All posts by elPrez

ride routes 23rd – 29th january

12508896_10153968188709729_6068445840841445037_nlast weekend was not a particularly good one for our club.  there were 2 separate accidents resulting in 5 hospitalisations.  luckily all but 1 were discharged on the same day, but some of the injuries will have people off the bikes for quite a while.  there is a level of risk that we accept when we are riding our bikes.  there are other vehicles, the weather and road conditions that may affect what happens to us.  there are also other riders especially the ones within our own group.  this is always a double edged sword.  why? simply, riding in a group means that you can go further, faster and it gives it a whole different social experience.  however, riding in a group also means that there as another 20 – 30 things that are outside of your control.  speed, spacing and reactions are within your control, so use them to better your chances in a group.  if you are not happy about the speed of the group, move to the back, or drop off to a different group.  if you are not comfortable being close to an unsteady wheel, leave more space.  if someone in front of you grabs a handful of brake, try not to do exactly the same.  be aware of your exits and see if you can avoid hitting the other rider without slamming on the brakes.  group riding is also a two-way street.  your actions and reactions can easily have a ripple affect all the way to the back of the group.  you might not be involved in an accident, but your sudden braking or swerving can bring riders down 5 – 10 places further down the line.  be aware of what you are doing.  be aware of what others are doing.  be aware of what is happening outside the group (traffic, road conditions, wind conditions).  and most of all, accept any constructive criticism if you are pulled up by someone for riding erratically.  don’t be that person.

watch zoneride leader sponsor – january’s ride leader sponsor is spr member Gonzalo Ramirez, who owns Watch Zone a boutique watch repair and sales specialist.  more info on the previous post.

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.

2015 expiredmemberships – on the 31st of december a bunch of race memberships and some recreational memberships expired.  overnight we lost in excess of 250 members.  there are a bunch of reasons for you to become or renew your membership.  see the previous post for more details.  NOTE: the crashes that we had in the group last weekend highlight why it is important to renew now and not just wait till you are ready to race.

Untitled 2australia day crit –this aussie day fromm 7:30am we are holding the traditional crit at tech park.  unlike the smashfest, registration is via the internet and must be paid for by sunday.  same format as smashfest with grades for both men and women as well as a juniors race.  some more info and links to rego can be found on the previous post.  as usual, a few volunteers would be appreciated to help setup/packup.

spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship.  this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10.  “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress.  there are 7 races that we are putting on this year and the 5th race is on aussie day. your points for the best 5 races will be used in the final leaderboard.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details on the previous post.

regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford
regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford

uwct training – we have been getting quite a few riders out to the uwct training on sunday morning.  i estimated that there was between 40 – 50 last weekend.  as mentioned before, there was an accident on that ride when a rider who was on their own came off.  please make sure that on top of all the food and water that you need, you also have adequate identification and ICE contact numbers on you.  keeping in mind that you phone may not be accessible if you are in a crash.  often on this ride, you may find yourself riding on your own, please look after yourself.  gain, only a 20min regroup from when the first riders arrive, so make sure you check your clocks.  more info on the uwct training ride can be found on the previous post.

bike_sticker_heiko-300x225bike and helmet stickers – we are doing another run of the bike/helmet stickers.  the idea is that this will make it easy for everyone in spr to actually know who they are riding with rather than “that german guy on the black canyon bike”. the price has been slightly subsidised and you can purchase them via the spr shop.  please be aware that these are for spr members only.  last time we did this, some members were also purchasing for non-members, so we were subsidising them as well.  see the previous post for more details.

980521_1035283219889519_3149598411637754433_oride for yarloop –after the devastating fires down south, a cycling group (the rove) is organising a charity ride to raise money for the victims.  it is basically a 140km ride from mandurah station towards yarloop and return.  due to the destruction in the area, the ride may not actually get all the way to yarloop, but your $50 entry fee will.  there is also a link to donate to the cause without doing the ride.  head to their website for rego and more info, and there has been an update posted on the westcycle facebook site with even more info from the organiser .

ride routes – due to a lack of interest, the wednesday kings park uci loops have been cancelled.  there is a stock road interval ride leaving the raffles at 5:30am and this is open to all abilities.  easy cruise out to stock road, hill repeats till 6:30am, then a return with coffee in applecross if you have time.

saturday 23rd january

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 24th january

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

uwct training – spr 2016 uwct training course

development group – coffee ride

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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 25th january

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 26th january (australia day)

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

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

fast/main groups – public hol 58.97km spr special

wednesday 27th january

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 28th january

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 29th january

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

weekend accidents – 16/17 jan

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12439311_577718239051951_3830581095726311270_nso as many of you may have heard, there were a couple of accidents this weekend.  just to keep everyone in the loop, i am going to give a bit of an update as to how our members are going.

on the saturday main 1.2 ride there was a touch of wheels as a truck came past on abernathy road.  by all accounts, the truck was a respectful distance away from the riders. however, the driver was apparently very concerned and a bit distraught that he had caused an accident. Lawyers can help in getting compensated after motorcycle accident or any kinds of accidents. Brain injuries can be severe or even fatal compared to other injuries. The brain injury lawyer located in Orange County is of great help.

whether it was the draft from the truck or just some nervousness, there was a slowing and sideways movement within the group.  the group had just moved into single file and was coming to the end of abernathy road.  the end result was a touch of wheels and a number of riders coming down.

Based on the information given by personal injury attorneys practicing in Highland area, there were 7 riders who hit the deck but 4 were serious enough to warrant medical attention.

katheryn dines apparently cracked her helmet and has a very sore jaw, but was able to leave the hospital that day.

gareth davies had quite a bit of road rash but was patched up by the hospital and also discharged.

geoff quinlan unfortunately has a broken scapula and will probably face 3 months off the bike.

iain dow-vine fell very heavily and had a bit of head trauma.  he has since been cleared of any head and neck issues, but has some ongoing thoracic problems and will be flat on his back all weekend.  hopefully he is looking at being discharged tomorrow.

another rider to come down in this crash was dianne mcauliffe.  fortunately, she just suffered a few scraps and scratches but was otherwise ok.  she was well enough to manage to come out on the sunday uwct training ride, through the hills.  unfortunately, on the decent along toodyay road, she was involved in an accident that saw her hit the deck quite hard.  at the time she was riding by herself and has no recollection of the accident.  laurensia and a couple of other riders came across her sprawled on the road and stopped to offer assistance.  she was conscious and an ambulance was called.  she has impacted the road quite heavily with her arms and face and has suffered quite a bit of dental damage.  luckily after spending most of the day at royal perth, she was able to walk out of the hospital when discharged. This accident would become to the notice of police and investigation begins quickly to resolve the case because, in a few days, they would automatically be pressurized to solve it by the media personalities. With heavy loss incurred by the riders, they should approach the best attorneys to file the Austin product liability claims. By winning this legal battle, they would each receive proper compensation which helps them to start their life afresh from scratch.

so all in all and pretty bad weekend for the club.  checking the records, all but one of the riders had renewed their membership this year.  even if you aren’t going to do any races till later on in the year, it is important to make sure that you have personal insurance coverage through the club.  the coverage is not comprehensive, but it does give you some level of cover if you do hit the deck.  there was a blog post on it not long ago outlining the benefits.

one of the positive outcomes from the saturday crash was the response from the trucking company.  as mentioned, the driver was a bit upset after seeing the carnage in his mirrors.  he radioed back to his base and sent out a couple of people to assist.  this also prompted a few fire fighters from the airport to also come out and assist.  i would like to publicly thanks the guys from sands fridge lines for the assistance that they provided on the day.

business card  if you were involved in the saturday crash and want to personally thank them for their assistance, there is an email address on the attached business card.

so, please be careful out there.  there is a level of risk involved in our sport and it doesn’t always have to involve vehicles.  if you know any of the people involved in this weekends incidents, drop them a line or facebook post so that they know that others are thinking about them. stay safe out there.

ride routes 16th – 22nd january

10409159_10153219567367204_1412408697106681127_n
winner, winner, chicken dinner

winner, winner, chicken dinner.  well, winning entry into the next race at least.  a few of the spr women took on d grade last week and came away with the whole podium.  with the latte laps not running this week due to the weather, what is stopping you from having a crack at racing on the tech park circuit.  i can guarantee that you will not feel isolated if you are wearing a spr jersey and this usually means that you will get an extra loud cheer as you ride past.  this is the last race of the series but we have the aussie day, renae’s race and the state crit champs also on this circuit over the next few months.  3 race permits are available for those without a full racing licence.  give it a go, you won’t be disappointed, and you may actually enjoy it.

watch zoneride leader sponsor – january’s ride leader sponsor is spr member Gonzalo Ramirez, who owns Watch Zone a boutique watch repair and sales specialist.  more info on the previous post.

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.

2015 expiredmemberships – on the 31st of december a bunch of race memberships and some recreational memberships expired.  overnight we lost in excess of 250 members.  there are a bunch of reasons for you to become or renew your membership.  see the previous post for more details.

12466279_10154455181818219_5053900945861742744_o (1)smashfest race 04 –this saturday afternoon we will be hosting race 4 of the smashfest series at tech park.  due to the predicted hot weather, there will be no latte laps or junior (e grade races).  the whole schedule has been pushed back and most of the races have had their times reduced.  the first race kicks off at 2:30pm but have a look at the attached flyer for race times.  any volunteers would be appreciated.

spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship.  this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10.  “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress.  there are 7 races that we are putting on this year, but your points for the best 5 races will be used.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details on the previous post.

regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford
regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford

uwct training – looking at last weeks uwct training ride on strava, the flyby showed that there was not actually a regroup at the servo.  this week we WILL regroup at the caltex servo just after the swan river bridge.   again, only a 20min regroup from when the first riders arrive, so make sure you check your clocks.  more info on the uwct training ride can be found on the previous post.

bike_sticker_heiko-300x225bike and helmet stickers – we are doing another run of the bike/helmet stickers.  the idea is that this will make it easy for everyone in spr to actually know who they are riding with rather than “that german guy on the black canyon bike”. the price has been slightly subsidised and you can purchase them via the spr shop.  please be aware that these are for spr members only.  last time we did this, some members were also purchasing for non-members, so we were subsidising them as well.  see the previous post for more details.

980521_1035283219889519_3149598411637754433_oride for yarloop – after the devastating fires down south, a cycling group (the rove) is organising a charity ride to raise money for the victims.  it is basically a 140km ride from mandurah station towards yarloop and return.  due to the destruction in the area, the ride may not actually get all the way to yarloop, but your $50 entry fee will.  there is also a link to donate to the cause without doing the ride.  head to their website for rego and more info, and there has been an update posted on the westcycle facebook site with even more info from the organiser .

ride routes – some pretty hot weather predicted for this weekend.  please make sure that you have adequate food and water and don’t commit to anything that is beyond your capabilities.

saturday 16th january

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 – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday

sunday 17th january

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

uwct training – spr 2016 uwct training course

development group – coffee ride

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

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – khna can mills 94.55km spr sunday

monday 18th january

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 19th january

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 january

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

spr wednesday 14.22km (uci masters)

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

development group – stock road repeats

thursday 21st january

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 january

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 9th – 15th january

this is steph. she is an engineer, but she also rides a bike.
this is steph. she is an engineer, but she also rides a bike.

It takes but a moment to look beyond the bike and see that every rider is someone’s something and that everyone has a story just waiting to be told.  that is the opening spiel for tony lendrum’s latest project, “beyond the bike“.  the aim of the project is to show that cyclists are real people.  people with families, jobs and hobbies. people that contribute to society.  people that have every right to come home at night, not just some faceless lycra-clad riders that are taking up your space on the road.  tony has run two sessions so far and yesterday a large number of spr riders shook off the lycra to get their photo taken and tell their story.  if you get the opportunity, this is something that we encourage you should be part of.

watch zoneride leader sponsor – january’s ride leader sponsor is spr member Gonzalo Ramirez, who owns Watch Zone a boutique watch repair and sales specialist.  more info on the previous post.

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.

2015 expiredmemberships – on the 31st of december a bunch of race memberships and some recreational memberships expired.  overnight we lost in excess of 250 members.  there are a bunch of reasons for you to become or renew your membership.  see the previous post for more details.

.facebook_1451977390038smashfest race 03 – this saturday afternoon we will be hosting race 3 of the smashfest series at tech park.  on top of multiple grades for both men and women, there will be a “latte laps” specifically for women that are unsure about taking that next step towards racing.  this is a low key, non-competitive roll around the circuit with a few more experienced women as guides.  it is the first event on the schedule and kicks off at 1:00pm.

spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship.  this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10.  “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress.  there are 7 races that we are putting on this year, but your points for the best 5 races will be used.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details on the previous post.

regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford
regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford

uwct training – this week we will move the regroup point to the caltex servo just after the swan river bridge.  there is no water tap available around the bakery and george was trying to setup his antique business where we were waiting.  again, only a 20min regroup from when the first riders arrive, so make sure you check your clocks.  more info on the uwct training ride can be found on the previous post.

bike_sticker_heiko-300x225bike and helmet stickers – we are doing another run of the bike/helmet stickers.  the idea is that this will make it easy for everyone in spr to actually know who they are riding with rather than “that german guy on the black canyon bike”. the price has been slightly subsidised and you can purchase them via the spr shop.  please be aware that these are for spr members only.  last time we did this, some members were also purchasing for non-members, so we were subsidising them as well.  see the previous post for more details.

ride routes – unfortunately there are no public holidays this week, so no extra km’s to be had.  the weather is predicted to be a little bit cooler as well, so we should have a good ride.

saturday 9th january

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 rebold 38.69km spr saturday

fast & main groups – karrinyup 52.14km spr saturday

sunday 10th january

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

uwct training – spr 2016 uwct training course

development group – coffee ride

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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 11th january

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 12th january

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 13th january

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

spr wednesday 14.22km (uci masters)

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

development group – stock road repeats

thursday 14th january

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 15th january

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

2016 memberships

2015 expiredit’s that time again.  on the 31st of december a bunch of race memberships and some recreational memberships expired.  overnight we lost in excess of 250 members.

why should you renew or become a member???

racing.  firstly, if you want to race regularly, you need to get a racing licence.  for those that want to try it out, you can get a 3 race permit, but it does expire and you can’t get another one for the rest of the year.  there are lots of races on the wa calendar, so it is worth it for the regular racers.

insurance.  if you just ride with us and don’t want to do any racing, then getting a membership will give you a little insurance coverage in case of an accident.  the coverage isn’t awesome, but it does allow you to recover some of your out of pocket expenses.  it also covers any public liability insurance.  a summary can be found here.

funding the club.  we are a non-profit organisation and don’t really have a regular income.  in order for us to be able to fund club activities, the small amount of money we receive from the memberships build our club budget.  the club is also run by volunteers that give up there time to keep the organisation running.  isn’t having regular club training rides, ride leaders, events and races a good enough reason to throw a few bucks our way?

club kit.  the club kit is only available to members of the club.  when you wear the kit, you are representing the club.  if anyone can wear the kit, then we have little control over how they act when they are wearing our colours.  when you sign up to our club, you sign up to adhering to our club etiquette and ride guide.

act. belong. commit.  be part of something.  its good for you.

check out our membership page for more details on how to join.

smashfest series 3 race #3

this saturday we will be hosting the 3rd race in the smashfest series.  start times are listed on the picture below and we will again include a “latte laps” for those women that want a less competitive roll around to see what it is like.

remember that race licences expired at the end of 2015 so make sure you renew before saturday.  bring a print out of the email as proof of purchase to be eligible to race.

we will have a food truck on site this week, so bring the family down and make an afternoon of it.

as usual, a few volunteers to help setup and pack up would be appreciated.

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ride routes 2nd – 8th january

2641383512_5ee24a9448as 2015 draws to a close, i am seeing lots of strava totals being posted on facebook so people can show their achievements.  if anyone is thinking of aiming for the club best on distance, then don’t bother as patrick doesn’t have a car, so has racked up over 23,000 kms this year.  an amazing achievement.  however, i have also seen lots of great achievements out there that didn’t result in massive kms.  people like vanessa johnson who went from vice presidential cycling widow to racing in the tour or margs.  and others like mr bonner who has literally bounced back from a close to life changing injury to continue to smash everyone on the hills.  lets aim to achieve something this next year on the bike.  it doesn’t have to be k’s, but set some goals not resolutions.

ride leader sponsor – january’s ride leader sponsor is spr member Gonzalo Ramirez, who owns Watch Zone a boutique watch repair and sales specialist.  more info on the previous post.

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.

memberships – as the year comes to a close, there are lots of our 466 memberships that will also expire.  all race licences will come to an end on the 31st dec and some recreational licences will as well. tomorrow’s public holiday ride marks the first ride where you may not actually be covered by any insurance.  get on it tonight, so you are covered tomorrow.  see the memberships page for links to renew or join.

women’s beginner group – there will be an all female beginners group this saturday for any women who want to have a go at this cycling thing.  if you know of anyone that needs that little push to give it a go, invite them done to coode st this saturday for a 7am start.  the session is free and will aim to increase skill and confidence on the bike.  more info can be found on the previous post.

spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship.  this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10.  “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress.  there are 7 races that we are putting on this year, but your points for the best 5 races will be used.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details on the previous post.

ride routes – the first of the month is time for our women’s only rides.  main 1, 2 & 3 will (if needed) have separate women’s groups following their respective main groups.  only 1 public holiday ride so i have listed it for tomorrow.  see who is still nursing a sore head come 7am or better yet, see you on the earlybird.

friday 1st january (new years day)

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

ride start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

fast & main groups – public hol 58.97km spr special

saturday 2nd january

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

ladies beginners group skills

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans benara 39.90km spr saturday

women’s main 1, 2 & 3 – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday

fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday

sunday 3rd january

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

uwct training – spr 2016 uwct training course

development group – coffee ride

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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 4th january

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 5th january

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 6th january

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

spr wednesday 14.22km (uci masters)

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

development group – stock road repeats

thursday 7th january

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 8th january

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

 

watch zone

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January’s Ride Leader’s are proudly sponsored by SPR member Gonzalo Ramirez who owns Watch Zone.

12377619_1192535774107143_7299845758290825917_o

Located in front of the Murray St entrance of Target in the city, Watch Zone specialises in water pressure testing, watch repairs and band fitting.  Gonzalo will also change your watch battery while you wait.  Drop in and see him some time, or call 9481 8335.

 

 

2016 uwct training

UWCT_Logoit’s time.  starting this sunday we will be running our weekly uwct training, taking in the new course.  this year they have reversed the route so the race will go up the zig zag and down toodyay road.  as the zig zag is a one way down hill only, we will not be taking a group up there.  instead we get to do gooseberry.

the new training course is already mapped out and listed under our sunday hills rides.  it does differ from the actual course as we will be missing out the long flat sections before and after the hills. as the actual race will be heading out the freeway and then along reid hwy, the club cannot afford to close down a section of the freeway and provide a police escort.  i know, not trying hard enough.

so the route takes in the main climbs (minus the zig zag) and then heads back into town.  if you want to get some extra k’s in to make up the difference that you will face on the day (140kms race vs 103km training) then i suggest either a half lap of the river or a roll along shelley.

so, as for the rules of engagement for this group training, we will be doing things a little different to a normal spr group ride.  firstly we will be rolling out at 6:00am from the coode st carpark.  this is a hard course and we will need to get back as early as possible.

we will head out great eastern at a moderate pace and along to ridge hill road.  this will be the first climb of the actual event so we will hit it at race pace.  instead of continuing up the zig zag, we will roll over the top and across to gooseberry.  as this is not part of the course, we will be regrouping at the top of this climb.  this will effectively be the only regroup in the hills (we may remove this too, but will see how we go).  we will then head towards mundaring and across to stoneville.  there is no regroup before toodyay and we will continue

regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford
regroup point just after the swan river bridge in guilford

on all the way to guilford.  there we will regroup at the caltex servo just on the otherside of the swan river bridge.  there is access to water as well as cold drinks from inside so it is a good place to stop.  we will then wait for about 20min from the first guys before heading out again.  it is then race pace back along guilford road and back to dome.

now this will be a hard session but we are not refusing anyone from coming along.  however, just be aware the the group will not be stopping and waiting, so make sure you have enough food and water, spare tubes (and know how to change a tyre) and a mobile phone in case you need to get out of trouble.

there is a good chance that some people will not make it to the regroup in time.  we are not apologising for this and if you get left behind, get home as safely as you can.  there is a bike path from guilford all the way into the city, so you don’t have to negotiate traffic.  if you do really, really get into trouble call me.  0438 988 677.

the reason we will be running the training like this is primarily because it is a race and you will need to put in sustained efforts over a long period of time.  regrouping and resting will not practically happen on the day.  also, after a recon session last weekend, it will actually be better for smaller groups of riders 3-6 along toodyay road as vehicles can negotiate them quicker than a large group.

as usual, road rules apply.  don’t go through red lights to make it onto a bunch.  there is only 1 set of lights in the hills, but quite a few heading back into guilford. if you need to stop for water, you can duck into the Dome in mundaring, but just don’t expect your group to wait for you.

the race will be hard.  expect the training to be hard too.  see you sunday morning.

ride routes 25th dec – 1st jan

12376746_10154010646997985_6746559813152428461_ntomorrow is christmas and we still haven’t started wrapping the kids presents.  i am sure that santa will get it done on time, but it may be a late night with milk and cookies.  there are 2 new bikes entering our household tomorrow.  unfortunately not one for me as i could not buy enough roses.  eat lots. ride lots. stay safe.

ride leader sponsor – there are no ride leader sponsors for december.

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.

extra rides – many people have next week off work especially as it is a short week.  as such, if you are around and want to do some extra k’s, meet at the coode st carpark at 7am for another 50km or more.  this gives us time to complete the earlybird ride as a warmup.  no set course on the blog as it will depend on peoples available time (e.g. lap of the river or hills ride).

memberships – as the year comes to a close, there are lots of memberships that will also expire.  all race licences will come to an end on the 31st dec and some recreational licences will as well.  for the race licences, if you renew now, you are covered till the end of dec 2016.  you will also need to get this sorted before the crits start on the 9th jan.  see the memberships page for links to renew or join.

spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship.  this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10.  “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress.  there are 7 races that we are putting on this year, but your points for the best 5 races will be used.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details on the previous post.

ride routes – bit of a crazy week this week with lots of public holidays to cater for.  basically, if it is not a public holiday then normal rides will apply.  sat 26th will have normal saturday rides on and the boxing day public holiday ride will be on the 28th.  also, with the increased numbers at the public holiday rides, we will run them like a saturday ride and split into fast, main 1, main 2 etc.  all on the same route, but smaller groups for safety.  there are also some extra rides for those that have tues-thurs off next week.  7am at coode st and we can play it by ear.

friday 25th december (christmas day)

ride start at coode st carpark at 7:00am main 3 pace

christmas recovery ride

saturday 26th december (boxing 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 –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – whiteman park 50.4km spr saturday

sunday 27th december

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

development group – coffee ride

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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – f’berg urch obs 96.16km spr sunday

monday 28th december (boxing day holiday)

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

ride start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

fast & main groups – public hol 58.97km spr special

tuesday 29th december

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 30th december

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

spr wednesday 14.22km (uci masters)

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

development group – stock road repeats

thursday 31st december

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 1st january (new years day)

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

ride start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

fast & main groups – public hol 58.97km spr special