so after a week of hot days, it finally rains for the thursday morning ride. only 2 of us turned up but blair opted for mount st repeats, while i set off on a lap of the river. stupid headwinds and then a torrential downpour that pretty much soaked me to the core made for an interesting ride. however, i wasn’t the only one out there, but i was probably the youngest. all the battle weary older gentlemen were out riding in the rain as if weather conditions didn’t really matter anymore. reports are that it may have been our last lot of rain for a while and already the prediction is for 35 deg next wednesday. time to hang up the arm warmers and slop on the sunscreen.
cwa agm –if you are a member, you will have already received an invite to the cycling wa agm. this is open to all members and will give you an insight into how political the whole club thing can be. during the actual agm, only club reps can vote, but there is a members forum afterwards were you can raise any issues.
memberships – the online system is up and running again and there has already been a good flow of new members coming in. if you are already a member of another club and wish to join us for 2011, then you will need to fill in a transfer form before you renew your licence. this can be found here and needs to be signed by both the old and new clubs.
ride routes – further to the post during the week, another comment has been on the starting time. as we are spending so much time trying to get the groups organised, we are starting later and later. from now on, i will not be doing a morning spiel unless there is something critical to report on. instead i will put any important info into this blog post. this week sees the official formation of transitional 2 group which will do a slightly shorter route than t1. main 2 is back again this week and if main 1 is too big, it will be arbitrarily split. more groups means more leaders. thanks to leon and jordan for volunteering this week, but we need more to step up before is start putting forward names from the membership list. each week, volunteer yourself via the comments under the ride routes. you will not have to do it often and newer riders will benefit from your experience.
saturday 30th october – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
juniors – spr saturday 22.11km juniors (mt pleasant)
development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)
transitional 1 – spr saturday 42.94km (freo & cott)
transitional 2 – spr saturday 36.05km (leach & shelley)
fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.98km (benara rd)
sunday 31st october – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)
I had just posted under the Saturday ride, so copied my post here as now more chance of being read!
Thanks Pete for continuing to find ways to give people what they want/need from our rides. Your right, Saturday did not work that well so we can change it. I like your proposal and I promise not to have another tantrum. Sorry Kym, after all your good work you happened to be on the front when I had my dummy spit. you deserved it least of all.
I’m happy to lead main 2. Our intention will be to ride firm but to get the vast majority of the group into the last 5 to 10 km together and then let people do what they can or want. We will achieve this by the front riders checking that they are not pulling the group apart, by having a ‘sweeper’ at the back, by having regroup points if we need them, and with stronger riders helping those that sometimes struggle at certain points. Everybody is welcome to particpate in roll throughs but you are not required to participate. If you are struggling, just sit in a while.
Experince has shown that we will typically average 32-33 kph for the ride and you will get the opportunity to work hard. But it is a group ride.
And maybe we should have a club rule that if blokes have shaved legs they must ride with the fast group…..
That’s why I don’t shave/wax my legs. Russ, I think you’re right. Need to emphasize that if you don’t think you’ve got the legs for it, then don’t have to feel obliged to contribute to the roll throughs. Best not to go into the red zone so you can still hang on. But let others behind you know early, so the gap is not too large and if you’re the last person, call out “last wheel” to the rider in front to let him/her know that you’re not participating in the roll through.
Having upset a few people with the surprise sprint by me last week, I think the consensus is that we keep things civilised 😉
The T1 group shall leave before the T2 in case we drop anyone along Canning Hwy where they can be picked up before North Lake. Roll through to start along Bourke drive with a KOM up Pt Walter. Regroup along Pt Walter road before Preston Point where we will stick tightly together. Riverside Rd will be full on hard pace to regroup again before crossing the bridge.
Easy/medium pace all the way to Claremont whilst staying in perfect pairs. Front pairs to peel off after a few minutes. Time to enjoy the view and bods at the beach!
Across Dalkeith, if anyone is burning up, option to short cut on Waratah, otherwise a sprint point will be the memorial at the other end of Waratah. Regroup before Stirling hwy where we will ride in pairs all the way to the bike path. Eventhough this is a traditional sprint point, can I please ask that there is no sprint here.
A reminder for everyone to call clearly especially the tail markers (“clear back”) on our right hand turns. And for people in the middle of the pack to pass on calls. Also, please no riding 3 abreast unless your intention to either overtake or peel off is clear.