Ride routes 21st – 27th November

Although racing is not everyone’s cup of tea, there is an important aspect of it from the clubs perspective. That is exposure. Getting the new colours out on the road, being in amongst groups of other riders that we don’t usually ride with and having people like Gary and Eric spruik the club over the loudspeaker all plays towards others understanding what we are about. With over 700 riders at the Tour of Margs, the cross section of people was diverse, just like our club. Just think of some of the people that you regularly ride with (or just became team mates with for tomr) and whether you would have actually bumped into them outside of cycling. Odds are that a lot of people you ride with are there for the same reason, what the club can offer them. Therefore it is important to the club that we show others what we are about. What our values are. Why we have a ride leader program. Why we look after each other. If you want a ride where you smash others, have a coffee and go, then fine, but you are missing out on a lot more that the club can offer.

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 Order– The latest kit order is open until the end of this weekend with final orders on the 22nd Nov. The sizing kit is available at R&D cycles and please speak to the shop assistants if you have trouble locating any of the sizing kit. Their will be an update to the material used on the pockets of the standard & slim fit jersey, to provide less sag under “heavily loaded conditions” We won’t be accepting returns/changes on sizes for this or subsequent orders, so it’s important that club members confirm their sizing prior to placing their order. This is important as it means that it will be up to you to try to swap with someone else through internal SPR channels. So unless you have long legs and deliberately wanted the shorty short look, you need to, contact Mayeur if you want to change your order sizing.

Ride Leader Jersey Presentation – As the new kit has changed the look of the club we also need to refresh the look of the ride leaders. This Saturday after the main ride, any members who are ride leaders will receive their new Mayeur Ride Leader Jersey. Members of the committee will be on hand to present the jerseys in recognition of the commitment that the ride leaders make to keeping the rides safe and organised. This will take place from about 8:45am and will be around the raised platform behind the old church/school adjacent to the coffee shop. All members are welcome to help give the ride leaders the recognition they deserve.

Juniors – Pre-Covid we had a fairly stable cohort of juniors that were riding every Saturday. We didn’t kick juniors off again straight after lockdown as we were not sure how long that freedom would last. Now coming towards the end of the year most of the regulars have other commitments/less interest in riding on a regular basis. As such we don’t really have a consistent leadership team to run it as we would like. Hopefully this may change post Christmas when the nice weather gets more people out and about, but like most of our rides, we will just play it by ear and let it develop organically.

Thursday Group Ride – There is now a fourth group available during the Thursday training ride leaving from the cityside of the narrows at 5:30am. This will be a Main 2+ speed and not the frantic pace of the rest of the Thursday groups. If you are interested in having a go at the Thursday ride and have thought it would be too fast, there is now an option for you.

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 now starts at 6am and continues this 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 –  This week we are commencing training for new ride leaders to take the club into 2021. So far this year, it’s been a tough gig for those looking to graduate in 2020. And so it has been for us looking to top up our pool of ride leaders. Our training was due to kick off around early November, but a couple of big cycling events as well as last week’s weather just happened to get in the way. So with this weekend looking relatively free of clashes (unless you’re a fan of tandem cycling with the Tandemonium event on this weekend – look it up, it’s a cause drawing attention to bike safety on roads as well as other important cycling causes) and with clear skies and a gentle breeze, there is nothing about to get it the way.
For the 9 of you that have signed up to be future ride leaders, the club and the membership say a big thank you. It’s been said more than once, that together with our core values, the ride lead program is a true differentiator for our club and our focus on it sets us apart from others. So as you see them gathering in the car park at 7am on Saturday in the vacant middle lane, give them a cheer because they are happy to volunteer their time to making our rides more enjoyable and safe in the future.

Saturday 21st November

Sunday 22nd November

Monday 23rd November

Tuesday 24th November

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

Wednesday 25th November

Thursday 26th November

Friday 27th November