Cycle Speedway

I am trying to contact anyone who remembers Cycle Speedway taking place in Bermondsey in the early to late 1950s

Joe did they ever have it at new cross dog track?

Jan
Yes! I can remember there being cycle speedway at New Cross stadium prior to the start of the matches at the speedway itself must have been about 1950
Joe

Joe There used to be a large bomb sight in Newington Causeway on the spot where Tarns Departmental Store stood prior to the Blitz, I remember it was used for cycle races,The great Reg Harris of Herne Hill Harriers raced there on occasions, It was very well organised, All in the shadow of the famous Guinness clock at the Elephant, I'M going back to the 1940s Cheers Rich

Your right Joe ,there was cycle speedway in Bermondsey.
I can see the races in my minds eye ,but alas not the location .
I recall it being a proper oval track ,made of cinders , seem to recall a building on the site for the speeedway lads .it was along trime back ,but memory recall ,is that it was on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons ,but thet were exciting to us young'uns

What is cycle speedway? Like normal (motorbike) speedway, but with pedal cycles? If so, was it different from what we see nowadays where they race in velodromes with banked sides? Was the track a flat oval?

Sorry for all the questions, but I've never heard of this before, and it sounds quite exciting.

(I hope none of the cyclists went over 20mph. They'd get speeding tickets nowadays, if the traffic lobby had their way ;0))

Cycle Speedway was based on motor cycle speedway which was quite popular after the war. And if you have seen motor cycle speedway the rules were basicly the same with four riders completing four laps on a cinder or dirt track on pedal cycles without brakes It is more poular today than at this time. Regarding the tracks there were 2 in Bermondsey one in Lynton Road whos team was the Lynton Lynx and One in a turning between Abbey Street and Riley Road I am at the moment sure of what the name was the home of Bermondsey Greyhoundsa and as was said rode either on a saturday or Sunday and very often was shown on BBC TV
I in them days rode for both teams

Joe Foster

Wow Joe, that sounds pretty cool. I bet it was an awesome spectator sport, never mind what it was like to actually take part.

Did you slide the back end around in the corners, like in m'cycle speedway?

[edited to add: I've now seen some pictures http://www.britishcyclespeedway.fsnet.co.uk/ It looks great]

Joe that explains why i wasnt sure of the location ,as you say there were two tracks .guess i must have seen you racing at them , i hope you won

I grew up in Exeter which had a proper motorcycle speedway track, with the Falcons being regarded as pretty good (shame the same couldn't have been said for our football team). Google tells me the track is long gone, but as kids we would go down every Saturday a race was on, stand at the corner nearest the grandstand and duck for cover as the bikes would fly round, kicking up cinders off their back wheels which would slam into the barrier facings with an almighty racket.