as statistics will show, the more people you have doing an activity more often, then it is more likely that there will be incidents. add in the fact that we also ride on the road with ever changing traffic conditions, random pedestrians and inclement weather, it is almost inevitable that you will be involved in some type of incident. so, are you insured??? your membership gives you a bit of personal injury cover but you should also make sure that you have adequate health insurance. as we have seen with the major accident that we had lately, income protection can also be very important. on top of all that what about your bike??? is it covered in case of an accident and if so, what does you policy actually cover??? i have seen some policies that don”t cover your bike if it is locked in a car unless it is also attached to the car itself. firstly, make sure that you have some type of coverage but make sure that you understand what you will be covered for.
ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised. sign up here.
tom lowry race – there are over 30 spr members heading down to collie this weekend for the tom lowry crit and road race. on sunday, we will endeavour to find a place to set up the tent, but as there will also be a cyclo-sportif on at the same time, there may not be an opportunity to find a spare patch of grass. just look for other people wearing green and see if you can get together before the race.
women’s skill session – back when leigh o started riding with us she found it quite a daunting experience. coming down to a saturday morning ride for the first time, with over 100 riders waiting in a carpark, can be nerve wracking as there are so many unknowns. even after you have been with spr for a while, what skills you need to have to move up the groups may also be unclear. so casino leigh has gone out and got her coaching ticket and wants to help the next lot of girls that are coming through the ranks. this is primarily for those that are in the novice/tranny group and feel a bit out of their depth. it is also for those women that you know of that may need a little push to come out with the group. going through the skills course before coming out with the novice group, may be just the transition to group riding that they need. if you are (or know someone that maybe) interested, please see the previous post.
women’s race training day – hall training is putting on a race training day just for spr women. if you do race or have been thinking about it, then come along to this free day where you will be shown the basic of road racing. see the previous post for details.
goldfields cyclassic – the next big race on the calendar is at the start of june and as it is in kalgoorlie, it will take a bit of organising. more info is on the previous post and if you are interested, please put your name in the comments section.
ride routes – a few cold morning”s predicted. make sure you rug up.
saturday 3rd 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 canning vale 42.34km spr saturday
fast & main groups – hale rd reverse 51.37km spr saturday
sunday 4th 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 – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday
Was just thinking that same scenario Sir Prez to mention to the club members. If anyone is interested to get in contact with a broker feel free to email me and I can put you onto someone who can assist. paul@pgcwa.com.au Unless of course there is someone within the club who can assist then I certainly don’t want to tread on any toes. Have a good weekend all. Ride safely so you can happily say you never needed that additional insurance cover.
Yes when it comes to the CA insurance that is provided by being a member of SPR, it is worth noting its not that flash. When i speared into the tarmac 2 months ago on a Saturday ride, the only thing i got covered was 85% of the $500 excess that my private health insurance charged for my stay in hospital. Anything that is part covered by medicare or your health insurer whilst in hospital or any other medical expense,is not claimable.
Damage to the bike is the same. To cut a long story short I was about $800 out of pocket despite paying into 3 insurers. Its not until you claim you realise the insurance companies seem to go out of their way not to pay up, but i guess its all in the small print.
I was very lucky that a friend of mine was a lawyer and sorted out insurance companies, income protection and hospital cost when I broke my neck and suffered a spinal injury. Spent 3 Months in Shenton Park Rehab learning to do everything stand walk feed myself and potty training, 10 months and able to work part time. Can walk and ride but not like I use to do, life can change so fast and not only for you but also for those around you.
Ps
Do miss riding with the South Perth Hills Ride but that’s life
As someone who is dealing with this process at the moment . I agree with everything Kevin has said , Personally speaking having my bike insured and having my self insured you would imagine that it would be straight forward enough .
Not worth the paper there printed on …………
Robert reading your story and just thinking about your injuries I can only imagine what it was like . Best wishes and I hope to see you on the bike some day .
Apropos the comments above and Pete’s editorial, there was a fall resulting in a head injury and an ambulance call in the early part of the hills ride this morning. It occurred around some holes in the road on Welshpool Rd just before we turn left into McDowell St.
It wasn’t pretty and brings home several things that we must do in our group rides:
1. Look after each other. We have to be proactive in keeping our eyes open and calling anything that looks remotely dangerous EARLY. This is particularly important if you are near the front.
2. Educate others if they aren’t looking out for the group or are a bit lacking in group skills. The hills ride often picks up riders who don’t ride with SPR all the time, so let them know if there are things they need to improve on.
3. Be a responsible rider, especially for yourself, at all times. One of the false securities of bunch riding is the misconception that you can just roll along in the middle of the pack and switch off; others will call the way, look out for things – you’re in a beautiful cocoon. As evidenced by this morning, no – you’re not. We mustn’t get complacent or lazy and abrogate our own safety by transferring it to the group leaders or those in front of us (while we enjoy the tow).
Anke and others did a fantastic job in looking after the unconscious rider, who couldn’t be moved from the middle lane of the road until the ambulance came. Some SPR members also gave up their Sunday ride to look after the damaged bikes. The police were also in attendance.
I sincerely hope that the injured rider and the others that came down less heavily are not seriously damaged. It was such a preventable incident – straight road and 30km/hour – for the upsetting outcome that followed.
We’ll said Mike. There will always be variable we have little control of but recognising that we each must try our best to look after each other whilst pursuing this form of social exercise we enjoy is an imperative and yes this incident does suggest we can do better. The people who took the lead in managing the aftermath deserve a special mention – well done and I do hope the individual concerned will be ok. I ended up hitting the deck avoiding what was in front of me. More of a shock than anything but those who checked on me and put my chain back on the bike – thank you.
I just want to update you all who witnessed the accident on Sunday about Alex Milliers injuries: He is in Royal Perth Hospital on a regular ward for the next 2-3 days under observation with a fractured skull, cheekbone, collar bone and little finger. Calling out the hazard might have been inadequate (I was behind an didn’t hear any calls) but I wonder if somebody ever reported this huge holes before? They are there as long as I ride and hundreds of riders go over them every week. I haven’t and now feel I could have…
Perfect timing Mike. Sorry to hear about this pretty much avoidable incident. Speedy recovery to all. I unfortunately had the joy of having a whinge to Main 1 on Sat morning (3 times it turned out). I am all for those who are happy to belt it at the front (lord knows I can’t keep up with them at present) but we do rely on those calls starting with them and working their way down the group. We can’t let a crash be the wake up call to what is good bunch riding etiquette. Please keep working as a team on our rides as it is this that sets us apart. Stay Safe all.
I think I will follow on from Mike and Paul,
While leading Main Two on Saturday going along Midland road we ended up single file which was OK for that road but when we came too the dog leg at Ridge hill road then it came back a little to join Hale Rd the bulk of the group and I mean Thirty of the Thirty – six riders kept going ahead and missed the turn. I called out but only five riders who were behind me made the turn and we headed back as six. While this in itself is not a problem I think as Mike said we get in the group and switch off . We had more GPS available to us in the group than the first Moon mission , Garmins you may as well leave home.
I can not understand how out all these riders no one spoke up or sat up and made the turn. The point I’m trying make is that these rides while anyone can join are SPR rides ,we need to control them, by that I mean riders who have ridden for a while speak up and say this is the way we do it, if a rider does not like it fine then they can ride with someone else. People can read the ride etiquette but we need to re-inforce it at all times.
I was guilty of going over the white line on a round-about on Saturday and Marcus certainly let me know. The control a ride can not be left up to one leader/person it has to be any member within that group.
I wish Alex a speedy recovery and good luck to Rob also.
Feel a little Guilty also for not ringing Canning Council as I also have past those holes for twelve months at least.
Nev
guys, you can use this to report any potholes or hazards that you may come across.
http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/activetransport/24955.asp
Wow, it seems that the timing by Pete,s editorial were spot on.
My accident with the resultant broken hip certainly has woken me up to the very real dangers that we face on the road with virtually no protection. The helmet is a must because it can prevent that worst of all injuries, brain damage, but hearing from Robert, Alex,s Injury and one I watched on 60 minutes a few weeks ago has woken me up from a slumber I was in regarding the risks involved on main roads.
It really needs to be a wake up call for all , to switch on and avoid, avoidable accidents by looking after yourself and others. Me I am lucky to ride 90% of my rides on bike paths and I now intend to be select with my road riding. No one wants to have a life in a wheelchair knowing a slip of concentration by yourself or another condemned you to it.