Ride Routes 19 – 25th June

Carol Dowse may be new to the SPR committee but she is in no way new to the club. 

Carol has been running the development group for many years and has helped countless people get into cycling. 

Here, she answers some questions about what motivates her to ride and to be part of the committee. 

Name: Carol Dowse
Position: Community Development
Bike: Focus (importantly, black and pink…)

1. What brought you to cycling and to SPR? 

It was the only way I got to see my husband – OK so there was the I need get away from the kids thing and hear the quiet outdoors.

2. How long have you been with the club? 

From the beginning of time – I have the jersey to prove it.

3. What is your most memorable experience on the bike? 

The first time I cracked 60kph barrier – I think this is the last speed barrier I will be breaking in my lifetime. Memorable.

4. Why did you choose to be on the SPR committee and what do you hope to achieve as part of your role? 

Time to give back to the club; I am very grateful to the many people who have helped me, past and present with all aspects of cycling. My goal as a committee member therefore is to motivate and support people new to cycling to participate in events both cycling and social. We have a very talented committee deeply committed to inclusiveness that supports this aim.

5. Can you tell me a bit about your life off the bike? 

Recently semi-retired and it is just wonderful – it is all it is cracked up to be. Three kids who promote safe driving around cyclists to their friends.. I’m a proud mum. Oh .. and if you can’t put it into a spreadsheet I won’t understand it!

SPR Tour de France Dinner – The SPR Committee is pleased to announce that we are this year again holding our Tour de France dinner. This year at Chez Pierre.

Read more and get in on the lucky last ticket here.

From the Ride Coordinator – So looks as though this weekend will be the tale of two very different days. Saturday morning is forecast to be a cracker but it looks like Sunday is a day for daredevil riding if you want a hills ride with the weather closing in overnight.

This winter we have been relatively lucky with the weather for our main ride on Saturday and we welcome all who want to join us again this weekend. Big numbers overall can lead to big numbers in specific groups. That’s been especially noted in our Main 2 group of late which seems to have swelled in the early winter rides. The ideal group size to ride with varies, but anything bigger than 20 in a group will slow the group down (splits at lights etc) and can lead to frustrations. Generally we like it to be around 15. To alleviate this, if numbers are large again this week we will look to split M2 in more than just the 2 large groups we have been running with. If this upsets your view of your ride with Main 2 then we do things for the safety and enjoyment of all the riders and large groups are just to unwieldy to manage on the road. So it would be appreciated if you could expect that things may be a little different and work with those ride leaders who are trying to manage the change. They are human too and are volunteering their time to try to make your ride more safe and enjoyable.

Saturday 19th June

Sunday 20th June

Monday 21st June

Tuesday 22nd June

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

Wednesday 23rd June

Thursday 24th June

Friday 25th June