Ride Routes 20 – 26th May

On a relatively warm morning last Saturday, over 1,300 riders lined up on the community oval in Nannup, for the starts of SEVEN, FIVE and THREE. Everyone had been eying the weather with trepidation because the forecast had been for significant rain, which fortunately arrived overnight, so despite some mist, we *only* had to face muddy patches and wet surfaces. But more of that later.

It was great to see several friendly faces at the shotgun start and, for those of us not expected to place top ten, it was a relaxed start to the race, which comprised 125km distance (95% gravel or mud) and around 3,000m elevation for the SEVEN course, according to my Strava at least.

From my extensive knowledge of doing this twice, it seems that the pain is loaded to the second half of the race, after the Lewana Cottages food stop. In other words, the first half was very enjoyable, and for me passed without incident and involved stunning views across hills above the low-lying mist.

But back to the mud. Did I mention it had rained heavily overnight? It didn’t take long for everyone to get covered in mud, either from your own wheels or the bikes in front. The mud and grit seemed to get in your eyes, mouth and places where the sun doesn’t shine, even wearing sunnies. In reality though, it was great weather and while I heard many complaints about it making the course slow, the mud didn’t really create too many difficulties for riding. Perhaps I wasn’t going hard enough on those downhills and sharp corners …

Apart from racing on gravel, one of the main differences from a road race is that you spend much of the race riding solo or in small groups, often passing and getting passed by other riders who become very familiar as the race progresses. Because of the huge numbers, it’s surprising how often you see people you know, which is one of the reasons this race is so special. Extra special was riding alongside a lady on a recumbent gravel bike, on one of the sections where the FIVE and SEVEN courses overlapped. It certainly put things into perspective.

My target for the race was to finish under six hours. On reaching Lewana I reckoned I had between five and ten minutes up my sleeve. What I didn’t count on was the excruciating noise coming from my drivetrain from there onwards.  The gravel, sand and mud had finally taken its toll on my bike; after a quick check and seeing no major problems, I had a decision to make: play the mechanical card, or hope everything held together. So of course I continued, and I was rewarded with the constant sound of gravel on metal for the rest of the race.

When I say race, the second half is more of a slog, with long, steep climbs which would be very challenging even without having 75km in the legs already. You are racing against yourself, not others (unless you are really good, and there are more than a few of those in our wonderful club). As time went by, I could see that my six hour target was slipping away from me, so I just did my best. It turns out that my best – this year at least – was good enough to finish in 6:03 … and to qualify, like so many other SPR members, for this year’s Gravel World Championships as a top 25% finisher in my age group.

Now, where exactly is Veneto?!

📸 Lots more SPR members raced in Seven, but I don’t have photos. Do check out Seven’s Facebook page – Ed.

National Volunteers Week is being celebrated right across Australia this week and as a gesture for all the committee, sub committees and ride leaders who give their precious time to keep our club alive and well, please find myself or our treasurer Shirley Vine after this Saturday’s ride for a complimentary coffee.

 

There were 30 people at the SPR Italian dinner on Tuesday at Bella Rosa to celebrate the first of the three grand tours in 2023, the Giro d’talia. Lots of wonderful authentic Italian food, great conversation and just simply relaxing catching up with fellow cyclists (out of lycra) and their partners.

If you missed out on the Giro dinner, save the date for the SPR Tour de France dinner on Tuesday 11 July at Chez Pierre.

 

SPR TOMR 2023 EOI Open — SPR is pleased to formally launch the ToMR 2023 campaign, and call for Expressions of Interest from riders, volunteers, and/or sponsors, who are considering joining the SPR team for this year’s event.

This is not a locked in commitment rather a starting point for contact in the future and further information.

Please use the “I’m interested” link and answer the few brief questions. This will enable the Race Subcommittee to gather information for everything from accommodation to team composition.

We want to ensure that we enable everyone that wants to participate to do so.

I’m interested!

 

Thanks!
SPR Race Subcommittee

 

Racing this weekend – If you want to race, or get in on the action watching others race, read on.

1. PDCC Peel 24 Hour 2023 (20 May)

2. WA Cyclocross 2023 AusCycling Cyclocross National Series Round 1 and Round 2

3. WCMCC Casuarina Graded Scratch Road Race

4. EGCC 2023 Goldfields Cyclassic – Race (June)

5. EGCC 2023 Goldfields Cyclassic – Community Challenge (June)

 

From the Ride Coordinator — Great weather coming up all weekend – unplug the smart trainers and get some sun on the real road. We’ll try again with the same routes for Saturday after being rained out the last two Saturdays.

A reminder that Ridge Hill Rd route does a clockwise loop at the end. Keep straight on Helena Valley Rd after crossing Tonkin Hwy. Sunday’s short and long hills rides do interesting (but different) detours through Lesmurdie, starting with a challenging pinch climb up Melaleuca Rd. Don’t burn all your matches on the first half of Welshpool climb, especially if you’re doing long hills.

The HBF Run for a Reason takes place this Sunday. It should not impact our 7am rides, but may affect some peoples’ ride in or out on the day. Check the road closures here.

Saturday 20th May

Sunday 21st May

Monday 22nd May

Tuesday 23rd May

Wednesday 24th May

Thursday 25th May

Friday 26th May