As if life for a cyclist isn’t hard enough. We are abused by drivers for being on the road and abused by pedestrians for being on the path. Now even the paths don’t seem that safe for cyclists. A number of cyclists in our group have had run in’s with the scooter riders using the path and on Wednesday, I did as well. They were travelling along south bound between Raffles and Mt Henry spitting at people as they went by. When I saw them line me up I gave them a squirt in the face with the water bottle. Apparently, they can dish it out, but were not happy to have it back at them as they decided to chase after me. However, doing a U-turn on a scooter with 3 people, whilst on a bike path is not the easiest thing, so i was up over a bridge before they caught me. So, yes, their actions can be dangerous, but make sure your actions do not put you in a worse situation. Being collected by a scooter at speed would not be a nice way to end a ride.
For the non-moving hazards on the paths, the City of Melville have installed speed humps on the path on the south-west side of the Canning bridge, adjacent to the rowing sheds. Now if these were hot mix humps that are similar to the path, it would not be too bad. They are however, hard plastic bolted down and in a pattern to cover the extent of the path. These are the type of humps that can easily throw inexperienced riders over the handlebars or, if wet, cause their wheels to slip out from under them. Not only that, they are not safe from a pedestrian point of view as they create a significant trip hazard (the very people they think they are protecting).
So, if you are using the road, be careful. If you are using the path, be careful. If you are riding a bike, be careful.
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 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.
Sunday Hills Ride – As the days start to get shorter and the sun gets up later, the Sunday hills ride has now moved back to a 7am start. The weather has not been quite as hot so we can get a full hills ride in without it being too overwhelming. Also, who doesn’t want a “sleep-in” every now again.
Club AGM – Keep an eye out for details of this years club AGM to be held in March. As per our constitution all committee positions are vacated and must be nominated for each year. If you feel like you would like to help with the running of the club or think you have a skill-set that the club could benefit from, then have a chat to any of the current committee to see what would be involved. Alternatively there are a number of sub-committees that operate as working groups for areas such as racing, kit or training and development. The commitment is usually a bit less than the club committee and could give you a insight into what is involved with running a 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 – Looks like the weather is finally going to clear for riding this weekend and the current forecast is for light winds which gives us a lot of choice for this weekends ride routes so our main ride will be heading north this Saturday for a ride route we haven’t done in a while – Scarbs Beach and the double header hill up Hale road.
Speaking of hills, we have a few extra options for members and riders this weekend. It is the first Saturday of the month so we will be offering the Saturday Hills ride leaving Coode Street car park at 6.30am, so if you’re keen, lock it in.
Also this Sunday we will be offering up a slower paced short hills ride. Whilst it will follow the same route as the other short hills group, it will be at a slower pace to the main group and we are hoping to attract any riders who haven’t ridden in hills for a while or any who want to give it a go. It’s expected that you will be able to ride M3 pace comfortably and aimed at M2-M3 riders. We’ve also chosen a short hills route that is relatively quiet (no screaming car engines heading up Welshpool) but nonetheless has its challenges (ie Ridgehill, Zig Zag and Mundaring Weir rd). If this sounds like something you want to try, join us at Coode Street on Sunday at 7am.
Saturday 6th March
- 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 reverse river 40.58km spr saturday
- Fast, Main – scarbs beach & hale 51.21km spr saturday
Sunday 7th March
- Rides start at Coode st carpark at 7:00am
- Development group – coffee ride
- Short – zig zag, aldersyde 71.79km spr sunday
- Long – zig zag, chook, obs 86.79km spr sunday
Monday 8th March
- Ride starts under the Narrows (Sth Perth side) at 5:30am
Tuesday 9th March
- Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
- Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
- Development group – interval training kings park
Wednesday 10th March
- Ride starts Raffles bike path at 5:30am
- Interval training – stock road repeats
Thursday 11th March
- Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
- Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
- Development group – interval training kings park
Friday 12th March
- Ride starts under the Narrows (Sth Perth side) at 5:30am