided success, there being over 6,000 spectators on the ground." The course was grass, 150 yards around but with a rut which ran across the track. Of the six events, which included Egg gathering (25 eggs, 1 yard apart), there were two bicycle races, a one mile handicap and a two miles handicap race.

At the Bury Amateur Athletics Festival in August 1881, the 1 and 2 miles bicycle handicap races were again included. From the old maps at this time, the ‘large field' on Gigg Lane was probably Bank Field.

Bury Association Football Club played their first game at Gigg Lane on 12th September 1885 and have been there ever since.

In 1888 the Bury FC held its first annual athletics festival on the club's ground at Gigg Lane over the August bank holiday. The sports attracted 4,000 spectators to watch events including 1 mile, 2 miles and 3 miles bicycle handicap races.

The main event that featured bicycle racing at Gigg Lane was the annual Bury Police sports, which started around 1889 and ran for a few years before bicycle races were included in 1906, usually over half and one mile, The police sports continued until 1914 and were revived in after the war and continued to be held until the outbreak of WWII. Bicycle races were generally included in the sports and attendance was high, usually over 5,000. Reg Harris' first track race was on the Gigg Lane grass track at the Police sports in 1936, Harris was outclassed at the event.

There was a concrete track at Gigg Lane, but there is little recorded about the construction of the track and any racing that may have taken place on it. The track was probably built in early 1952 because it is not listed in the 1952 NCU Racing Handbook, but the track was advertised for use in 1952. The Manchester Evening News reported on August 23rd 1952 "Bury Cycling Stadium, Gigg Lane, Bury, is now open every Sunday at 3.15 pm. Under NCU rules. 12ft-high banked concrete track." This advert appeared again several times in September 1952, but there are no details of any racing there.

For some reason, Sunday cycle meetings at Gigg Lane were not held in 1953 and the Manchester Evening News reported on March 2nd 1954 "Gigg Lane banked concrete cycle track has been out of use since the early part of last year when Sunday cycle meetings were cancelled." The article went on to say that the rules had been changed to allow Sunday racing and the track would re-open. There are however, no reports of bicycle racing on the track in 1954.

The 1955 NCU Racing Handbook lists the track at Bury as "Red concrete, 362 yard lap, 27-34 feet wide, banked 12 feet, daily training tickets 3d, members only." In 1955, the concrete cycle track started to be used for stock car racing game and in 1957 for midget car racing. There does not appear to have been any cycle races at Gigg Lane after 1952.

Gigg Lane continued to be the home of Bury FC, but the club was placed into administration in 2020 due to mismanagement by its owner. Fans of the club took over the club name and Gigg Lane stadium and the newly re-formed club was playing in the NW Counties football league in 2023.


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