Ride routes 16th – 22nd January

The Rover Road Race of 1897 was the brainchild of Percy Armstrong, noted rider and entrepreneurial owner of the Rover Cycling Agency. The gruelling event of 116 miles over rough turn of the century roads proved popular and was later re-named The Beverley to Perth Race – or simply the “Beverley”. The Beverley was reinvented 7 years ago by SPR club member Toby Hodgson when he started the Beverley Heroic. It was an event that tried to capture the spirit of old bikes and dirt roads into a challenge for cyclists caught up in an age of carbon and lycra. Over that time it morphed into a complete weekend of cycling which was embraced by the towns of the Avon Valley. The Heroic was joined by a road race, CX race, kids town ride, and historic bike show. Toby worked hard to secure government grants and funding to support the weekend and worked closely with different clubs and organisations to help them see success for their events.
Unfortunately, the 2020 weekend was the last for the Heroic. The Sunday Heroic and Gravel rides cannot run with Traffic management costs lifting the entry price too high. Sunday riders and grants funded the weekends support to all events. Without that support the Race, CX, camping and Retro Bike show are a financial risk to their organisers. So it is with great sadness that we see the end to another cycling event in WA. SPR are currently looking into alternative locations to run the team time trial event as it provided a good warmup for the Tour of Margs. There will be a bit of a void, however, for that niche event that wanted to recreate something from the past. The club would like to thank Toby Hodgson for all his efforts over the past years and for having the vision to build something different.

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.

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.

Licence renewals – Most race licences will expire at the end of the year, or a bit after. Due to the change over between Cycling Australia and AusCycling, your membership will not automatically renew. Please make sure that you ensure that you are covered and renew you licence as soon as possible. You may not worry about racing for a while, but if you are still riding the group rides, then it will make sure you are covered till then. You can also take the opportunity to change clubs if you so desire – by that I mean change to South Perth, not leave us for another club :(. See the link to the membership page above. It is all pretty easy to follow, but reach put of you have trouble.

Tandem Pilots needed – NOW RECRUITING VOLUNTEER TANDEM PILOTS FOR VISION-IMPAIRED CYCLING – Next skills clinic Sunday 31 January.
Visit www.watcac.org/events for details and to register interest. We are a tandem cycling community that supports blind and vision impaired road cycling. We welcome all enquiries but particularly from women cyclists for this intake. We pair new pilots with blind and vision impaired riders for our fantastic 2021 Sunday cycling program. On Sunday 31st January our morning clinic will teach you how to ride up front on a tandem and partner with a blind or vision impaired stoker. No other prerequisites, just a willingness to share your love of cycling.
Can’t make the 31st? Then follow us on Facebook @WATCAC Western Australian Tandem Cycling Advisory Council or visit watcac.org

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 forecasts from our friends at the BOM suggest a return of those “fresh” easterly winds for this Saturday’s ride. You remember them don’t you? 2 weeks ago when we did Morley Drive, the group I was cycling with caught one of those “fresh” gusts whilst riding and back at the coffee shop, we reflected on the admirable  skills of the riders to stay upright. This got me thinking about 3 top of mind things to consider whilst group riding in windy conditions.
1/- Communications and calling is always more difficult due to the noise in your ears so make sure you call hazards forward and back and PLEASE pass them on if you hear something being called.
2/- Whilst keeping the group tight in the peloton is always good in windy conditions, half wheeling is an absolute no no. I was literally blown sideways 2 weeks ago so please allow enough space so as to eliminate touching wheels.
3/- Don’t forget to always look up, around and past the person in front of you, even as you’ve got your teeth gritted and your head down pushing into the wind. Just like driving a car, if you’re only just looking at the wheel in front of you, you’ll miss what’s happening ahead and rely on reaction time only to keep you out of trouble. It only takes a moment of inattention for something to go wrong.
Please stay safe and look after your fellow riders

Saturday 16th January

Sunday 17th January

Monday 18th January

Tuesday 19th January

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

Wednesday 20th January

Thursday 21st January

Friday 22nd January