It was certainly a little cooler on the ride this morning and definitely darker for the 5:30am start. As we head towards the cooler months make sure that you have the right kit to tackle the earlybird rides. The current kit order closes on March 1 so this is your opportunity to make sure that you get the cold weather kit BEFORE it gets cold. Every year we see the same thing. People that have taken up riding over the sunnier, warmer months turning blue on the first real cold Saturday morning. They only do that once. 🙂 Don’t underestimate what a difference an undergarment makes to your comfort on a ride. Branded to show that you bleed green.
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.
Transition week – The period between full lock-down and what we had before is our current transition week. Most places will be open, but masks will be required when not doing vigorous exercise. Community sport for up to 150 people is allowed and we can travel outside our neighbourhood for more than an hour. This is a small price to pay for the freedoms that we have been allowed especially in relation to other countries or even other states. One more week of positive outcomes and we can return to the lifestyle which we have grown accustomed to.
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.
SPR kit – The latest run of the kit is ready to collect from R&D Speedshop or has already been mailed out to you (depending on what you selected). If you did miss out on that last order, or have realised that by the time the next order arrives the weather will be colder, then the next order closes on the 1st March. The portal is open now and more info can be found on the club kit page.
AusCycling Memberships – As of November last 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.
EDIT: There has been a bit of confusion around the clubs relationship with Westcycle as some people have opted for a Westcycle licence and have linked to SPR as their club. Our club is affiliated with the national body which is AusCycling, but we do have a tenuous link back to the state body which is Westcycle. We are currently working out what that means for members in regards to the rights that they have within the club (voting, committee positions, etc). Until we clarify that, just be assured that your insurance is still valid and you are still free to ride with the club.
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.
Saturday Start Locations – In order to facilitate any expected changes to gathering rules, the Saturday start location were modified when group riding resumed in 2020. We still want to maintain the separation between groups as much as possible and as such will continue to start the fast and main 1 on one side of the carpark with main 2-3, trannies & novice on the other. If you are new to our Saturday group rides, click on the photo to see where each group needs to congregate.
From the Ride Coordinator – Hopefully last weekend’s weather event pushed the reset button on those wicked easterly winds that have dried out our environment. It’s nice to see the color green return to our lawns and hopefully there will be lots of SPR green seen in the hills this weekend as we offer our popular (but delayed) Saturday morning hills option. Great timing for all those training to ride the Kalamunda 100 for the following weekend. If you are planning to go, don’t forget departure time is 30 minutes earlier from the car park to get you back to the coffee shop in time. We will also be running the same Sunday Hills ride options (Zig Zag) that we had scheduled up last weekend which nobody rode because of the weather.
For those who want to stick to the metro main ride, we will be enjoying watching the green fairways of the Western Australian Golf Club slip buy as we climb Cresswell road (I’m sure that some don’t even realise there is a golf club to you left as you climb the hill !). Whatever you choose, make it a safe and enjoyable ride and don’t forget to pack your mask if your planning on stopping for coffee. Hopefully we also get to push the reset button on the restrictions after Saturday as well !
Saturday 13th February
- Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
- Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special
- Hills ride starts at Coode st carpark at 6:30am
- Short Hills – les obs 67.37km spr sunday
- All rides start at Coode st carpark at 7:00am
- Development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
- Transitional 1/2 – trans cresswell 40.21km spr saturday
- Fast, Main – cresswell & herdsman 48.86km spr saturday
Sunday 14th February
- Rides start at Coode st carpark at 6:00am
- Development group – coffee ride
- Short – zig zag, aldersyde 71.79km spr sunday
- Long – zig zag, chook, obs 86.79km spr sunday
Monday 15th February
- Ride starts under the Narrows (Sth Perth side) at 5:30am
Tuesday 16th February
- Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
- Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
- Development group – interval training kings park
Wednesday 17th February
- Ride starts Raffles bike path at 5:30am
- Interval training – stock road repeats
Thursday 18th February
- Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
- Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
- Development group – interval training kings park
Friday 19th February
- Ride starts under the Narrows (Sth Perth side) at 5:30am