Ride routes 31st Oct – 6th Nov

As we slowly do more kit orders over the next year or so, we will see a change in our look out on the road. There are already smatterings of the new in amongst the old and sometimes even the original kit makes an appearance. Most of my really old kits are not the most comfortable to be sitting on as the chamois has seen better days. However, no matter which kit you may be seen in, you are being identified as a rider from SPR. Your actions when wearing the kit are how the club is judged. You personally may not hear about it, but over the years the club has copped a bit of feedback from the general public. Some of it is unwarranted as some people just look for someone to blame, but others, when investigated don’t always make the club look too good. These incidents are generally not during club rides, but either before or after and cover everything from traffic interactions to personal interactions. Now the club has been running for over 10 years and the number of rides and number of riders over that time would be tremendous, so this is not an everyday event. However, just remember that you are representing the club when you wear the kit and we require you to act responsibly at all times.

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.

Club Kit Delivery – The latest kit order has arrived, so if you didn’t have a jersey for Tour of Margs, you now won’t have to ride naked. This is the full order (not just the ToMR items) and it will be available at the coffee shop after the Saturday ride. After that, it will be available at R&D cycles or posted out as per the option you selected.
As an added extra bonus, also available will be a selection of the previous kit (socks and gloves) as part of Ballam’s Bargain Basement Sale. We still have a little bit of stock to move, so if you are after these never to be seen again items, see Andrew after the ride. No need to bring cash, you will be invoiced by the club.

Cycling research study – An Honours research student at Curtin University is seeking participants to join the study “Handling of Bicycles”. Participants must have at least 1 years’ experience in competitive road cycling or equivalent. If you fit this description, then they want to hear from you!
The objective of this study is to analyse road cyclist’s performance during typical cycling manoeuvres including accelerating, decelerating, ascending, descending, and cornering. This will involve placing sensors on your whole-body to record changes in your movement patterns, muscle activity and posture. You will be required to attend 1x session of approximately 2 hours in duration. 
Please contact Caitlin via email at caitlin.hillier@student.curtin.edu.au for more information.

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.

Sunday Summer Hills Start – As per the results of the feedback from the last few year, the Sunday hills rides will change to a 6am start time this week as it is the 1st of November and continue that way until the end of February. The extra sunlight early on and the hotter days means a more pleasant riding experience for all. Yes, you miss out on a slight sleep in, but you will be home earlier and can have a nanna nap on the couch instead.

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 –  We’ve had a really strong response to our call out to members for our 2020 ride lead programme with 6 budding leaders locked in and a further 5 in serious consideration of joining us. If you are amongst the 5 that have said yes, be sure to complete the process by formally providing your expression of interest so that we can include you in this years programme. Training kicks off after the tour of Margs. Look out for the newbies “spreading their wings” throughout December and be sure to provide them plenty of support. The ride lead programme is one of the key things that sets our club apart from others and is there to assist us all in holding safe and fun group riding for all.
On a separate note, remember that the SPR Chicks ride is in tomorrow (Friday 30th) leaving from the north side of the narrows at 6am. Sounds like we are set for big numbers so don’t miss out if you are thinking of going. Also good luck to all members who will be heading south this weekend for the Tour of Gracetown which is the traditional lead up event to Tour of Margs.

Saturday 31st October – Halloween

Sunday 1st November

Monday 2nd November

Tuesday 3rd November

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

Wednesday 4th November

Thursday 5th November

Friday 6th November