spr’s purpose is to provide a structured platform for the continuous development of the riding skills and personal fitness of all members. the club’s four values are safe, inclusive, organised and social.
based on recent feedback from a range of sources, a decision was made to introduce a trial last saturday of a different way of meeting the club’s purpose and values, specifically focused on the transition, main 4 and main 3 rides. the rationale for the change wasn’t well communicated and lead to a sub-optimal outcome on the day. members got upset, which of course was never intended,
however it must be acknowledged that it occurred. this was by no means the fault of the affected members and a valuable lesson has been learned for the future.
so why the change? the club survey and more recent informal feedback to the committee from both riders and ride leaders over a number of weeks, pointed to a couple of key areas of contention. by
way of example, the ‘pace’ and ‘quality’ of the lower main and trans rides was becoming variable, in part due to people not self-assessing their abilities well enough. this leads to unsafe, un-organised
and non-inclusive rides (people get cranky; people get dropped; people don’t feel safe). There was also feedback that main 4 had become more of a ‘social’ ride and did not cater for people wanting to transition into main 3 due to it being longer, but with less focus on pace and cycle skill development.
following on from last saturday, additional consultation has been undertaken (and more is yet to come) in order to seek an outcome with the original rationale for the change in mind.
from this saturday onwards, where numbers permit (which is always the unknown in any of these cases), we will introduce a ‘new’ ride to the spr rider development progression mix. below is an
outline of the changes to assist people to best choose their preferred ride on a given day:
development: for cyclists who are new to group riding. these rides are ridden at an average speed of 18-21km/h and involve skills training and ongoing feedback from ride leaders.
transition 2 (t2): for cyclists who are “transitioning” from the development rides into a group ride with more people and on different, unfamiliar roads. riders will be aiming to build a base level of fitness and their group riding skills. these rides are ridden at an average speed of 22-25km/h.
transition 1 (t1): a new addition to the mix, this ride is for cyclists who are aiming to build a base level of fitness and their group riding skills over the same distance as t2, however at a faster average
pace. these rides are ridden at an average speed of 25-27km/h.
main 4 (m4): for cyclists who want to ride further than t2, but at the same pace and follow the normal main route (~50km’s) at an average pace of 22-25km/h.
main 3 (m3): for cyclists who’s fitness and group riding skills have developed to a point where they can confidently ride the full 50kms at an average pace of between 25-27km/h.
and finally…..ride leaders. volunteers. humans. they make decisions based on their own experience. what you may see as a highly risky situation, may not be assessed in the same way by
the ride leader. their role is to look out for the whole group and to try to make assessments on how the group dynamic is playing out. in this case you, the riders, add another 20-30 variables to the situation that already involves weather, traffic and road conditions. if a ride leader is doing something clearly dangerous, then please let another ride leader or committee member know. if however, you
have an opinion that differs from the ride leader, please talk “to” them rather than “about” them when you get back to the coffee shop. the ride leaders are an integral part of the development of our club, but you must remember that they are volunteers giving up their time to assist in keeping the club, and you safe.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for march is Nutrition IQ. The main force behind Nutrition IQ is a deep desire to help individuals achieve their long-term diet and nutrition goals. Whether you’re seeking help with weight loss, sports nutrition, or disease prevention, each client is individually evaluated by a professional Dietitian and provided with a well-researched and comprehensive plan they can follow for the rest of their lives.
spr club photo – it is on again. next saturday 17th march we will have another crack at doing a club photo. please turn up a few minutes earlier so we can get everyone organised. no helmets or sunglasses and current club kit only. if you don’t have the current knicks, then you are in the back row.
spr agm and breakfast – the south perth cycle club annual general meeting (agm) will be held on saturday, 17 march 2018 at 9am. this will be held at dome westralia plaza (5/167 st georges terrace, perth) following the usual saturday ride. see the previous post for further details about voting, nominations and breakfasts.
racing q&a session –the spr members survey indicated there was an interest in racing, so race@spr are hosting a q&a opportunity at dome westralia plaza post-main rides from 09:00 am saturday 10th march, 2018. we invite you and ALL of your curious racing questions to come forth. so what do YOU want to ask? see the previous post for further info.
city of kalamunda cycling survey – the city council has put together a draft bicycle plan and are requesting feedback from riders who use the area. there is some good work in there and the city of kalumunda has even identified “training roads” as areas where the more endurance based riders choose to ride. have a look at the draft plan and click on the link to give feedback. we need to ensure that the results are not just some of the more vocal cyclist hating residents that we have had to deal with.
town of vic park and city of south perth cycling survey – the city of south perth and the town of vic park have pooled resources and are looking at what they need to provide for cyclists. again, have a look at the draft plan and give some feedback.
club survey results –we have previously posted the results of last years club survey. this is used by the committee to set the direction of the club for the next year or so. the previous post was just the numerical driven data, i.e. what percentage selected each option. there were a number of places where people could input comments on various topics plus a general comments section at the end. we have collated all these comments and have provided replies to as much as we could. as you can appreciate, there were a lot of places to add comments so there are a lot of replies. every single comment is included for transparency sake. i believe that everyone in the club deserves to be heard, not matter if it is positive or negative. the comments and replies have been spread over five different posts – club & safety, kit, racing & volunteering, social and general. please take the time to have a look through and the associated replies. some comments have been replied to directly, while others have been wrapped up in a topical discussion.
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 – as we continue through the 4th month of summer, the weather continues to be just about perfect for more riding. take advantage of it.
saturday 10th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 4:00am
very early lap- nightowl 43.44km spr special
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 reverse river 40.58km spr saturday
fast/main – hale rd reverse 51.37km spr saturday
sunday 11th march
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 – goose kal 63.41km spr sunday
long – darl weir 100.09km spr sunday
monday 12th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 13th march
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 march
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 15th march
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 march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
The reintroduction of T4 was excellent today-thank you Peter and the ride leaders John and Belson. Jane