DCC's 50 mile Reliability Ride.
- youonlyliveonce
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 48 minutes ago
Come and join us for our first Reliability Ride. It's Open to club Members & Non Members.
The ride heads out to Middleton-in-Teesdale, which is a scenic, historic market town in County Durham, serving as the gateway to Upper Teesdale within the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Geopark, before heading back through Barnard Castle and back to Darlington.
A reliability ride is a non-competitive, long-distance winter cycling event designed to test rider fitness, equipment durability, and navigation skills. Typically organised by clubs, they feature set routes, strict time limits, no signs or marshals, and require self-sufficiency, bridging the gap between club rides and sportives.
Here are the key aspects of a reliability ride:
Key Features
Not a Race: It is a personal challenge or a test of form, though often ridden at a fast pace.
Winter Timing: Usually held from January to early spring to gauge fitness ahead of the racing season.
Self-Supported: There are no marshals, arrows, signposts, or broom wagons; you must know the route (often via GPS/GPX files).
Time Limits: Riders must complete a set distance (e.g., 50–100+ miles) within a specific time, such as "100 miles in 8 hours".
Club Run: Often low-cost, grassroots events hosted by cycling clubs.
Historic Roots: Originally designed in the early 1900s to test if bicycles—and riders—could handle rough roads and long distances without breaking.
In essence, it’s a way to prove you and your bike are "reliable" enough for the coming season.
Route details to follow soon and there is plenty of parking available at the start.
Update
Route and registration details below.
Darlington cycling club is set to hold it's first reliability ride on Sunday 1st March 2026.
The route is one the Darlington classic loops heading into the Durham dales via Middleton in teesdale and returning through barnard castle.
We are going to assemble before the ride in the carpark of the Mowden Pub, DL3 9BE and will be setting off at 9am, please arrive in plenty of time with a completed registration form and £2 in cash.
Members or Darlington cycling club can ride without charge but will still need a completed form.
Registration form can be downloaded here:
The GPX of the route can be downloaded here:
Notes on what is a reliability ride are here:
Please support your local events, turn up and have fun.
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