Retro Classic

The Retro Classic at the York Rally Sportive
Sunday 28 April 2019
Start: Wigginton, nr York

Join fellow connoisseurs of classic cycles for the Retro Classic, a 54 mile (86 km) day ride through Yorkshire’s finest lanes.

The Retro Classic sets forth alongside the more modern riders of the York Rally Sportive to raise funds for the annual York Rally, the traditional gathering for cycles old and new on York’s Knavesmire.

Enjoy great riding, great company and great organisation from our experienced all-volunteer team! And enjoy the legendary Marton food stop

Great value at £25 (online or by post – see below) or £30 (on the day). Go on, ride the Retro!

The Retro Route

The Retro ride sets out alongside the York Rally Sportive routes, before striking off eastwards towards Slingsby just after you enter the beautiful Howardian Hills at Hovingham. Wending its way North, the ride takes you up to Great Edstone (just short of Kirkbymoorside) after which it’s just a few more miles to the main food stop at Marton, where the highly experienced catering team lay on a traditional spread of savoury and sweet dishes to delight any cyclist – including legendary cake.  After that there’s the spectacular rolling ride past Castle Howard before you head back into the flatlands around York…

Total distance is 86 km (54 miles) and there’s a total of 550 m (1800 feet) of ascents – almost all in the first half of the ride, and the ride has been planned with due consideration of classic gearing systems and classic legs 🙂

Click the map below to enlarge, or see it on MapMyRide or download the GPX or KML route files. You can also see the print map PDF (hard copies will be provided for riders on the day).

Choosing your classic cycle

Organisers will apply discretion and no entry in the classic retro spirit will be turned away. Retro bikes would typically feature:

  • Steel frame
  • Downtube shifters
  • Cables exit from top of brake levers
  • Toe clips & straps

Practical details

Entries
Entries are great value at £25 (online or by post) or £30 (on the day).

Online entries
are via the British Cycling website, and will be open until shortly before the ride. Places are limited, so we recommend early booking to be sure of your ride!

Postal entries
are welcome. Please download the form (.doc), complete and print it out, then return it to the address on the form with your cheque (made out to “York Rally” please).

Timings
Registration opens 9:00AM. Starts will be in small groups starting at 10AM.

Rally HQ
Sign-in and start is at: Find it on Google Maps here (it’s labelled “Wigginton Parish Council”).

Parking
Please park sensibly in the surrounding streets. There is also parking available outside “Cyclescene” a few hundred yards from the Old School House – at

Any questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the organiser by phone: Pete Dunn 07740 171 252 or leave a comment below or on the Facebook event page.

Volunteers to help run the event are always welcome and much appreciated! If you could help marshall, staff a feeding station or take on various tasks at ride HQ, again please just contact organiser Pete Dunn on 07740 171 252.

This Retro ride is a fundraiser for the York Rally, the traditional cyclists’ gathering held since 1945 on York’s Knavesmire. The next Rally is on the 22-23 June 2019: be there!

Could your classic clubmates complete the challenge? Please invite them to find out…

See you there!

The all-volunteer York Rally team.