We’re here to help Calderdale cycle.
Calderdale CTC
There are over 400 Cycling UK members in Calderdale, and we run a varied ride and events programme throughout the year, details of which are on the Hub page of this website. You are very welcome to join us – click on the link below for some ‘Advice for new riders’ and some tips and info about our riding style, etiquette etc.
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Latest News

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Annual Club Christmas Lunch 2023
Sunday 17 December, 1pmCrow Nest Park Golf Club, Hove Edge, Brighouse HD6 2LN Bookings now being taken for our annual Christmas Lunch held at Crow…
Coast and Castles May 2023
Clubroom Friday 13/10/2023 John Scorah CTC 13/10/23John Scorah Coast & castles Another fascinating talk, showing how a really good trip can be had without going…
Our Objectives
To organise club rides within a friendly and nurturing environment suitable for all.
To campaign for better cycling facilities and safety measures for local communities.
To encourage and promote the health and environmental benefits gained from cycling.
To organise events for the cycling community locally and nationally and facilitate booking.
Meet some of our riders

Graham Joyce – 50 Years of Cycle Touring
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Rider Name 2
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Rider Name 3
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Graham Joyce – 50 Years of Cycle Touring
For someone born and bred in Motor City (Coventry, not Detroit), it may seem unusual that cycling became my passion, not cars. However, we should remember that it was Robert Starley who invented the modern bicycle and started production in Coventry. I rode a bike (or trike) from as long ago as I can remember, but got into club riding around the age of 13, after I progressed from a heavy Phillips 3 speed to my first hand built (531) ‘lightweight’ – a Pollard, made in Coventry. This took me on Sunday adventures with the Coventry Nomads to such far flung places as Stratford, the Cotswolds and the quiet lanes of Leicestershire. Having found other distractions (cars, girls, music etc) by the age of 17 it wasn’t until I moved to Huddersfield to study that my interest in cycling was re-kindled.
I started venturing further afield with student friends into the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales. This led to some ‘epic’ day rides of 100 miles, then in 1978 a friend asked me if I fancied riding to Spain and Portugal for a summer holiday. Without thinking, I agreed and set off on my newly built Mercian riding to Plymouth to catch the ferry to Santander. It was an eventful six week tour of countries that had not long emerged from fascist dictatorships and were not popular cycling destinations, being relatively poor and lacking infrastructure away from the coastal resorts. We reached Porto, having crossed the Picos de Europa, and returned via the Pyrenees and through France, camping every night for 6 weeks.
I got the bug and when I left University, facing unemployment , I took a one way flight to Los Angeles with my Mercian and a tent and set off cycling from Portland, Oregon to Jasper in British Columbia, coming home six weeks later.
Despite the complications of demanding jobs and raising a family, I managed to keep cycle touring over the years. Early tours were with my partner (pre-children) cycling from Paris to the South of France , crossing the Apennines of Italy, returning to Northern Portugal and venturing into Hungary and Czechoslovakia, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Living in mid Wales we went on tandem rides with children enjoying the traffic free lanes and stunning scenery on our doorstep.
Then, based in Brussels for a few years, I took advantage of our free movement across EU borders and explored Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands alone at weekends, using the superior (and cheap) train networks available. These remain some of my favourite countries for cycling and I’ve organised a couple of tours for CTC comrades, using my knowledge of routes and places to visit.
At the last count, I have cycled in 22 countries, including Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia (4 times), Bulgaria, Norway and New Zealand. There’s many more places I’d like to visit before I get too old but things may not be so easy in the future, for obvious reasons. Then there is issue of air travel and climate change. I love using trains to travel with my bike, but it is not always practical or affordable. I may have to content myself with returning to the stunning places within easy reach, including Wales, Scotland and Ireland, having toured extensively in these countries over the years. Having cycled the End to End in my mid 50s, I hope to do the Side to Side before I hit 70!
The freedom of travelling by bike and camping, being self reliant, is truly liberating but I equally enjoy using hostels and other accommodation where you can meet like minded people. I can also recommend organised cycle tours, where someone else takes the stress out of organising routes, accommodation etc, but still enjoy planning routes of my own.



Jill Schorah – My e-bike adventure
Opened a new world of joyous cycling.
Longer distances and greater hill climbing became a reality.
Gone were the days the group had to wait for me to climb the hills.
Summary of reasons I made the transition to an electric bike
- Difficulty keeping up with group rides.
- Forced to choose easier rides or just ride to coffee stop and back.
- Accepting my fitness level would not improve.
- Missing out on the social side of rides
- Reduce levels of activity due to shorter less, challenging rides.
Choosing which Electric Bike
- When I began looking in 2018 and discovered many bikes seemed to be designed for Men.
- There were many different makes but sizes for a 5ft 2ins woman were few and far between.
- Chatted to other cyclists who had purchased and rode Ebikes.
- Chatted to local retailers taking up the offer of riding one of their Ebikes locally.
- Used this information to draw up a specification focused on my size and the type of cycling I wanted to do in the future.
- Battery size which determined the distance of a day’s ride on one charge.
- Preferably a Bosh motor placed centrally.
- Ease of removing battery for security and charging.
- Mudguards, for all seasons riding.
- Panier brackets, for touring.
- Ease of managing controls.
Shopping around
- It was clear many retailers have realised there is a great market for this type of bike but be aware not all are experts however most want to make a sale.
- Credit to the ones who spent so much time with me, adjusting handlebars etc to fit my size. Not unique in height but often even when I tried specific Ladies bikes they were built to suit standard size ladies “whatever that maybe”.
- Although I had my specification it was most important to test my seating position and then to sit on the become familiar with this and the controls to go for a ride.
- I fell off a couple of times, but I hear you say “yes, I have done that a few times as well”.
- When uphill cycling in groups needing to focus on controls to keep in line especially on busy narrow roads, then the pure joy of overtaking when the way becomes clear to zoom up to the top to wait for the others.
- Handling with the extra weight of the bike.
- Purchased my Ebike in February 2019.
- Having the extra power is wonderful.
Enjoying my e-bike
Know what your cycling will be? Mountain biking, road cycling, touring, shopping trips etc; Also know the distances you expect to travel.
- Canvas fellow cyclist’s opinion.
- Consider draughting a specification to suit you.
- Shop around.
- Test ride.
Welcome to the world of e-bike cycling
Anne Lawther
How long have I cycled: Always. Hilda and Pearson, my parents, met at the club. I grew up with the club as part of my life.
First bike: A tricycle when aged 16 months.
First long ride: Aged 6 as the stoker on the tandem. Halifax CTC had an annual invitation ride to Bolton Abbey.
First solo cycle tour: Aged 18. A 3 week tour round Scotland.
Favourite place to ride my bike: The Yorkshire Dales (sorry Calderdale!)
Favourite cafe: The Vicarage Tearooms at Tosside. Long ride from Calderdale.
Least favourite cycling activity: Cleaning and maintaining my bike. Thank goodness there are bike shops.
Do I worry about breakdowns, punctures or getting lost?: No. Something always turns up. Inspired botching (cable ties and gaffer tape work wonders), I can fix a puncture and fellow cyclist’s will not see you stranded. Getting lost – what’s that? I’m exploring new territory.