The Club has arranged a Reliability Ride every year for more than 20 years
This is ride 4 of the annual 'Terrific Ten' Yorkshire Reliability Rides and is open to riders from all over the county. The Club is again offering two glorious early season rides into the Yorkshire Dales:
- a challenging 90K ride to Kettlewell and return to Otley in 3.5 hours
- a lovely 50K ride to Barden Tower and return via Cavendish Pavilion, Bolton Abbey in 3 hours.
Both rides finish at the Clubhouse ‘café’ where a well-earned cuppa and a fantastic spread of home-made cakes and sandwiches is on offer.
If the weather is good, we expect over 150 riders taking part.
E-bikes are welcome. This event takes place on the open roads and rules of the Highway Code must be followed at all times. Suitable cycle helmets are mandatory.
The idea of the rides is that groups of cyclists work together to ensure that they get around the course safely and within time. Reliability Rides are simple and cheap to enter because there are no paper maps, no chip timing, only limited signage on route and no feed stations or other support.
Register online or pay cash on the day
If you would like to join the ride, put the date in your diary now and register online through British Cycling for £6 at OCC Reliability Ride.
While we would prefer online registration, riders can sign-on at the Buttercross, Otley on the day paying with cash or by card.
The Reliability Ride series
As we’ve already mentioned, the Otley ride is the 4th ride of this year’s Terrific Ten Yorkshire Reliability Rides. Details of all ten rides can be found here on The Struggle website.
Route details
Longer ride – Kettlewell
The longer 90 km route should be completed in 3.5 hours and starts from the Buttercross (market place) in Otley and follows the A65 through Ilkley, Addingham, Bolton Abbey, Barden Tower, Appletreewick, Grassington to Kettlewell and returns through Kilnsey, Threshfield, Burnsall, Barden, Bolton Abbey, Addingham, Ilkley and Askwith to finish at Chevin Cycles in Otley.
Route for download: Ridewithgps Longer ride.
Shorter ride – Barden Tower
The shorter 50 km route should be completed in 3 hours. The route follows the longer ride until riders reach the top of the hill after Barden Tower and Barden Bridge. At this point the routes diverge with the shorter ride turning sharp right returning via the back road to Cavendish Pavilion, Bolton Abbey, Ilkley and Askwith to finish at Chevin Cycles in Otley.
Route for download: Ridewithgps Shorter ride.
Registration
Registration will open on the day from 09:00, pre-registered riders will be asked to quickly confirm their entry before leaving. Riders will leave in small groups from 09:30.
Riders under the age of 18 must have a safeguarding certificate signed by a parent / guardian (available at registration). Riders under the age of 16 must ride with their parent / guardian.
Toilets and cafes in Otley
The town centre toilets in Orchard Gate will be open Free of Charge to cyclists from 08:30 to 10:00. Cafes such as Costa Coffee (Kirkgate), Joys Coffee House (Market Street) and Leeds House Cafe (next to the Buttercross) may also be open.
Returning to Otley
Riders should sign-in in the car park of Chevin Cycles on their return and then come and enjoy cakes and sandwiches at the Clubhouse, down the cobbled lane to the side of Chevin Cycles.
