i am not sure how many times i have talked about the need for riders to be spatially aware.  this morning on the thursday earlybird a rider on 2 occasions moved into the next lane when stopping at the lights.  on the second occasion a fully laden semi-trailer was pulling up to stop.  using the other lane to blow your nose, etc is fine, but this guy didn’t even look before pulling out.  i don’t want to be scraping people out of the tyre tread of an 18 wheeler, just because they did not know where they were. you need to be aware of everything around you.  as discussed last week, there are so many things that are outside of your control when you are on the bike, make sure you are in control of your own safety.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for may are proudly sponsored by return sponsor Melody Wheels.  they are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP.  they do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

group ride etiquette – as you are aware, your actions in a group ride can have consequences for other on that ride.  your inaction can also have consequences.  our training and development officer, rob, recently put together a post highlighting the important points that you need to know.  have a look at that post so you understand or even as a refresher.

volunteer roster – there are a number of events over the course of the year that rely heavily on volunteers.  we usually put a call out close to each event, but generally get the same people each time.  this only lasts so long before people get a bit burnt out and stop helping.  we have close to 400 members in our club and should be able to share the load easily across the year.  the race committee is putting together a list of event and positions needed that you can volunteer for.  some are not till much later in the year so you have lots of time to prepare.  have a look at the previous post and let the club know that you can help out.

giro d’italia dinner – out first “out of lycra” event is on mon 22nd may to celebrate the first grand tour of 2017.  the giro dinner is open to members and their partners but is limited to just 70 places.  check out the previous post for more details and how to order your tickets.

spr national kit – are you heading to france this year for the uwct masters championships???  do you need an aussie kit to compete???  do you want to also represent your club???  if the answer is yes to all three, then you need to get yourself the exclusive spr national kit.  check out the previous post for more details, but orders close on the 25th may.

tour of margs 2017 expressions of interest – as per previous years we are looking at putting multiple teams in for the tour of margs in november.  this is a 3 stage teams based race with a team time trial and 2 road races.  expressions of interest are now open and you can check out the previous post for more details,  we would like people to be committed if they say that they want to do it this year.

a plan for safer cycling – the city of south perth and the town of victoria park have been awarded funding for the development of a joint bike plan through the wa bicycle network (WABN) grants program. the aim of the joint bike plan is to understand the needs of the cycling community and seek to further develop existing cycling infrastructure across our two neighbouring local governments. the plan will also identify opportunities to improve the cycling network and provide better connections in these areas. check out the media release and provide feedback via the links.  this is your chance for local government to hear from cyclists that use not only paths but also the road.  survey closes 31st may.

cyclocross – round 1 of the numbat cup starts next weekend 28th may.  there are grades for everyone and a kids race for every kid under 13.  you don’t even need a fancy cx bike as a mountain bike will do.  even better is that fact that if it rains, it is even more fun.  details and entry can be found here and you can race on a cyclign aust race licence or mtb licence.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – ummm.  looks like it may be a little wet this weekend.  as per usual, we will play it by ear as to what groups we have on the day.  hopefully, the prediction is for most of the rain to fall on friday, so maybe, just maybe, it will be clear enough on saturday morning.  for those fair weather riders, there are details of a zwift ride on the spr facebook page.

saturday 20th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans reabold 38.69km spr saturday

fast & main groups – reabold & cottesloe 50.91km spr saturday

sunday 21st may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs cam goose 88.67km spr sunday

monday 22nd may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 23rd may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 24th may

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 25th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 26th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

the weather has finally turned and although we are still getting some gorgeous days, the mornings are pretty brisk.  don’t let this deter you from coming out.  as long as it is still dry, then cold weather is just another aspect of cycling.  for those that are relatively new to cycling and may have only started over summer, now is the time to get arm warmers and vests.  an undergarment won’t go astray either.  soon you will also need full gloves, knee warmers (transitioning onto full legs), bootie covers, full wind jackets, headband with ear warmers, buff for the neck and a winter cover over the helmet (to stop wind from getting in).  then when wearing all that, you head out on a ride and overheat on the first effort. 🙂

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for may are proudly sponsored by return sponsor Melody Wheels.  they are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP.  they do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

group ride etiquette – as you are aware, your actions in a group ride can have consequences for other on that ride.  your inaction can also have consequences.  our training and development officer, rob, recently put together a post highlighting the important points that you need to know.  have a look at that post so you understand or even as a refresher.

volunteer roster – there are a number of events over the course of the year that rely heavily on volunteers.  we usually put a call out close to each event, but generally get the same people each time.  this only lasts so long before people get a bit burnt out and stop helping.  we have close to 400 members in our club and should be able to share the load easily across the year.  the race committee is putting together a list of event and positions needed that you can volunteer for.  some are not till much later in the year so you have lots of time to prepare.  have a look at the previous post and let the club know that you can help out.

giro d’italia dinner – out first “out of lycra” event is on mon 22nd may to celebrate the first grand tour of 2017.  the giro dinner is open to members and their partners but is limited to just 70 places.  check out the previous post for more details and how to order your tickets.

tour of margs 2017 – as per previous years we are looking at putting multiple teams in for the tour of margs in november.  this is a 3 stage teams based race with a team time trial and 2 road races.  expressions of interest will be open soon as it is something that most people need to train up for.  check out the previous post for more details, but we would like people to be committed if they say that they want to do it this year.

a plan for safer cycling – the city of south perth and the town of victoria park have been awarded funding for the development of a joint bike plan through the wa bicycle network (WABN) grants program. the aim of the joint bike plan is to understand the needs of the cycling community and seek to further develop existing cycling infrastructure across our two neighbouring local governments. the plan will also identify opportunities to improve the cycling network and provide better connections in these areas. check out the media release and provide feedback via the links.  this is your chance for local government to hear from cyclists that use not only paths but also the road.

cyclocross – for those unfamiliar with just what it is, well it is fun, but hard technical fun.  high heart rate, smash yourself, get off your bike and run up stairs type fun.  however, you also need to make sure that your cleats are not full of sand and can actually disengage BEFORE you almost hit the barrier.  next race is on the 28th may.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

dirty dozen – this sunday there will be a special ride planned.  not an official spr ride but rather a farewell of sorts for sarah and sarah as they are soon moving to victoria.  in true fitton style, the ride route is not one for the faint hearted. in less than 90kms you will climb over 2000m.  kind of like being in the alps, but with shorter climbs.  more info can be found on the facebook page or you can see/upload the route here.  it is not a simple course, so make sure that you have a look beforehand.  as specified on the facebook page, this is an unsupported ride with no scheduled regroups unless worked out by the participants.  the start is 7am at dome kelmscott, but a group will leave coode st at 6am to head down that way.  sunday may be a little wet, so it may be the very dirty dozen.

ride routes – i have made a small change to the ridgehill rd route.  instead of coming back via kalamunda rd, the course now hooks back up midland road and back along helena valley road.  kalamunda road has some tight sections and heavier traffic, two things that do not bode well for groups of riders.

saturday 13th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans mosman 40.39km spr saturday

fast & main groups – ridgehill rd 50.55km spr saturday

sunday 14th may – mother’s day

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – kal goose 67.63km spr sunday

long – kal obs goose 97.40km spr sunday

monday 15th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 16th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 17th may

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 18th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 19th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

so a lot to get through in this weeks post, so put the kettle on and pull up a pew.  apparently a few people were not happy with what i said in last weeks blog post about stopping for the crashed riders.  well i still stand by what i said and the reason why is that if you are in the same situation, wouldn’t you want someone to stop for you.  the intent was not to make people feel guilty about not stopping, but rather be more aware about just what is happening out there on the road.  we are not in a controlled environment, so there are lots of things that can go wrong during a ride.  if people feel that the group may have stopped if the fallen riders had spr jerseys on, then maybe that is the take-away from all this.  you are on a club ride and yes you don’t always want to look just like everyone else, but sometimes being in uniform helps identify which team you are on.

now there was another incident thursday last week where a number of riders hit the deck.  the majority walked away, but one rider had significant damage to his mouth.  multiple lost and broken teeth means a long period of reconstruction and a significant bill to go with it.  firstly, make sure you have insurance.  getting a membership covers you for somethings but not as much as private health insurance.  don’t take the “it will never happen to me” attitude as every rider, every vehicle and every road is a variable that you don’t have control over.  secondly, look after the other riders in the group.  there are reports that when the accident happened, the group had swelled significantly in numbers as it picked up extra riders around the river.  as is reiterated below in the group etiquette post, you must let other riders know what is happening around them during the ride.  now don’t call every single seagull that flies past, but letting riders know about traffic furniture and overtaking riders should be passed along the line.  often towards the end of these rides, people get tired and stop signalling.  it may make it a few places down the line, but then stops…until someone hits something.  in a group ride, you are responsible for your safety and the safety of those around you.  we rely on others to make the call when heading into a roundabout just so you don’t have to slow down, keep the calls going for all the other things.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for may are proudly sponsored by return sponsor Melody Wheels.  they are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP.  they do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

group ride etiquette – as you are aware, your actions in a group ride can have consequences for other on that ride.  your inaction can also have consequences.  our training and development officer, rob, recently put together a post highlighting the important points that you need to know.  have a look at that post so you understand or even as a refresher.

volunteer roster – there are a number of events over the course of the year that rely heavily on volunteers.  we usually put a call out close to each event, but generally get the same people each time.  this only lasts so long before people get a bit burnt out and stop helping.  we have close to 400 members in our club and should be able to share the load easily across the year.  the race committee is putting together a list of event and positions needed that you can volunteer for.  some are not till much later in the year so you have lots of time to prepare.  have a look at the previous post and let the club know that you can help out.

giro d’italia dinner – out first “out of lycra” event is on mon 22nd may to celebrate the first grand tour of 2017.  the giro dinner is open to members and their partners but is limited to just 70 places.  check out the previous post for more details and how to order your tickets.

a plan for safer cycling – the city of south perth and the town of victoria park have been awarded funding for the development of a joint bike plan through the wa bicycle network (WABN) grants program. the aim of the joint bike plan is to understand the needs of the cycling community and seek to further develop existing cycling infrastructure across our two neighbouring local governments. the plan will also identify opportunities to improve the cycling network and provide better connections in these areas. check out the media release and provide feedback via the links.  this is your chance for local government to hear from cyclists that use not only paths but also the road.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – i really can’t believe the weather that we are having.  the tom lowry race is this weekend in collie and it always rains during that race.  not this year.  there are some nice sunny days coming up, but even with the threat of rain, it still hasn’t turned cold in the morning.  make the most of it.

saturday 6th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday

sunday 7th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh weir kal 101.71km spr sunday

monday 8th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 9th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 10th may

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 11th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 12th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

so if you managed to get a copy of the west newspaper on tuesday, you would have seen a page 4-5 spread on cycling in perth.  quite a lot of it was written by one of our regular riders claire tyrrell.  after last weeks hashtag #whoisclairetyrrell, well this is what she does when not on the bike.  being a cyclist, her perspective is a lot different to most articles that we see published.  there was also a few interviews with some spr riders and westcycle to get a good view of the situation.  the idea is not to say “we are right and you are wrong” but just to highlight just how vulnerable we are out on the roads.  we have all experienced some form of abuse on the road and generally accept it as part of riding in perth.  there is, however, quite a large cultural change needed to change those attitudes.  bringing in a passing law is a good start but i can’t see this improving the attitudes of drivers, rather giving them something else to be frustrated about.  it is not until cyclists are seen as actual people that attitudes may start to change.  until then, it is easy for people to just dismiss them as a distraction outside their safe and secure bubble of steel and plastic.  #mightbeamate #mightbeahotdad #couldbecometti. links to the articles can be found here – article 01, article 02, article 03.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for april are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

spr easter challenge – some big k’s pumped out over the long weekend. after a bit of strava research it seemed that although some people had some big days, there weren’t many that had 4 big days.  i could only find 4 people that cracked the 400km mark (this challenge really should have been the previous, delirium weekend). anyway, our bunny winners were dean roser with 466.1kms and louise mckay with 431.7kms.  i will have your easter bunnies at the coffee shop on saturday.  if you are not there to collect, there is a risk that they will be eaten…

ride routes – we have another short week this week with anzac day breaking things up on tuesday.  there will be a public holiday ride on as per usual, but please be aware that with the dawn service on and then the anzac march, the Dome will be very very busy.  please be mindful of other customers be especially respectful of people that are in the city for the march.

saturday 22nd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans reverse river 40.58km spr saturday

fast & main groups – freo & canning vale 52.11km spr saturday

sunday 23rd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – goose kal 63.41km spr sunday

long – darl weir 100.09km spr sunday

monday 24th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 25th april – anzac day

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

wednesday 26th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 27th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 28th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

at some point every year the media start doing articles about the deaths of cyclists on the road and it usually leads to all sorts of “experts” trying everything from assigning blame to legislating cyclists off the roads.  this is usually shaped around the concept of the safety of the cyclists themselves.  in wa there was even a push for cyclists to have some type of formal training as they believed that they didn’t understand the road rules.  i would guess that higher than 90% of the people that ride regularly with our club would also hold a drivers licence, so this point is kind of moot.  looking at the statistics it is usually not the aggressive a-hole motorists that abuse cyclists that are causing the fatalities.  more often than not, it is the distracted or inattentive drivers that don’t even realise that they are about to kill someone.

recently, in qld a coroner released his findings into the deaths of 2 cyclists in 2014 & 2015.  he found that in both cases the drivers had sufficient time to act to avoid an accident but blamed inattention for causing the deaths of these 2 individuals.  after of both accidents, police prosecutors withdrew charges of “failing to drive with due care and attention” against both drivers. after the inquest the coroner stated “why each charge did not proceed was of concern to me, as in my view there was a clear basis for each charge to continue through the court… i consider the decision not to proceed was flawed”. the result of the enquiry is a recommendation to get drivers to be retested on theory every time they renew their licence.  this finding was due to “how little drivers knew of the rules relating to safe overtaking distances of bicycle riders”.

although i feel that the police do a tough job well (and we have some good cops that ride with us), there seems to be a reluctance to prosecute to the extent of the law as, in my opinion, they are worried about not getting a conviction on the higher charge.  a work colleague here in perth had her dad riding down from kings park when a taxi did a u-turn in front of him collecting him on the way around.  the cabbie was not charged with dangerous driving as there was video footage of him “checking his mirrors”.  instead he was charged with careless driving.  to me, being careless is forgetting to put the wheelie bin out on thursday morning, not driving a 1 tonne piece of steel around without due care.  the qld coroner’s findings are a good step in the right direction.  unfortunately it has come too late for these 2 individuals plus countless others that may have been at the receiving end of inattentive drivers.  please read the linked article as it clearly shows why the coroner reached his decision and what logic it takes in case you or your family find yourself in a similar position.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

club annual report– the club agm was held last weekend and for the first time we produced an annual report.  this chronicles the events of 2016 and it was clear that we actually did a lot last year.  the publicly available version that is found in a previous blog does not include the club’s financials.  any members that would like to see our financial status, please contact the club directly and you will be sent a copy.

paris-roubaix – as was the case last year, a group of cycling orientated people have organised to have the paris-roubaix played live at the local hotel in freo. turn up from 7pm for meal and a cycling trivia quiz with some great prizes to give away. the race will be screened throughout the hotel including the garage bar, restaurant bar, and whiskey bar.  see the facebook event for more details.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you mayknow one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – with the start of the easter break next weekend, we begin with the annual vice pres 3 dams ride.  this is usually the start of the challenge to see who can ride the most k’s over the 4 day easter period.  i will give a choc bunny to the guy and girl that get the most k’s over the easter break.  must be strava tracked and must be part of the spr strava club.

saturday 8th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans canning vale 42.34km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south st 51.23km spr saturday

sunday 9th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – grnmt prk mnd wr 93.71km spr sunday

monday 10th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 11th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 12th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 13th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 14th april – good friday

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride start at coode st carpark at 6:00am

the 5th annual spr vice president’s ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

the days are getting shorter now that we have passed the summer equinox.  the earlybird ride now needs a good set of lights and we are probably about due for our annual “don’t have a flashing front light or blinding rear light” post.  however, as the days are getting relatively cooler, the overnight temp has not dipped into the single digits just yet.  riding the earlybird or even the nightowl (pre-earlybird) can actually be a pleasant experience.  quiet roads and nice conditions.  with other commitments from family, work etc, i have managed to find the extra kms without breaking the daily routine.  i just have to go to bed a hell of a lot earlier.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

club annual report– the club agm was held last weekend and for the first time we produced an annual report.  this chronicles the events of 2016 and it was clear that we actually did a lot last year.  the publicly available version that is found in a previous blog does not include the club’s financials.  any members that would like to see our financial status, please contact the club directly and you will be sent a copy.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you may know one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him.

changes to kit ordering – current kit orders close at the end of this month.  after this point there will be some changes with a slight price increase and less orders per year.  please check out the previous post to understand all the details.

saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning.  please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate.  this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts.  see the previous post for more details.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – the dams ride is on this weekend and there is almost practically no way to avoid it.  the sunday hills rides have therefore been set to go against the flow of the dams starting south and heading back to kalamunda.

saturday 1st april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans benara 39.90km spr saturday

fast & main groups – benara rd 50.76km spr saturday

sunday 2nd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 3rd april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 4th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 5th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 6th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 7th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride