the days are getting shorter now that we have passed the summer equinox.  the earlybird ride now needs a good set of lights and we are probably about due for our annual “don’t have a flashing front light or blinding rear light” post.  however, as the days are getting relatively cooler, the overnight temp has not dipped into the single digits just yet.  riding the earlybird or even the nightowl (pre-earlybird) can actually be a pleasant experience.  quiet roads and nice conditions.  with other commitments from family, work etc, i have managed to find the extra kms without breaking the daily routine.  i just have to go to bed a hell of a lot earlier.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

club annual report– the club agm was held last weekend and for the first time we produced an annual report.  this chronicles the events of 2016 and it was clear that we actually did a lot last year.  the publicly available version that is found in a previous blog does not include the club’s financials.  any members that would like to see our financial status, please contact the club directly and you will be sent a copy.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you may know one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him.

changes to kit ordering – current kit orders close at the end of this month.  after this point there will be some changes with a slight price increase and less orders per year.  please check out the previous post to understand all the details.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – the dams ride is on this weekend and there is almost practically no way to avoid it.  the sunday hills rides have therefore been set to go against the flow of the dams starting south and heading back to kalamunda.

saturday 1st april

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 benara 39.90km spr saturday

fast & main groups – benara rd 50.76km spr saturday

sunday 2nd april

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 – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 3rd april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 4th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 5th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 6th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 7th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride