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The Astley & Tyldesley club was formed in November 1989 and made their on track bow in April 1991, initially racing in the Manchester League. Improvements to the Gin Pit circuit, which was originally mainly funded and built by club members, have been made on an ongoing basis with the venue being afforded the status of the North's Regional Centre in 1997 and being a top graded facility, 'A' Grade International. The club is an accredited British Cycling Go-Ride Club and the venue became British Cycling’s North West Cycle Speedway Academy during 2002. The A&T club boasts a proud record of recruiting and developing their own talent, with A&T riders having won one World Individual title and thirty seven British Individual titles (33 home grown). A&T have won the North & Scotland League Division 1 four times, Division 2 twice, Division 3 eight times, Northern Fours League twice, Northern Junior League eight times, Northern K.O. Cup once, Northern Junior K. O. Cup six times, Manchester League Division One seven times, Manchester League Division Two fourteen times, as well as the 1997 British U-16 Team Championship. A&T are the only club ever to complete a clean sweep in a season, by winning all three divisions of the North & Scotland Regional League, as well as the Northern Regional Final in both 2017 and 2019. In 2003 the club successfully promoted the World Team Cup. The club acquired the prestigious Sport England Clubmark accreditation early in 2005 - only the 2nd cycling club in the U.K. to do so. The club successfully promoted the 1996 and 2010 British Individual Finals , the 1998, 2000, 2001, 2011 and 2015 British Team Finals and the 2019 Cycle Speedway Cup Final. The club won the Wigan Sports Club of the Year Award in 2011, 2015 & 2018, whilst winning British Cycling's Go-Ride Club of the Year Award in 2017. Since 2014 the club has expanded it's activities to incorporate an Off Road section and a Road section, resulting in the change of name to A&T Cycling Club. Major funding in 2016 resulted in the complete rebuilding of the Gin Pit race track to a new specification and professional construction standards Riders Racing Statistics Record of Personal Best Times (original track 1991-2015) Record of Personal Best Times (New Track 2016 onwards)
Steve Harris - 56 years old. Essex born, but raised in Swindon, Steve is an undoubted legend of the sport. He transferred to A&T for the 2018 season, having previously raced for Swindon, Bristol St. George, Heckmondwike, Horspath and Poole, as well as Bydgoszcz, Kalety and Swietochlowice in Poland. A former Gt. Britain team manager, Steve won the 1999 World Individual title in Poland. He is the current British Indoor Grand Veterans Individual Champion, six times British Veterans Champion, three times World Veteran Individual Champion, seven times British Indoor Individual Champion and five times British Indoor Veterans Individual Champion and the 2015 European Veterans Individual Champion. Throw in several British Team Championship wins, both indoors (8) and outdoors (3), and Premier/ Elite League title wins with Horspath, and Steve is the most decorated rider of all time. He holds the all time record for British Individual title wins at all levels, currently standing at 21, and has made an all time record number of 25 British Open Individual Final appearances. Steve was a member of both the England team which won the Veterans World Cup and the Gt. Britain team which won the Veterans Federations Cup, in Poland in 2019.
Terry Norman - Age 54 - Terry joined A&T at the start of the 2023 season, on loan from Stockport 2006, to enable him to compete in North & Scotland League matches. He started racing in 1985, with the old Stockport club, and has also raced for Tameside, Stoke and Wednesfield. An England international rider, winner of multiple regional and local titles, Terry was the 2005 British Individual Champion.
Devon Campbell - 22 years old. Devon joined A&T at the start of the 2024 season, on loan from Stockport 2006, to race in North & Scotland League matches. He began racing in 2015 and quickly became a valuable member of the Stockport team. Devon has raced in several British age category Individual Finals.
Emily Burgess - Age 20 - Emily began racing with A&T in 2012, as an eight year old. She quickly impressed, regularly beating boys, as well as girls of an older age, as she became a key member of the A&T squad which dominated junior racing in the North & Scotland region. Emily became the first (and so far only) home grown A&T rider to win a World title, when she won the World u-16 Girls Individual Final, in Poland in 2019. This was followed by finishing 2nd in the World Women's Individual Final, on the same day. Emily also raced unbeaten for the England Women's team which won the 2019 Women's World Cup, and for the Gt. Britain Women's team, which won the 2019 World Women's Federation Cup, all in Poland. Emily also won the British u-14 and u-16 Girls Individual titles, before twice winning the British Women's Individual Final in 2021 and 2022, followed by the British Women's Indoor Individual Final in 2023. She returned to racing for A&T in 2024, after a season away at Sheffield. Emily also competes in Sprint and Keirin events on the Track, and was 2nd in the National Junior Women's Keirin Final in 2022.
John White - 17 years old. John started racing as a four year old in 2011, winning his first ever match, an A&T Go-Ride competition! He developed quickly and was a valuable member of the A&T squad which dominated junior racing in the North & Scotland region. John has won four British Individual Grand Prix titles at u-8, u-10 and u-12 levels, as well as winning the British u-12 Boys Individual Final in 2018. John was a member of the England Junior team which won the European Junior Nations Cup in 2022. He finished 3rd in the British Junior Individual Final and 2nd in the British Junior Grand Prix series in 2023. John also races in cyclo-cross and closed circuit events.
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