One of the best features of SPR is the wide variety of safe group rides that are on offer every day throughout the working week. It’s been a major factor in the popularity of the club, and also why so many non-members choose to come along on our rides.

Over time, the rides and routes have increased, and evolved, so I thought it would be useful to provide a quick summary of each ride, the approximate speeds involved, and roughly how long they are.

With all rides, the goal is to have a safe, enjoyable ride where everyone gets home without incident. Please read the Ride Etiquette page (go on, read it again) and remember that everyone needs to make sure club etiquette is being followed, not just the ride leaders.

Monday – Recovery Ride – 33.2 Km
5:30AM Narrows (South Side)
Approximate Speed: 30 km/h
Approximate Time: 1:10

The Monday ride has a (very) small, but loyal following. “Officially” a recovery ride, there are a few hills along the way. The group sticks together, with regroups as needed after some of the bigger hills, and we finish up at Canning Bridge as a group.

Tuesday – “Little Ring” Spin ride – 36.0 Km
5:30AM Narrows (North Side)
Approximate Speed: 32 km/h
Approximate Time: 1:05 – 1:10

Time to spin, spin, spin. The Tuesday ride began as a recovery ride for those who went out on the Sunday hills ride, and has had a number of changes throughout the years. There’s been a Main group, a “Tubby Tuesday” group, and now a Spinning group.

The ride is meant to be a good solid group ride (in the little ring ALL THE WAY – yes, that means everyone!) with a regroup at the Mosman Water Tower.

Due to the number of other groups along the way we need to be careful, particularly on Burke Drive and Melville Beach Parade. Because we’re in the little ring, it’s generally the other groups passing us, and so we need to make sure they get by safely, and that we resist the temptation to hop onto the back of their train, which splits our group apart.

Some notes: Please do your best to keep in the small ring throughout the ride. However, if you’ve got compact cranks, or you just can’t keep up, then feel free to move up to the big ring. If you do this, the one thing we ask is that you stay at the back of the group.

Wednesday – Development Ride – Stock Road Repeats
5:30am (Raffles bike path roundabout)

Easy pace out at approx. 25km/hr average to bottom of Stock Road in Attadale. 30mins of repeats at your own pace.
Meet at the bottom of Stock at 6:30am and roll back easy pace.

Thursday – Fast and Main groups – 36.7 Km
5:30AM Narrows (North Side)
Approximate Speed: Fast Group – 38-40 Km/h
Main Group – 35 km/h
Approximate Time: Fast Group – 0:55
Main Group – 1:00

The most popular of the weekday rides, we’re regularly getting 60+ riders. We split into two groups, with the Fast group launching on the dot of 5:30, and getting strung out along Mounts Bay road pretty quickly thereafter. The Main group then rolls out at a more restrained, but decent pace. There are a couple of sprint “zones” along the way, at Port Beach, at the end of Burke Drive and at the approach to the Raffles. Of course, safety is the priority, and the Main group will re-assemble at the end of the first two sprints.

Friday – Solid group ride – 41.5 Km
5:30AM Narrows (South Side)
Approximate Speed: 33 km/h
Approximate Time: 1:15

Another “solid” ride, at a leisurely Main 1 pace, the Friday ride heads south towards a fast roll-through along Shelley and a regroup after the bridge. We then head towards Canning Vale and roll-through along Bannister and Nicholson roads before listening to the soothing sounds of people yelling “EASE UP” to make sure we stay as a group along Albany Highway. Back past Curtin and Kensington there’s a final sprint up to the Zoo along Mill Point Road, with coffee close to the finish!

And just a reminder about the weekend rides that President Pete discusses in the weekly Ride Routes post.

Saturday

• 5:30AM Narrows (North Side)
•  7:00AM Coode St Car Park

Sunday

• 5:30AM Narrows (North Side)
• 6:00AM Coode St Car Park – UWCT Training
• 7:00AM Coode St Car Park – Hills Ride