remember when you just started cycling and a river loop was a big achievement. well for some it still is as many people struggle just to get off the couch. however, if you take a standard perth river loop, multiply the distance by 5.2 and the elevation gain by 12.6 then you start to see just what a challenge 3peaks really is. now being victoria, drop the temperature into single digits, reduce visibility and add a bit of sleet. now the challenge is really on. of all the spr members in the picture above, not everyone managed to cross the finishline last weekend, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying. perth’s nice weather doesn’t acclimatise you to the cold alpine temperatures and some of our riders suffered because of it. however, understanding the time and training that goes into just making it to the start makes you appreciate the effort and sacrifice that all the riders had to go through. so whether you made it to the end or not, well done on even attempting it in miserable conditions and celebrate with some gelato.
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 2 new committee members for 2020. Please see the previous post for more info.
renae’s race/henk vogels memorial – this weekend the racing is in memory of two passionate riders that are no longer with us. renae’s race honors renae baker a promising young cyclist who died of leukaemia in 1999. our own reporter, clarie tyrell did a story on her last year which we posted here. 
mentioned in that story is henk vogels who was the long standing president of the southern districts cycle club and who began renae’s race as a way of keeping her memory alive. this sunday the racing at the driver training centre at the airport will be dedicated to both cyclists. renae’s race is sponsored by club member teneal attard through her Chaotic Energy business and is considered the premier race for women in the state. come along to support not just your club members but the cycling community.
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.
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 – You can just feel the weather starting to change. Whilst it’s not anywhere close to the conditions in the Peaks Challenge last week (btw, kudos to all those SPR riders who attempted the near feezing winds and rain) , you can just start to feel a little bit of coolness creeping in to the morning rides, especially the 5.30am ones. I’m hoping that the forecast rain stays away long enough for us to get the main ride in. Regardless, it’s a good time to stop and think of the bike set up, charging those lights and riding to the conditions. Whatever you do, enjoy the riding if you can.
saturday 14th 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
juniors – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
transitional 1/2 – trans cresswell 40.21km spr saturday
fast/main – morley drive 50.77km spr saturday
sunday 15th 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 – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday
long – khna trnr obs 101.76km spr sunday
monday 16th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 17th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
wednesday 18th march
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 19th 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 20th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am