Looking for somewhere to ride?
 We have a number of rides (see right) introducing you to the cycling facilities within the Greater Manchester area. You are free to start and finish these wherever you wish, on a day of your own choosing, with your mates or on your own. You ride at your own risk of course but we follow public roads and cycle paths which are the responsibility of the local authority. We recommend that you have Cycling UK membership which gives you 3rd party insurance as well as their advice and support should you have a mishap.
Looking for someone to ride with?
Join us once a month (see below)
There are plenty of Cycling Clubs in the area who regularly organise club runs, either on a regular weekly basis, or as occasional 'specials'. See lists on the right.
As a Cycling UK Member, you will be welcomed on most of these, knowing that you have 3rd party insurance.
(If you want to ride with any of these groups, you should make contact to find out where and when they meet, and what expectations they will have on you.)
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| Manchester CTC Regular Rides :
meeting once a month (usually a Saturday).
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An exploration of Greater Manchester cycling facilities.All starts can be reached by train
 , and several by
 metrolink, although only folding bikes can be taken on the tram.
The rides are suitable for all sorts of bikes, including skinny-tyred road bikes, and folding bikes, although a gravel bike would be ideal. You can even bring an electric-assist bike provided you check that you have enough charge for the intending distance!
Click on the
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what3words
link for our meeting point.
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Saturday
14/12/2024
Start time:
10:30
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Rochdale
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Continuing our
Station to Station
tour of Greater Manchester.
Meet outside Rochdale Station (the entrance facing the tramstop), ready for a 10:30 start. Rochdale is well served by trains, with 6 each hour from Victoria. The 10:09 would get you there just in time. If you get an earlier train, there is a cafe on the station for a pre-ride coffee.
The route explores more of Greater Manchester's cycling facilities including canal tow paths and former railway lines. We will pass two uninhabited islands, although thousands pass through them daily. While a road bike would be OK, a gravel bike might be ideal. Electric bikes are welcome.
If the full ride of about 40 miles is too much to contemplate, you can cut the ride short by getting the train back from Bolton.
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Saturday
18/01/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Bolton
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Continuing our
Station to Station
tour of Greater Manchester.
We meet at the Clock Tower outside Bolton Station, ready for a 10:30 start. Plenty of trains get to Bolton from Manchester (both Victoria and Piccadilly). In fact we'll even make our start time 10:35 so you can catch the 10:09 from Victoria which doesn't arrive until 10:31. If you get there early enough you may fund me in the Station Cafe, to be found near the clock outside the station.
Our ride takes us on a long steady descent into Manchester on the Roe Green Loop Line, a former railway line, now with a good tarmac surface. From Monton we get onto the Bridgewater Canal towpath. which again has a good quality surface. We'll ride through the RHS garden (there is a cafe) to make our way to Leigh Guided busway.Our return into Bolton lies alongside the railway line from Lostock. The full distance for our ride is about 55km but you can cut it short by taking the train at Hindley (39km, 24 miles).
There will be a cafe stop, although extensive research is yet to be carried out on this.
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Saturday
15/02/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Guide Bridge
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Meet at Guide Bridge Station for a ride on the Fallowfield Loop to Cheadle, Manchester Airport to Altrincham. Return to Guide Bridge by train from Altrincham, or cycle back via Wythenshawe Park and back along the FLoop.
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Saturday
15/03/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Altrincham
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Meet at Altrincham Interchange to ride to Barton Bridge, and the Irwell Valley to Bury. Return via Salford Quays.
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Saturday
19/04/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Bramhall
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Meet at Bramhall station to visit some of the commemorative gold postboxes from the 2012 London Olympics.
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Saturday
17/05/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Irlam
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Meet at Irlam station to vist more of the gold postboxes from the 2012 London Olympics.
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Saturday
14/06/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Guide Bridge
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Meet at Guide Bridge station to ride through Heaton Park, Bury, Rochdale and Middleton to return to Guide Bridge. Return by train or ride through Ashton
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Saturday
19/07/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Hazel Grove
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Meet at Hazel Grove station to ride via Middlewood Way to Bollington, then Lyme Park to New Mills. Return by train, or ride back through Marple and Stockport to reach Hazel Grove.
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Saturday
16/08/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Altrincham
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Meet at Altrincham Interchange to ride to Styal, Hazel Grove and Cheadle.
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Saturday
27/09/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Irlam
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Meet at Irlam station to vist more of the gold postboxes from the 2012 London Olympics.
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Saturday
18/10/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Rose Hill
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Meet AT Marple Rose Hil station to ride to Hyde and Broadbottom.
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Saturday
15/11/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Guide Bridge
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Meet at Guide Bridge station to ride via Daisy Nook, Rochdale and Milnrow. Return by train or ride through Ashton
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Saturday
20/12/2025
Start time:
10:30
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Glossop
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Continuing our
Station to Station
tour of Manchester.
The ride starts at 10:30am but we'll wait for the 10:03 from Piccadilly which arrives at Glossop at 10:33. The trains are every half hour so if you come earlier, you could meet us in the cafe in the station itself.If you arrive by car you should be able to find parking outside the town centre, a short bike ride from the station.
We'll explore the former Woodhead railway, first as the Longdendale to the Woodhead tunnels, then through the former Gamesley sidings to reach Broadbottom.
If you want to cut it short, we return to Glossop by 30km. After that, we pass Broadbottom Station at about 40km. You can (of course) do the full return to Glossop Station at 48km.
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Manchester CTC
- our Permanent Rides
... rides that you can undertake on any day, at any time, starting and finishing anywhere convenient along the route. Just download the GPX and go
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Going for Gold:
track down the commemorative post boxes in the Greater Manchester area following the 2023 London Olympic Games
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Manchester Sightseer:
a guided tour of some of Manchester's famous sites (and sights), as a 114km Audax ride or a series of stages that you can ride over an extended period.
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mini-Manc Sightseer:
a shorter version of the above, only 63km in total
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Station to Station (inner ring):
a series of rides between Metrolink stations
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Station to Station (outer ring):
as above, but these rides are between main line stations all within the Greater Manchester ticketing area (so free travel if you have your bus pass and have paid the tram supplement)
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Werneth Low Rider:
A 60km Audax ride climbing all seven ascents of Werneth Low, but you can also undertake this as a non-Audax ride, picking and choosing as many (or few) of the climbs as you wish
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Cycling UK
- other local groups
... if you're a member of Cycling UK, you will be welcome to join in the activities of other Cycling UK group
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| Peak Audax
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Formal Audax events that need to be pre-entered. They can be Calendar Events where you ride with others on a set date, or as Permanent Rides ('Perms') which you can ride to your own timetable, on your own or with a group of mates.
They range from 50km to 600km, can be flat (well, flat-ish) or hilly, so do make sure you know what you are taking on before you start!
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| Rochdale
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Club rides start from Rochdale Leisure Centre, Beginners and Medium rides departing at 9:30 on Saturdays. On Sundays, club rides set off at 8:30 (short/medium/Long). The Sunday Chaingang leaves at 9:00. The Vets group has a ride on Thursdays.
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| Oldham & Tameside
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A small group of enthiasastic cyclists who meet every Sunday, whatever the weather. We meet at Deep Cutting Stalybridge, or Apethorn Lane Hyde.
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| South Manchester
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There are 2 rides on Sundays, meeting 9:00 for 9:15 departure. Rides start from Cheadle, Hazel Grove or Whalley Bridge (see runs list for details).
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| West Manchester
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Club runs from Jolly Thresher, Agden at 11am Sundays
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Other cycling groups in the Manchester area
... get in touch to find out what activities they have to offer
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