so last week i jumped on a “hire bike” to pick up #1 son’s tryathlon race pack. there is a bike library at work and a bunch of bikes are available for free for those that work at central park. they are provided by spinway bikes and there are a number of these racks all around the city. now i do a lot of riding, usually around 15,000kms per year. however, i must say that i have never felt as unsafe and exposed on a bike as i did when i was riding this machine. i was riding down st georges terrace at about 2pm on a friday, but i didn’t think that the traffic was anything out of the ordinary. i was wearing my work gear and there was not an item of lycra to be seen. what made me feel vulnerable was my inability to flow with the traffic. the bike has 3 gears but it was so hard to get any speed out of it, that it made negotiating traffic near on impossible. 95% of my riding is on the road and i feel comfortable on there the majority of the time. however, for those that don’t ride in the style that we do, the road can be a very daunting place. probably the most disappointing thing was the fact that even though perth has an excellent network of bike paths, they all disappear when they get close to the city. in my case it was ride in the bus lane, or walk the bike along the footpath. i can see why people struggle to see bicycles as a legitimate form of transport.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for april is Acanthus Green landscape and garden design and construction. part owned by spr member and Dome rider ben godridge, Acanthus Green is your one stop shop for to creating the perfect garden to compliment your home and enhance your life.
rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides. it is up to all members to enforce these rules.
bike lights – it is now at that time of year where if you are doing the earlybird ride, then you need a good set of lights. last year i wrote a long post about bike lights and what we expect when riding in a group. basically, bigger/brighter is not always better. please read the post take note of what effects your lights have on the rest of the group. take any suggestions on board as at the end of the day, it is for the safety of the group as a whole.
kit crash replacement – we now have a crash replacement policy for your spr kit. if you damage your kit by some misadventure (on your bike) you can contact the kit committee and get a 30% discount on your replacement kit. please see the previous post for more details.
goldfields classic – feel like racing across the vast expanse of the kalgoorlie area??? he goldfields classic handicap race is on again and we are looking at who wishes to head across for the long weekend of racing. as in previous years, spr will organise the logistics of transport, accommodation and transfers so you can just pay, turn up and race. please see the previous post if you are interested in racing or even in volunteering to help out.
giro d’italia night – the first social night of the year is almost upon us. come and spend an evening of italian flavour at bravos restaurant to celebrate the giro d’italia. organised by the spr social committee, this is open to all members/partners. please see the previous post for further details.
spr road race champs – off the back of the crit championships will be the road race championships for 2016. there are a number of races identified that riders will accumulate point for. a change in the scoring system this year to try to allow those that have a go at ‘a’ grade a better chance of getting points. please see the previous post for more info.
ride routes – everyone loves holmes road…right. anyway, i noticed that there are not that many tranny ride routes in the total list. if you are a regular tranny rider, and would like a bit more variation, i can map out some new routes. i just need some hints on where you think that would make a good route. even if it is just a section of road the is wide enough, challenging enough, or interesting enough, i can map the to and from. let me know. and garmin has fixed the map issue.
saturday 16th 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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday
fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday
sunday 17th 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 – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday
long – khna trnr obs 101.76km spr sunday
monday 18th april
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 19th april
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
wednesday 20th april
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 21st april
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm
spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
friday 22nd april
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
