helmets. sometimes they look good, and sometimes they….well match your kit. whatever the visual aspect of helmets, the odds are if you have come off your bike, you know how much of a life saver they can be. it isn’t just a speed issue either. a few years ago, brendan came off his bike at a very slow speed and directly contacted the ground with his head. he was in a coma for a couple of days which is a pretty scary situation for his family. if he didn’t have a helmet on, then who knows. there was recently some research around bike accidents and helmets and it has confirmed what we already knew. a helmet reduces the risk of serious head injury in an accident. there is always a lot of noise about responsible adults being forced to wear helmets and whether this stops people from riding their bikes. to me it is the same as seat belts. you can’t prove that seat belts or bike helmets make it less safe. and anyway, those people that don’t ride because they don’t want to wear a helmet, probably don’t really want to ride anyway. if you turn up to a club ride without a helmet, you will be asked to leave, even if it has happened by accident. it does happen more in winter when people wear caps and stuff under their helmet.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for september is Melody Wheels. a specialist wheel builder and repairer, they are located in the old freo prison. let them help you in the selection, build and repair of your next set of wheels. a number of our members have already utilised their services and others have attended their wheel workshops.
rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides. it is up to all members to enforce these rules.
ride leader pilot program – as mentioned previously, we are kicking off the ride leader pilot program soon. this is to ensure that we have a consistent message across all the groups. as such, some of our regular ride leaders may be taking part in the practical sessions that are being run in conjunction with the online theory. we may be looking for a few regular riders to step up and help the club by looking after a group.
the beverley – this is just a heads up for more information to come soon. the beverley race returns in conjunction with the beverley heroic. this race will be run by spr and will be a similar format to the collie-donnybrook. more info and entries can be found here, but there will be a blog post to follow soon.
spr kit orders – the latest round of kit orders close at the end of this month. kit is for members only, so join up if you want to order. check out the previous post for more details. make sure that you have spr kit if you are going to race for spr in the tour of margs.
tour of margs spr riders – the spr teams for this years tour or margs have now been announced. we are however, still looking at a few reserves as there is always some issues that take riders out close to the event. if you are interested, please let the all powerful race committee know via email. when changes do happen, we generally reshuffle the teams to make sure that they are as balanced as possible. this is a great opportunity for anyone to be a part of a great team event. ask anyone that has been involved in the race the past few years, and it has little to do with the results and more to do with the trip.
ride routes – it’s a long weekend, yay. it’s going to rain all weekend, boo. hopefully the gaps in the showers align with the rides. saturday morning is looking pretty good at the moment, but sunday and public holiday monday are not too sure.
saturday 24th september
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 rebold 38.69km spr saturday
fast & main groups – whiteman park 50.4km spr saturday
sunday 25th september
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 – coffee ride
short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday
long – cann dam 100.13km spr sunday
monday 26th september
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
fast/main – public hol 58.97km spr special
tuesday 27th september
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
wednesday 28th september
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 29th september
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm
spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
friday 30th september
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
I can confirm the efficacy of helmets having done my own extensive practical research over the last 12 months! Smacking my head on the tarmac on a reasonably regular basis has had no impact at all thanks to my choice of head wear… :-/