Annual Reliability Ride, Occasional Rides and Special Events 

In addition to our Regular Sunday and Thursday rides a number of special events take place throughout the year.  These include a number of member only away days but also our Annual Reliability and Danny Mason Challenge days, both of which are large scale events which are open also to non members.

Start of Season Annual Reliability Rides - (Open events)

These are relatively challenging road rides that are traditionally organised at the very start of the year when many cyclists like to test their fitness and equipment ahead of the new season. Many clubs across the country including our own organise one of these each year.  They are open to non members and normally draw good numbers from other clubs.

The characteristic of all Reliability Rides is that they are not led or signposted. However, in order to ensure that the countryside doesn’t end up with lots of very lost and cold riders, a GPX file is sent out beforehand. They are not races or sportives and you simply turn up, sign on, ride the route, stuff yourself with the provided refreshments and go home.  You get to go somewhere a bit different, ride one of their most favourite routes and talk to some different people.

Ludlow CC 2024 Reliability Ride

Open event

Our own event was 3rd on this year's county programme and took place on Sunday 28th of January.  As with all Reliability Rides it was open to all and attracted lots of people from other clubs across the county. 

On a cold, windy, winters day the event was generally considered a great success. A sizable  fast group treated it as a race from the off and tore round the course. Others had a more sedate outing with satisfied (and weary) faces on their return.

Just one puncture was reported and despite Dovers' printed maps a few Wrekinsport riders did still mistakenly manage to ride one of our old courses that has not been used for 4 years. We trust that nonetheless they all still had a good time.

For anyone who missed them (or is wants to ride them again)

click on here for the 67 mile route

click on here for the 44 mile route

Shropshire 2024 Reliability Ride Programme - All open events

This has been organised by Shropshire CCA https://shropshirecca.uk/shropshire-reliability-programme-2024/ to ensure that most Sundays from early January through to late April there is at least one Reliability event to choose from.  As with our own event these are open to all, usually include a couple of distance options and cost only a few pounds to enter.

This year's provisional County programme is outlined below. Final details for individual events, including route information, can normally be obtained by looking on the respective clubs web site a couple of weeks before. 

14 January:  Ludlow Brewery RT – Ludlow Brewery, SY8 2PQ

21 January:  Bridgnorth CC – Bridgnorth Football Club, WV16 4HS
28 January:  Ludlow CC – Ludlow Leisure Centre, SY8 1DR
4 February:  Mule CC – Mule Cycles, Salop Road, Oswestry, SY11 2NR
11 February:  Paramount CRT – Refresh Café at Severn Hospice, Shrewsbury, SY3 8HS
18 February:  MSW – Sundorne Sports Village, SY1 4RQ
25 February:  Wrekinsport CC – Wellington Cricket Club, TF1 2BW
3 March:  SCCA/Newport Shropshire CC – Newport Royal Navy Association, Bellmans Yard, TF10 7AJ
17 March:  Market Drayton CC – Beacon Community Centre, Prospect Road, TF9 3AP
24 March:  Nova Raiders – New Inn, Newport, TF10 7LX
7 April:  Propel CC – Bowring Park, Wellington, TF1 1QX
7 April:  Hafren CC – Berriew Community Centre, SY21 8BB
14 April:  Aerologic RT – Ellerdine Village Hall, TF6 6QT (N.B. Gravel Bikes/off-roading)
21 April:  Oswestry Paragon CC – Llanyblodwell Village Hall, SY10 8LY
21 April:  Audlem CC – Audlem Scout and Guide Hall, CW3 0AL

Occasional Away Day Rides

(LCC Members only)

Whilst our regular Sunday rides don't always begin in Ludlow we generally always start from somewhere in the immediate surrounding area.  From spring through to early Autumn, when cycling conditions are generally at their best, the Club lays on a number of away day excursions, special outings where by starting further afield we have the chance to explore other great places to cycle.

In particular these centre around our Cambrian series where we lay on a number of special, and usually more hilly, courses across the border into Wales. These use planned routes and are led by an experienced club member.  Details are posted a couple of weeks in advance, and they invariably attract quite a sizeable number of our more adventurous members.