there have been a couple of bad accidents over the long weekend which has resulted in a couple of our members ending up in hospital with some pretty serious injuries. they weren’t necessarily on spr training rides, but involved spr members. firstly the response to each accident has been of typical spr fashion. everyone pitching in to ensure that the casualties are looked after, bikes are not left on the roadside and follow up on outcomes. we had a quite a big discussion about safety at our last committee meeting and how some people view our club as “unsafe” as we have what is considered a lot of accidents. well we also have a lot of riders and a lot of rides which increases the number of variables that you personally can’t control. so, should you expect an accident??? well, no, but it pays to be prepared. this is a two-fold approach. firstly the way we ride and the way we interact with each other and other road users. again (i say it a lot) be spatially aware. understand that being at the back of the group will involve more surges than the front. be aware of how the person in front is riding and if you don’t like it, move to a different position. importantly, be aware of where others are in the group so that someone doesn’t get left behind and has an accident. for years now we have regrouped at the old school at the bottom of welshpool rd after the sunday hills ride. we recognise that there is a risk when people are descending and we don’t want to leave any one behind. secondly, make sure that you have adequate insurance for both yourself and your bike. understand what you are covered for as some policies don’t cover your bike for racing and others don’t cover it for being stolen out of a locked car. at the end of the day, your bike is just a tool and your health is more important. making sure that you have the right insurance to get you through any surgery/rehab that you need, can make a big difference to how well you come out the other side. also, if you are the primary bread-winner, how your family will cope if you are laid up in hospital for an extended period of time. sorry to sound so negative, but being prepared is better than being surprised.
ride leader sponsor – 
our ride leaders for june are proudly sponsored by return sponsor, Seeton Consulting. they are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.
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.
tour of margs 2017 expressions of interest – as per previous years we are looking at putting multiple teams in for the tour of margs in november. this is a 3 stage teams based race with a team time trial and 2 road races. expressions of interest are now open and you can check out the previous post for more details, we would like people to be committed if they say that they want to do it this year.
tour of esperance – if you are thinking of heading down to esperance in july, then make sure that you take your bike. this year the tour of esperance will be holding a handicap race on the 16th july with lots of prize money to boot. being a handicap race, everyone has a chance of winning the prize. check out their facebook event page for further 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.
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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 – all week they have been predicting a wet weekend, but now it looks like it has pushed back to rain on tuesday. make the most of this awesome winter weather as i am sure that it will not last that long.
saturday 10th june
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 – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday
sunday 11th june
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 12th june
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 13th june
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 14th june
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 15th june
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 16th june
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
Peter,
Thanks for the efforts to raise safety awareness. It is good to have insurance and the means to recover in case of an accident, but the most important thing is to work in prevention. I have seen a few near misses in the last weeks, all resulting from poor decisions, some of them by our own ride leaders, who should be the role models.
First one, some may think that pulling an iPhone out to take selfies while riding in a group is ok. Everyone may have an opinion, however, if it is illegal and unsafe to operate a mobile phone while driving a car, it shouldn’t be any different when riding a bicycle.
Another one, stronger riders going uphill. To avoid the slower riders packing the lane, cross over the double line to the right creating an opportunity for a head-on collision against cars coming down hill. Fellow riders, be patient! It is a friendly group ride, not a competition.
Finally, the infamous round abouts. Be aware and anticipate others’ moves. In this case an undecided lost it thinking which part of the split group to stay with, ending up by himself, facing a car who had to lock her brakes to avoid running him over.
Luck was on our side, and the above 3 event didn’t result in accidents. The line between a near miss, a broken collar bone, or a fatality is very thin… and the only way to avoid either is through our own behaviours.
Hey Peter
Thanks for your on-going, input on the safety issue.
A suggestion: I notice that we do not get much detail coming through on the actual accidents as they occur – when, where and more or less how (without pointing fingers).
The accident on Saturday 3/6 am, club ride Main 1 on Jutland just past the corner at Resolution Point Reserve is a case in point.
Knowing how this and other accidents happened will certainly raise awareness and hopefully help to avoid a recurrence.
Thanks
Pierre