not much to talk about for the ride routes today. i have probably forgotten about some race to promote, or some event that we need volunteers for, or it is actually just a quiet period for us. the giro is coming to a close this weekend with the last 3 out of 4 stages set to create some fireworks. that is as long as the riders can actually ride up the mountains. a front of cold weather is expected to bring sub-zero temperatures to some of the climbs and there is talk of there being a route change. cadel is sitting pretty in second, but i can’t see him making a dent unless nimbali has a bad day. a few late nights are on the agenda starting with the mountain time trial tonight. it also makes it hard to get up in the morning for our rides, but at least it doesn’t snow in perth.
earlybird lights – it is pretty much pitch black for the earlybird rides now. as such you need to make sure that you have adequate lights on your bike. by this i mean not just a little flashing LED but a decent set that both shows you the road and lets others know where you are. people will spend thousands on their bike and hundreds on shoes, but then skimp on the bike lights. when you are in the group, a flashing front light is not only useless, but really annoying if you are riding next to it. do the right thing and get a good set of ay-ups or exposure joystick and stay safe out there.
ride routes – there has been a bit of discussion lately about the size of the saturday groups and the speed of some of the riders. as the fast and all the mains do the same route, there is an opportunity for some of the faster main 1 riders to have a crack at the fast group. if you get dropped or split at the lights, then you can get picked up by main 1 coming along quite soon after. if a few of you work together, it can be a challenge to try to stay ahead of main 1 whilst trying to catch the fast group. with traffic lights, etc, it is sometime possible to catch back up and still get a good solid ride in. we have had a number of main 2 riders step up to main 1 but not so many main 1 take the jump to fast. have a go, suck wheel if you need to. no-one will care if you don’t do a turn.
saturday 25th may
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special
all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
transitional – trans mosman 40.39km spr saturday
fast & main groups – hale & ridgehill 50.58km spr saturday
sunday 26th may
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special
all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
short – spr sunday 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry)
long – spr sunday 95.04km (greenmount & parkerville & mundaring weir)
Has anyone tried Bushmead Rd recently? It’s part of the Saturday Fast/Main route and has been messed up by roadworks in recent months. I’ll be heading that way on my spin tomorrow arvo and can provide an update if needed.
I rode it yesterday. Its was fine. Still road works and some stop n go people, but surface is smooth.
I can also report that the ‘Lennie hill’ climb on Ridge hill road is still just as steep as ever…
Rode it this afternoon and it was all clear.
There’s no line markings and there’s a bit of rubble if you’re close to the left edge, but otherwise really nice smooth hot-mix asphalt.
Pete, looks like it might be safe to put your GoPro back on!
yeah, well i’ll testify to THAT!! Whose bright idea was it to include Lennie Hill Rd and bluddy Gooseberry together in one Sunday ride route, anyway?? Almost worth doing the long hills just to avoid these two ;0(
I haven’t been through there recently, but if Bushmead is still unsealed, there is a little detour that can be used: Mary St & Lakes Rd. The road is narrower, but has almost no traffic.
http://goo.gl/maps/5yh14
I can’t beleive that you would forget that the major event for tomorrow is your BIRTHDAY. Happy Birthday for tomorrow El Pres!
On the lights issue, this deal is really good, I paid way more for my joystick (no, I am not being rude (for a change))… Almost rude not to get one of these:
http://www.wiggle.com.au/exposure-joystick-with-bar-mount-flare-light-set/
Ahh yeah.. Happy Birthday for tomorrow Pete..
Hmm, there’s also a little event out in the back-blocks of the hills. Pickering Brook comes to mind… Good luck to everyone having a crack and showing the MCC guys (and gals) how it’s done. Oh, and if you are considering attacking during the race…do it with confidence! I’ll let Jens Voigt explain:
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/05/jens-voigt-on-attacking-with-confidence/
As for lights, I can HIGHLY recommend ay-ups. My set is over 3 years old now and still work brilliantly:
http://www.ayup-lights.com/products/categories/23/
Just paid $53 for a 3600 lumen front light from one of the Chinese website’s. It does say not recommended for road use as it’s so bright but great for night time MTB rides. Included in the price was a 5 led supper bright rear light !!
Yeah, but how much does it weigh?? 😉
Funny that’s the first question Lennie asked. Definately not as light as a joystick….but certainly much lighter than the MTB lights we used a decade ago when we had to carry a motorbike battery in a backpack to power them.
s’not too bad. not enuff to impact your already super super light bike, Ryanator.
But what if you’re not ‘mother f#$@ing Jens Voight’??? 🙂
Ahh, that clip of Jens made my week! No issue if you’re married to ‘mother f#$@ing Amanda Nabi’, surely.
Thanks Greg…Andrew knows he’s a lucky boy and I know whose the Boss :-).
Today arrangements for the ‘fast group’ ride worked really well…one I’d be in favor of seeing continued. Thanks Julian a.k.a. Dr.J for getting us all working well together. It was a smooth, fast and enjoyable ride.
You were in the fast group Amanda?? Mwuah ha ha..