now i never really wanted to discuss this subject, but it seems to be getting lots of airplay lately because to the rule change. the reason i don’t want to talk about the 1 m rule is that it gets so emotive and most of the comments you see on social media just get me even more angry. besides the stupid arguments about the guaranteed head-on collisions, there are the just blatantly abusive following comments like “run the f___ing c___s over”. these types of comments are quite happily next to the name and profile photo of someone that assumes that all his mates will go “yeah, good job at being so tough behind your keyboard”. so firstly, don’t be baited into a social media discussion about riding. some of my facebook friends have been commenting on some of the pages (get cyclists off the road…etc), so all this crap ends up in my feed. no matter what argument you put forward (i.e. the road is clear, just overtake), it doesn’t matter, you are not going to out troll the trolls. the main reason seems to be that some drivers seem to think that rules that affect them are “not fair”. this is evident in arguments like “well they should stay 1m away from my car when we are stopped in traffic” and “bike need rego so when they go through red lights, etc etc”. so lets look at that. the reason vehicles need to stay away from bike when travelling is because if the two interact, someone either gets hurt or dies (odds are it is not the motorist). if a car is stopped in traffic and a bike passes within 1 m, it is unlikely that the driver will be placed in danger. the rule is to protect the vulnerable road users, not make it “unfair” for motorists. if a bike goes through a red light, drivers are not worried about the rider’s well being, they are just upset that since their vehicle has number plates, someone can report them for doing it. if a cyclist goes through a red light they are putting themselves at risk. if a vehicle goes through a red light, they are putting lots of people at risk. the first fine was issued in perth this week and the initial reports were that the cyclist “abused” the driver, so they drove close to “teach them a lesson”. however, a subsequent report by our claire tyrrell, showed that it was much worse than that. either way, why someone driving a 2 tonne piece of machinery feels that “threatened” when someone in lycra “abuses” them “for nothing”, that they feel they need to put their life at risk is astounding when you read it. when you live it every time you are on the bike, you just think “welcome to perth”. we ride on busy roads for a reason (there is more room to overtake), we ride at the non-busy times of the day (so it is easier to overtake), we ride in groups (so we are more visible on the road). it does, however, still come down to choices, so be careful where you ride, when you ride, and how you react. we are finding that cars are giving more space, but equally, we are copping more abuse for just being there.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for december is Travis Meyer from Finance Detective. Travis Meyer is an ex-professional cyclist having raced with some of the biggest teams in the world such as Orica-GreenEdge & Garmin Slipstream. He has turned his attention to his new venture, as a Mortgage & Finance Broker, working alongside the best in the business, Finance Detective. please see the previous post for more details.
xmas breakfast and awards – as xmas this year falls on a monday, the final saturday ride and corresponding breakfast will be on the 23rd dec. this will be the annual dress-up ride so we hope to see some inventive costumes and bike decorations. as always we like to take this time to acknowledge peoples achievements throughout the year. some awards are decided by the social committee, some by the president and others by the riders. check out the previous post where you can nominate people in 4 key areas.
christmas drinks – christmas drinks will be at the empire bar again this year on sunday 17th december, 6:00pm. this is usually a great night to see the year off without wearing lycra. please see the previous post for more details.
club survey – the club survey has been closed and we are in the process of collating the results. we hope to have this out soon so you can see what areas were a concern for the membership. the additional comments will also be replied to, as we want to make sure everyone understands where the club stands on certain issues. the winner of the ipad will be drawn at the xmas breakfast on 23rd dec.
tomr race reports –lots of race reports have come in so far. make yourself a cuppa and pull up a pew. reports can be found for stage 1 mixed, stage 1 women’s 1, stage 2 men’s 2, stage 3 men’s 1, stage 3 men’s 3, stage 4 women’s 3 and stage 4 women’s 2 plus an overview from the team organisers. this gives you a good insight into what it was like to race and what each different team experienced. a great into if you are keen to join us next year.
2018 licences renewal – any race licence that you purchase now will be valid until the end of 2018. recreational licences are a year from the date purchased, but race licences are for a calendar year. if you are looking at changing clubs and wish to join spr, then now is the time to do it. a club change before a renewal is free, so get it done now then when you renew you will be a member of spr.
group sizes and ride etiquette – a timely reminder from our training and development officer on just why we split the ride up into certain size groups. why we need to keep separated on the road and what it means for your safety. have a read of the previous post, because if you get pulled up for one of these issues don’t expect that “i didn’t know” to be a valid excuse.
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hursday training ride – 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.
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.
ride routes – hot days and easterly winds even during the week. summer is here with a vengeance. be prepared.
saturday 9th december
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 – hale & ridgehill 50.58km spr saturday
sunday 10th december
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 – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday
long – grnmt prk mnd wr 93.71km spr sunday
monday 11th december
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 12th december
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 13th december
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 14th december
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 15th december
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am