on the tuesday ride i had a small incident which resulted in a double flat. luckily i always carry two tubes but i still required a bit of gas powered assistance from rob (with lots of moral support from vanessa). what caused the flats was not glass, or tacks but rather a metallic item about the size and shape of a hub freewheel. it was a hollow cylinder and must have been sitting upright and i have hit it directly with both wheels causing a dual pinch flat. maybe it could have been worse if it was on it’s side as my front wheel may not have ridden over it quite a well. so it was either luck or my skill that kept me upright…i’m going to go with skill. this was a relatively small item on the road and being 2nd last wheel, i didn’t even see it. however, it was apparently called at the front of the group but no idea how far that call went down the line. in a group riding situation we rely on each other to keep everyone safe. calls should be repeated up and down the group as necessary. a call of “car back” should not just make it as far as the last persons’ voice can carry into the wind but should be repeated until the front people have heard it. there are too many times that we have been on narrow roads and after the call the back half of the group have tightened up but the front half had not heard the call. same with calling obstacles on the road. if someone has let you know that there is something you need to avoid, make sure you look after the people behind you and pass it on.
ride leader sponsor – february’s ride leader sponsor is Melody Wheels who are a multiple return sponsor for the club. 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.
summer racing in perth – Summer is rolling on (well, kind of. Not like a non-stop Perth 40deg+ week) and racing is cranking along. See Race@SPR’s info about the ongoing and upcoming race events happening in and around Perth over the Summer in the previous post.
memberships new changes – there has been quite a big change with memberships in 2019. cycling australia have moved to a new system to keep track of memberships and this has allowed a few new benefits as well. firstly there are a few different types of licences. for us the two main ones are ride+ and race. obviously if you want to race, get the race one and if you just want coverage while riding with the club, get the ride+ one. links can be found here. while there is a cheaper ride basic option, it won’t cover you for much if you have an accident on a club ride. there is also a new billing system where you can elect to pay monthly instead of annually. for those that don’t appreciate the big hit for a elite race licence, you can split this across the year. the minimum amount is for 12 months, though, so you still have to pay even if you don’t race. there is also a 7day race licence that replaces the 3 day licence. this can be purchased online and will be needed for event like the tour of margs, or if you just want to try out a crit or two. it is only $38 but i am not sure how many you are allowed to purchase over a year. finally, for those that want to transfer clubs there are two options. firstly, if you current licence has expired, you now have the option to select a new club when renewing. for those that want to join or leave spr for a mid year transfer, then you need to contact cycling australia memberships directly as the clubs cannot provide this service any more.
minimum passing distance survey – The WA Government is working to improve cycle safety and has introduced the Minimum Passing Distance regulation. Cardno has been appointed by the Road Safety Commission to conduct research on this regulation over a two year period to ascertain levels of compliance and any trends in passing behaviour. Please find the survey linked here.
perth arena psp –the psp behind the perth arena was shut a number of years ago due to safety concerns. those concerns have been met but the path is still not open. this forces cyclists and pedestrians to go the long way around the arena and are forced to negotiate the typical obstacles around a public space. please sign the petition linked here to try to get the path open again.
spr 10 year anniversary – south perth rouleurs 10th anniversary celebrations on the 6th of april 2019 will be in the form of not one, but two events! starting at 7am, we will conduct a suitably nostalgic, guided river ride where we will take in some of the significant landmarks and spots-of-significance that represent important milestones of the club’s growth and development. in keeping with our south perth heritage, we have secured the PS Decoy to steam us around…you guessed it…a river loop with a difference! This will be a black-tie evening not to be missed. see the previous post for more 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.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is here so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator –Forecast is another scorcher, make sure you keep your hydration levels up, and don’t forget the sunscreen.
saturday 9th february
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
junior juniors (under 10 with parent) – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
juniors (10 – 15 yrs with parent) – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
transitional 1/2 – trans abernethy 39.96km spr saturday
fast/main – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday
sunday 10th february
rides start at coode st carpark at 6:00am
development group – coffee ride – Summer Sundays at Six am (Dec to Feb)
short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday
long – wlsh obs cam goose 88.67km spr sunday
monday 11th february
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 12th february
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
wednesday 13th february
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 14th february
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 february
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am