Ride routes 12th – 18th September

Family is especially important at this time

So, today is R U OK day. It is a special day that has been running for a number of years and for most people it has passed by without question. However, 2020 isn’t any normal year and people are not necessarily going about their lives as they had in the past. Although we are extremely lucky in WA, there are still a large number of people that have been out of work, or have the threat of that happening soon with changes to government support. These people especially may appreciate the question being asked. Not because they are necessarily struggling financially right now, but because that threat can cause them to struggle in other way, especially mentally and emotionally.
Ironically a few years ago on R U OK day, I had a mental breakdown at work due to sub-par leadership, and ended up a blubbering mess. I was fairly good at hiding any issues, left it too way long and was hit pretty hard. My solution was a fairly simple one of changing who i was working for, but the situation became quite an emotional roller-coaster which dragged on for a long time.
Not everyone is good at hiding it, though, and you may have noticed some changes in peoples emotional state. From experience, I know that it is easier said than done to tell someone that they just need to talk about it, however, just open with the question – R U OK?

The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.

As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change.
Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.

  • The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
  • No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
  • Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.

SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).

The Beverley Race – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.

The Beverley Heroic – The Heroic involves many aspects of cycling spanning the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. On top of the aforementioned team time trial, there is a cyclo-cross race, gravel race and heroic ride.

Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October.

The WaterTower Challenge has the following volunteers –
2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, Mandy McEvoy
2 x Feedzone 1 – Adrian Emilsen , Debbie Bertolatti
2 x Feedzone 2 – Greg Murray, Fiona Williams
1 x SAG wagon – Steve Burns & Holly


If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do.
The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers –
Positions announced soon – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams.

Thursday morning street sweeper – As some of you may be aware the Thursday earlybird group has had a few altercations with the street sweeper along Marine Parade in Cottesloe. We sent a letter to the Town of Cottesloe expressing our concern that these incidents could result in some very serious injuries. We received a letter from the Executive Manager Engineering Services and have been told that the contractor that runs the street sweeper has had the matter discussed with them. They raised our concerns and have been told that the drivers have been briefed. Please continue to observe caution when interacting with the street sweepers as they don’t always have good field of vision, but at the same time, if there are any more altercations, please report them through to the club.

Thursday detour – Claremont Cres westbound in Swanbourne will be closed for quite a few months. Our Thursday ride will start to follow the detour by going up Shenton Rd, but will continue on until the end of the road and then head left to the traffic lights. You now get the added bonus of a longer harder hill.

Kit order distribution – The latest run of kit has mostly landed and is being readied for distribution. When you purchased kit, there were 2 options: pickup at R&D cycles, or delivery via post. To assist in getting the new kit out there especially before the state champs race this weekend, there will be a special distribution at the coffee shop after the Saturday ride. The postage option will have been dispatched today and anything not collected on Saturday, will be available at R&D cycles.

2020 SPR Ride Leaders program calls for expressions of interest – Since its inception in 2009, a key feature of the feedback the Club receives is the need to improve the way our group rides are led. With more consistent, trained and visible ride leaders, the result will be safer, more enjoyable ride experiences for all. We are now seeking Expressions of Interest from SPR members who would like to be part of our second public Ride Leader Development Program.
If you are interested, check out the previous post for more details.

Smart active transportation survey – A PhD candidate at the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University is researching active transportation (walking/cycling) and its relationship with technology, and how technology can improve and assist walking/cycling. As part of the study, there is a survey to understand peoples idea about the active mode of transportation. Please help out and spend a few minutes to fill in the survey here.

Club Van – We are currently looking for a new location for the club van to reside. After a few years at Laurensia’s (which we are very appreciative about), it is looking for a new home. If anyone has any spare garage space and would be willing to have our club van sit quietly, then please contact the club and let us know. Either residential or commercial properties are okay, as long as we can access it for events.

Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.

Where do i need to stand again?

Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.

From the Ride Coordinator – Early feedback from last Saturday’s hills ride was very positive which is great to see. The next trial Saturday’s hill ride will be the first weekend in October, so if you missed the first one, be sure to make the next one. Your committee will be reviewing the approach for possible options for Saturday Hills rides after the next ride.
Week before last I hinted at a “weekly” “spotlight/focus” safe riding item to think about as we prepare for some great weather conditions this weekend. This week it’s the ride route. So if you are reading this and you don’t normally read beyond this point in the blog, do yourself a favour and keep scrolling as the next section details which routes are picked for this weekend. I’m not sure how many near misses I’ve seen riding in groups when people get confused about when and where to turn but it is numerous. It can also add lots of confusion when conflicting calls are made because someone doesn’t know which way the designated route goes. It’s always the safest option to take a little time tonight or tomorrow night to familiarise yourself with the planned route and take control of your own safety. When you combine it with calling up and down the group then it goes a long way to helping you get back to enjoy that much deserved coffee.

Saturday 12th September

Sunday 13th September

Monday 14th September

Tuesday 15th September

  • Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
  • Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
    • Development group – interval training kings park

Wednesday 16th September

Thursday 17th September

Friday 18th September