Kyle Bickley, the 21-year-old Workington-based rider, has said he is quitting the sport.
Bickley had been dropped by Edinburgh Monarchs from their Championship side but retained as captain of their Academy line-up in the National Development League.
However after scoring only four points from the number one berth in Friday’s heavy home defeat in the NDL to Oxford he has announced he is quitting.
He took to social media after that to announce his departure from the sport.
Bickley wrote: “Unfortunately I’ve decided to close the book on speedway. I wish I could say it was a hard decision but it really wasn’t.
“After this last week I made the decision following the phone call on Wednesday but decided to give it a go in the National League to try and not leave the team stuck.
“It’s been my life since I was as young as I can remember, and this year I had said it would be my last year if things didn’t turn in the direction I was hoping for.
“This season started off rocky but I came off the back of a poor 2022 and had little bike time for most of the season and it wasn’t great as a whole this year.
“I spoke to the Edinburgh management and was really excited to get underway and when we had conversations it sounded like they wanted to invest some time into me and I was relieved, hoping it was my chance to get in a full season and start getting myself back to where I need to be.
“But the recent news about being dropped from the Championship side seemed to be the final nail in the coffin.”
In a statement the Monarchs say they have dropped both Bickley and their Australian rider Jacob Hook from the Championship side.
A spokesman said that Monarchs had hoped to bring the best out the pair this season and he added: “Unfortunately, after two home league defeats, we recognise that the team is not coming up to supporters’ expectations.
“Action has had to be taken. Both Jacob and Kyle will continue to ride for the Stellar Monarchs Academy.”
It seems that enough is enough for Bickley, who was a very young member of the Workington Comets side which won the treble in their final year of 2018.
He has subsequently ridden for Belle Vue Colts, Glasgow Tigers, Berwick Bandits, Sheffield Tigers, Redcar Bears and finally Edinburgh Monarchs.
