About cycling & running in West YorkshireWest Yorkshire Training Notes
Running: Leeds runners get plenty without leaving town. South Leeds Lakers Running Club leans off road, and North Leeds Fell Runners keeps the fell legs honest. Meanwood valley trails suit easy club miles, muddy intervals, and that first Z2 run when the legs are still half asleep. Rothwell Country Park gives South Leeds a proper off-road option. The canal from Thwaite Mills to Lemonroyd Marina runs 7 kilometers and stays pretty flat between the river and the Aire and Calder Navigation. The anchor races include Leeds Country Way Winter Ultra North, Race For Life Bradford, Leeds Country Way In A Day, NorthowRun5 2026, and Leeds 5K Race Series.
Cycling: Cyclists in West Yorkshire get commuter tarmac, canal Z2, and savage climbing in one week. City Connect Cycle Superhighway links Crossgates, Leeds city centre, and Bradford over 14 miles, and locals use it for base miles when the diary is tight. Leeds-Liverpool canal on NCN66 gives a quieter way between Leeds and Bradford, then the waterside route carries on through Saltaire and Bingley. Airedale Olympic CC, Garforth Velo, Seacroft Wheelers, Valley Striders CC, Wetherby Wheelers, and Halifax Imperial Wheelers all give riders a wheel to follow. Shibden Wall north of Halifax brings cobbles, and Cragg Vale drops 965ft in 5.5 miles.
Season: Summer suits West Yorkshire best. South Leeds runners come out of a winter of pounding the tarmac, and the lighter nights mean Meanwood valley trails, Rothwell Country Park, and the Leeds Country Way feel worth the muddy shoes. Canal paths can get muddy around here, but summer may leave you OK in road trainers. Cyclists get longer evenings for the Leeds-Liverpool canal, NCN66 from Brighouse to Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, and moorland roads north of Hebden. Winter pulls runners back to tarmac paths and keeps riders closer to the city centre, the towpaths, and steady Z2 miles.
