so a lot to get through in this weeks post, so put the kettle on and pull up a pew. apparently a few people were not happy with what i said in last weeks blog post about stopping for the crashed riders. well i still stand by what i said and the reason why is that if you are in the same situation, wouldn’t you want someone to stop for you. the intent was not to make people feel guilty about not stopping, but rather be more aware about just what is happening out there on the road. we are not in a controlled environment, so there are lots of things that can go wrong during a ride. if people feel that the group may have stopped if the fallen riders had spr jerseys on, then maybe that is the take-away from all this. you are on a club ride and yes you don’t always want to look just like everyone else, but sometimes being in uniform helps identify which team you are on.
now there was another incident thursday last week where a number of riders hit the deck. the majority walked away, but one rider had significant damage to his mouth. multiple lost and broken teeth means a long period of reconstruction and a significant bill to go with it. firstly, make sure you have insurance. getting a membership covers you for somethings but not as much as private health insurance. don’t take the “it will never happen to me” attitude as every rider, every vehicle and every road is a variable that you don’t have control over. secondly, look after the other riders in the group. there are reports that when the accident happened, the group had swelled significantly in numbers as it picked up extra riders around the river. as is reiterated below in the group etiquette post, you must let other riders know what is happening around them during the ride. now don’t call every single seagull that flies past, but letting riders know about traffic furniture and overtaking riders should be passed along the line. often towards the end of these rides, people get tired and stop signalling. it may make it a few places down the line, but then stops…until someone hits something. in a group ride, you are responsible for your safety and the safety of those around you. we rely on others to make the call when heading into a roundabout just so you don’t have to slow down, keep the calls going for all the other things.
ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for may are proudly sponsored by return sponsor Melody Wheels. they are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP. they do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.
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.
group ride etiquette – as you are aware, your actions in a group ride can have consequences for other on that ride. your inaction can also have consequences. our training and development officer, rob, recently put together a post highlighting the important points that you need to know. have a look at that post so you understand or even as a refresher.
volunteer roster – there are a number of events over the course of the year that rely heavily on volunteers. we usually put a call out close to each event, but generally get the same people each time. this only lasts so long before people get a bit burnt out and stop helping. we have close to 400 members in our club and should be able to share the load easily across the year. the race committee is putting together a list of event and positions needed that you can volunteer for. some are not till much later in the year so you have lots of time to prepare. have a look at the previous post and let the club know that you can help out.
giro d’italia dinner – out first “out of lycra” event is on mon 22nd may to celebrate the first grand tour of 2017. the giro dinner is open to members and their partners but is limited to just 70 places. check out the previous post for more details and how to order your tickets.
a plan for safer cycling – the city of south perth and the town of victoria park have been awarded funding for the development of a joint bike plan through the wa bicycle network (WABN) grants program. the aim of the joint bike plan is to understand the needs of the cycling community and seek to further develop existing cycling infrastructure across our two neighbouring local governments. the plan will also identify opportunities to improve the cycling network and provide better connections in these areas. check out the media release and provide feedback via the links. this is your chance for local government to hear from cyclists that use not only paths but also the road.
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.
t
hursday 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 – i really can’t believe the weather that we are having. the tom lowry race is this weekend in collie and it always rains during that race. not this year. there are some nice sunny days coming up, but even with the threat of rain, it still hasn’t turned cold in the morning. make the most of it.
saturday 6th 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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday
fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday
sunday 7th 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 – coffee ride
short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday
long – wlsh weir kal 101.71km spr sunday
monday 8th may
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 9th may
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 10th may
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 11th may
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 12th may
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am