Alan Newton started his competitive cycling career in 1947 with the Stockport Road Club before joining the Manchester Athletic and Cycling Club (later Manchester Wheelers) in 1951, when he won that year’s Manchester NCU 4,000 metres Individual Pursuit Championship. The following year he was a member of the Great Britain 4,000 metres team pursuit squad that won the bronze medal at the Helsinki Olympics, and the following month appeared in the individual pursuit at the World Championships in Paris. He was beaten in the semi-final by defending champion Mino De Rossi of Italy, who was also in the gold medal winning team at the Helsinki Games. After the Olympics, Newton joined the Manchester Wheelers and was in their quartet that lost to Norwood Paragon in the National Team Pursuit Championship in 1953. That same year he was beaten by Australia’s Jim Nevin in the Muratti Gold Cup in the Race of Champions over 10 miles at Manchester. By trade, Newton was an electrical engineer.