so, lets talk about the weather. rain, humidity, wind. all the things that cyclists don’t like. this morning we were also dodging the odd thunderstorm but didn’t manage to miss the rain. apart from the steamy queensland like weather, the other main change is that sunrise is getting later. it is now after 6am and with the overcast skys, this makes it dark. as announced a number of times, the sunday hills ride is moving back to a 7am start. this allows us more visibility and less chance of drivers being blinded by the sunrise. i am sure that someone will turn up there at 6am this week, but i am also sure that they will only do it once.
ride leader sponsor – this months ride leader sponsor is Chaotic Energy. owner, Teneal Attard is an active member of the club and is proud to be supporting the upcoming Renae’s Race, the premier race for women in WA. what is Chaotic Energy? they are a gym with a difference – an inclusive, stress free and supportive community, committed to achieving physical and emotional optimisation. see the previous post for more details and links.
annual general meeting – The South Perth Cycle Club Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday 21 March 2020 at 9am. This will be held at Dome Westralia Plaza (5/167 St Georges Terrace, Perth) following the usual Saturday ride. Each year at the AGM all office holder and general committee positions are declared vacant. In order to keep the club moving forward and meet the needs of all, it is important that the SPR committee is representative of our broad membership.
Initial indications are that the club will need at least 1 new committee member for 2020. Please see the previous post for more info.
criterium racing – Sunday 8th March is the Subiaco round of the InterClub Crit Series. If you went last year to race or spectate, you’ll know it was a splendid afternoon out.
Staged in the heart of Subiaco, the circuit is a tough course, fully closed with brilliant spectating available. The SPR SuperVan will be in attendance with our Green tent city, esky’s filled, some seating and even some cowbells. OF COURSE!
The weekend after is the final round of the InterClub series and the Premier Women’s Criterium race event of the year – Renae’s Race. Celebrating the life of the late Renae Baker, you should have also seen that the event this year is being generously sponsored by Chaotic Energy. This year the same day will play host to a commemorative race in memory of Henk Vogels Snr for the blokes.
Come and race, come and spectate, COME AND SUPPORT!!!
Your entries are open for both at entry boss click the links for The Ring Subiaco or Renae’s Race.
And keep your eyes out for the RACE@SPR posts.
new spr kit design – as outlined in the previous post, the design for the new spr kit has been finalised. the kit committee has been working closely with Mayeur to come up with a design that encompasses the clubs main elements whilst presented within an understated style. next steps will be a social event/sizing party to ensure that people order exactly what they need.
rubbish – it was observed that someone in the group discarded a gel pack during the ride last week. all rubbish must be carried and disposed of properly. even the pro’s can only drop things at certain times during the race now to minimise littering. if you managed to carry the gel packet when it was full, you certainly had space for the empty packet.
mercantile lane closure – some of you may remember that the pedestrian bridge over mercantile lane fell down last year. this is the back lane that we take to get from mounts bay rd to st georges terrace. as of 20th dec it will be closed again to facilitate the rebuilding of that foot bridge. no idea how long it will be down for, so you will need to take the next road (william st) to hook back around to the cafe after the ride.
sunday start locations – as numbers increase over summer, we are looking at how we can manage the groups on a sunday morning. as such we are implementing a start location system to give us an idea of how big the groups are. we can then split them before they leave the carpark to ensure that the groups are a safe size on the road. see the previous blog post about where to meet and the new start time.
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, juniors, juniors. numbers have been a bit sporadic for juniors since the new year. hopefully we can get numbers back up to a sustainable level so that it doesn’t rely on only a few people to make it happen. while the weather is nice, get the kids out and get them active.
from the ride coordinator – Some changes for this weekends rides, will really test how far people read down the blog, or whether they just skip past this section to the ride routes. If you are reading this, then kudos to you as you might just have some more knowledge than the thumb scrolling experts who just go to the ride routes.
First thing is a reiteration of last week’s notice than Sunday Hills rides will be reverting back to a 7am start. If you are a regular for these rides, be good to have a quick word to your fellow regular Sunday riders to make sure they enjoy an extra hours sleep.
If you are intending to ride the public holiday Monday ride, then please note their is a slight change to the route that will take away the dangerous and deteriorating road conditions around Riverside Rd, through the left bank. SO PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: the ride route will continue along Preston Point Rd all the way to the Canning Highway. DO NOT TURN RIGHT AT THE ROUNDABOUT AT THE CORNER OF PRESTON POINT RD INTO RIVERSIDE DRIVE. Continue straight along Preston Point ride, up and over the rise to the Canning Highway. At Canning Highway, turn right but stay in the right hand lane, ready to turn onto the Stirling Highway Bridge. After traversing the bridge, turn left onto Tydeman Road to join the route as you know it.
Again, if you are having a coffee and asking your fellow SPR rider if they are riding Monday, be sure to also ask if they know of the PH ride route change. Otherwise enjoy this weekend’s riding as it looks like it’s clearing up just in time.
saturday 29th 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
juniors – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
transitional 1/2 – trans reabold 38.69km spr saturday
fast/main – reabold & cottesloe 50.91km spr saturday
sunday 1st march
rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
note: sunday rides now start at 7:00am from mar to oct
development group – coffee ride
short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday
long – cann dam 100.13km spr sunday
monday 2nd march – labour day
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
main/fast – public hol 57.62km spr special
tuesday 3rd march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
wednesday 4th march
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 5th 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 6th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am