Ride routes 19th – 25th December

doug has presents on hand

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. While the same jingles and jangles are being played across shopping centres around the world, just don’t listen too closely to the tone deaf words of the Band-Aid song. Christmas will be very different for many parts of the world this year (or they won’t be and that is part of the problem), but here in WA we are good to go. Whilst we usually don’t schedule a ride on Christmas day, there has been a tradition that Mr Bonner will lead a friendly paced, good will to all men, ride for those that don’t have any family commitments. Last year I think it attracted over 50 riders. As such, I have still scheduled a 5:30am ride for those that may want to crack out 100kms before hitting the Christmas Turducken. Don’t forget to dress up this Saturday, for our annual festive ride.

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.

SafeWA registration – As the state opens up to more interstate travelers, the risk of community spread could possibly increase. Contact tracing is an important way to contain the virus in case it finds it’s way into the community. If you want to sit down for a coffee you must register your details at that premises. There are 2 ways to do this, register on a paper form, or scan a QR code on an app.
So, how do i get the app? Download the WA Government free app – SafeWA and sign up as an individual.
– Android users click here
– Apple phone users click here
We have had it pretty good in WA so far. Lets make sure that we can open up safely.

Peter Lander. Longest stripey legs going around!

Christmas Dress Up Day – As is always the case, the last Saturday before Christmas day is our dress up day. This is an opportunity to dress up in your Christmas colours or decorate your bike with tinsel and still do the Saturday ride. Unfortunately there will be no breakfast this year as buffet style is not really considered Covid-safe. There will however, be a small presentation where the new batch of ride leaders receive their new jerseys. So get into the spirit and do something a bit different rather than just turning up in your black kit with black highlights. Make sure you hang around to congratulate the new ride leaders, as these are the people that volunteer their time to keep the rides as safe as possible.

AusCycling Memberships – As of November this year, Cycling Australia ceased to exist and AusCycling was formed to combine multiple disciplines of cycling together. To be part of the national organisation, our club has joined Auscycling and memberships and renewals are now available though it. As such we have updated the memberships page to reflect the membership types and approximate costs. There are now 4 types of licence – Lifestyle, Race off-road, Race all discipline & Non riding. On top of this there is also a Club Add-On where you can join SPR if you are a member of another club, like Peel or RCCC. This is similar to our Extraordinary membership (which still exists for other orgs) but has been formalised a bit.

Ride Etiquette – We have an etiquette guide that has been around since our inception and forms the core of what the expectations are for you as a rider. Unlike some less organised rides that you might find running out of coffee shops, etc, we are more interested in what we expect from you as opposed to what you expect from us. For us the priority is safety and it is listed first in our guide. So if something goes wrong, we expect everyone to look after each other. Make sure riders are okay, help fix and straighten bikes, keep people out of danger. If you have been involved in a situation, do not just get on your bike and ride away. Choosing to participate in an SPR group ride means you have chosen to be part of a team. Look after each other.

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 –  As you would know by now (if you’ve read this far) this week is our annual Christmas Ride and we are looking to replicate what we have done on recent Christmas rides by offering alternate routes for Fast, F2 and M1 compared with M2, M3 and M4 groups. This way we are able to accelerate our departure from the car park to get everyone back to celebrate the end of the year.  For clarity Fast, F2 and M1 will be doing Benara Rd. M2,3 and 4 Stock Shelley and Transition North Lake and Shelley. So the fast groups will be off first and after they leave we will be alternating departures with the first M1 group closely followed by the first M2, then back to next M1, next M2 etc etc. It might pay for all riders to be ready to go a few minutes early as your group may be off quicker than you’re normally used to. When we get back to the coffee shop, whilst we are unable to offer a buffet breakfast due to COVID restrictions, we will be presenting certificates and jerseys to the new ride leaders so it would be appreciated if you could stick around for that one so you get to know who will be added to the list this year.I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Christmas!

Saturday 19th December – Christmas Dress Up Day

Sunday 20th December

Monday 21st December

Tuesday 22nd December

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

Wednesday 23rd December

Thursday 24th December

Friday 25th December – Christmas day (if you don’t have any other commitments)