Cycle Speedway is to disassociate from British Cycling after the chair of the newly-formed breakaway federation accused the governing body of relegating the discipline to a “poor second place”.

road.cc were first alerted to a possible split between British Cycling and cycle speedway last week and approached British Cycling for comment. In a statement, Sport and Participation Director Amy Gardener said that they “have been working closely with the Cycle Speedway Commission to identify how we can best support the long-term success of the discipline, and conversations are ongoing.”

One cycle speedway session and event organiser confirmed that an “amicable” meeting to formalise the split from British Cycling occurred in January. He added the sport is now beginning to flourish again thanks to outside investment, with clubs being able to operate with charitable status.

But Mike Hack, who has been Chair of British Cycling’s Cycle Speedway Commission and is now Interim Trustee of the Cycle Speedway Federation, told road.cc that the split has been instigated in order to arrest the sport’s “continued, steady decline.”

In a rebuke of British Cycling’s governance Hack says that, since cycle speedway came under the governing body’s umbrella in 1999, “little progress has been made.”

“As a “non-medaling” and grassroots discipline, it took a poor second place to the more glamorous high profile disciplines such as road and track. Increasingly, British Cycling was simply providing some day to day administration and little else. Increasing fees and the enforcement of inefficient and burdensome processes, which were designed for other cycling disciplines, added to the problems. Without action, the sport was in danger of further decline.

Eastpark Invite Cycle Speedway 2009 (copyright Britishcycling.org.uk)
Eastpark Invite Cycle Speedway 2009 (Image Credit: British Cycling)

“Around 12 months ago, discussions were initiated with BC management to see if we could find a better way of working together. A more devolved model was agreed as a worthwhile objective. Unfortunately, by the end of 2025 a satisfactory arrangement for both parties could not be found and devolution has subsequently become “decoupling” and the newly formed Cycle Speedway Federation has taken up the reins.”

The split is a blow to cycling’s governing body in the UK after reports of declining membership numbers and controversial sponsorship deals that have damaged British Cycling’s reputation. However, a new partnership with Lloyd’s Bank for the men’s and women’s Tour of Britain mean it is no longer recording financial losses.

> British Cycling loses 11,000 members, but governing body insists 2024/5 still a “positive year” with first financial surplus in five years

Hack pointed to broader structural issues affecting cycle speedway’s viability, including the loss of land to new development and past associations with its motorcycle equivalent, but also said that cycle speedway had suffered due to “the lack of investment and promotion” in the sport. British Cycling’s website currently lists 22 clubs and 37 cycle speedway tracks in Great Britain, though it is unclear when the web page was last updated and the Elite National Grand Prix series used only a fraction of these venues for racing.

The split, which is due to take effect on the 30th June, is intended to enable cycle speedway to develop courtesy of much lower administrative costs. The newly-formed Federation is applying for charitable status and will be directly owned by cycle speedway clubs who will elect the Federation’s Trustees. Hack estimates the new organisation could reduce operating costs by as much as two thirds compared to under British Cycling’s management.

Filton Foxes Cycle Speedway Club
Filton Foxes Cycle Speedway Club (Rob Geach)

Despite the “slow decline” of speedway’s popularity compared to its heyday in the 1960s and 70s, there is optimism that the sport is growing in pockets of the country, which Hack attributes to the sport being “highly accessible and low cost”. Some clubs are “really thriving,” he added, having “become much more inclusive, particularly of women and children from the age of three.”

Organisational dependence has also not prevented development occurring without British Cycling’s assistance in recent months, with the sport self-financing the development of tracks that can also be used for other activities. New tracks have also opened in Filton, Gloucestershire and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders.

Hack, who is also the founder and secretary of the Astley and Tyldesley Cycling Club in Greater Manchester, added that negotiations with British Cycling were helped by knowing “something had to be done, rather than just another strategy paper. We knew the winning formula and just needed to get on with it.”