Ride Routes 17th – 23rd January

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The weekend just gone saw the Westbridge Funds 2026 AusCycling Road National Championships kick on. After the successes and participation during the week there were plenty of SPR riders doing their thing on the weekend. Too many to mention individually, but special mentions to long time SPR members Bec Kelly and Elar Kalda for taking out their respective categories in the Gran Fondo, and to SPR Legend Jarred Anderson who put in an epic ride in the breakaway in the Elite Men’s Road Race, getting some TV time for the club!

Our resident journalist, Claire Tyrell, has captured the feeling of the weekend in her write up of her own experiences below…thanks Claire!

There are many special things about having the AusCycling National Road Championships in your town, and for us amateurs, the Gran Fondo is right up there!

The event consists of a 13.6-kilometre circuit through and surrounding Kings Park, which (and I don’t use this word lightly) is an iconic part of Perth.

The chance to ride with my friends and fellow SPR members on closed roads in Perth was simply too good to pass up.

I rocked up to the start line feeling not as fit as I have been but relatively prepared, thanks to the regular training sessions from Peter Mah.

Peter – we cannot thank you enough for the time and dedication you put in to training us all for this event and more.

The idea of pedalling up Malcolm Street six times was fairly daunting, but I’d recently been riding the hills in Adelaide so I told myself it wasn’t that bad.

At the start line all the women went off together, about 83 of us across seven age groups.

This was in stark contrast to the men, with more than 750 of them lining up to race.

(We’re used to it, us ladies, and we hold our own!)

I held on to the bunch for longer than I did last year, but only because it didn’t really get hard until Malcolm Street.

A fairly sedate (by my standards anyway) roll to the bottom of the major climb allowed me to sit on for almost a full lap.

I was happy enough with that effort, and once the first climb was over it was time to recalibrate.

I looked around to see a few familiar faces, men and women – by that time we’d swept up some of the blokes.

Jodie Chipper was a standout companion throughout the race. We took turns shielding the wind from one another and played to our strengths.

Jodie is an absolute powerhouse riding into the wind and I am super grateful for her efforts hurtling down May Drive and along Mounts Bay Road. (I did do some work don’t worry!)

We stayed together for most of the race, broken up by the occasional pack of riders only to find each other’s wheels again.

The subsequent five laps were varied, some fast, some not so, depending on how many people I had rolling with me.

The headwind along Mounts Bay Road proved challenging and slowed down everyone’s average speed markedly.

While fitter, last year I averaged 33.3km/h around the course. This year it was closer to 31km/h.

I got around the six laps with no mishaps, only my screaming legs and lungs. But hey – that’s bike riding!

After the finish line I gave up cycling for about two minutes and sat on the kerb to give my aching muscles a break, but promptly snapped out of it.

I was super impressed with my close friend Rebecca Kelly, who took out first in her age group – a national champion!!

I knew she was a champion already 😊

Congratulations to all the SPR riders who participated in the fondo – hopefully more of you will get the chance next year.

The Tour Down Under gets underway this weekend. If you are headed over and want to stay in touch with the rest of the crew make sure you are in The Rouleurs Run Radelaide Facebook Group.

Tour of the Blackwood 2026 — Registrations for the Rotary Tour of the Blackwood River 28 March 2026 are now open. The Full Tour meanders some 130km through stunning countryside between beautiful Bridgetown and the magical townsites of Balingup and Nannup, and features over 2000m of climbing including a Category 4 ascent toward the finish line. There is also a 65km distance (elevation ~841m) or 30km. New in 2026 is a gravel 88km adventure ride – ebikes included. This is an excellent event, with a great community atmosphere and well-marshalled roads- definitely one to consider. If interested you will need to book accommodation as soon as possible as limited availability. For more details about the event including accommodation please check out their web site https://www.blackwoodtour.info/. Registration fees go to support community awareness regarding youth mental health. So SPR can connect interested participants, please register your interest and that of your partner via this EOI.

Upcoming Racing

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

1. WCMCC Splendid Park Criterium (18 Jan)

2. WCMCC Bibra Lake Criterium (01 Feb)

3. Peel District CC Summer Criterium #6 (08 Feb)

4. WCMCC WANGARA Criterium (08 Feb)

5. Peel District CC Summer Criterium #7 (15 Feb)

And if you are headed to Adelaide…

1. Norwood CC TDU Criteriums (18 Jan)

2. Norwood CC Criteriums p/b MAAP and Specialized (21 Jan)

3. Norwood CC Presents Nightshift by Black Sheep and Focus (22 Jan)

Juniors

Junior rides resume on this Saturday, 17 January. We will meet at the DNA Tower car park in Kings park at 10.30am for a ride along a portion of the course where the elite riders competed for the road nationals last week and try to experience the same emotions they had. Hope to see you there!

From the Ride Coordinator

At SPR, we require all riders to familiarise themselves with the planned route before joining a group ride. Not knowing the next turn can increase the risk of accidents — for you and others in the group.

Saturday 17th January

Sunday 18th January

Monday 19th January

Tuesday 20th January

Wednesday 21st January

Thursday 22nd January

Friday 23rd January

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