twas the night before christmas, when all through the place,
the bikes were all ready for the boxing day race.

the bike bags were placed by the chimney with care,
in hopes that the wiggle order soon would be there.

the bikes were nestled all snug on their racks,
with visions of hill climbing and endless attacks.
and searching online without a real reason,
we’d just settled our brains for the racing off season.

when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
i sprang from the bed to see whats the matter.
when, what to my wondering eyes should i like,
but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny bikes.

“now schleck! now sastre! now, contador and froome!
on, evans! on, wiggins! on nibali, go zoom!
so up to the mountain top the climbers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and a jolly man too.

he was dressed all in lycra, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
a bundle of bike parts he had on his back,
he looked like a commuter, with a massive back-pack.

he was chubby and plump, the lycra stretched tight,                               and i laughed when i saw him, it didn’t look right.
he spoke not a word, but made a quick start,
and filled all the boxes with shiny bike parts.

he sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whip,
and away they all rode, as the pedals went “clip”.
but i heard him exclaim, as he flew out of sight,
“merry christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

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.

spr christmas breakfast and awards – this saturday (19th) we will have our annual christmas breakfast and awards.  there will be awards, as voted by you, for people the club membership felt had contributed this year.  the road rider series awards will be presented for those that raced certain events this year.  as well as a special new presidential award for those who the president has felt went above and beyond this year in service to the club.  as it is also the final saturday before christmas, this will be the christmas dress-up ride where you are encouraged to decorate yourself and /or you bike.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, yes people actually do dress up for this ride.  if you are a bit more conservative, just add some tinsel to your bike.  the weather will be a nice mid-20’s so i am expecting the odd full santa suit, some elves and even a reindeer or two.  for the breakfast, the cost will be $15 and for that you will get a coffee and access to the buffet table of never-ending treats.  see the previous post for further details.

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 – in the lead up to christmas, there are no real changes to the ride routes.  on christmas day there is no official ride, but if any of you without commitments want to ride, then meeting at coode st at 7am is an option, but you can discuss this yourselves.  the following week will be filled with multiple public holiday and extra rides to keep your fitness up.

saturday 19th december

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 (christmas dress-up ride)

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 20th 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 – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – can mills peet obs 90.30km spr sunday

monday 21st december

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 22nd 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 23rd 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 24th 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 25th december (christmas day)

no official ride, but if you are not doing anything and would like to ride with some others then meet at coode st at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

fomo – fear of missing out. for those of us over the age of about 30, all the lmao, brb, yolo and ftw probably don’t actually make sense, or even worse, we think that they mean something else. i was discussing training the other day with someone and i said that the main reason i train is so i don’t feel total crap in a race.  it is almost a fogw – fear of getting worse.  fear can be a good motivator and if you are at the back half of the peloton, it can often be the only thing making you dig that bit deeper. probably a fogd – fear of getting dropped.  with the christmas break approaching, maybe your motivation to ride hard is targeted more towards your fogf – fear of getting fat.  with more days out of routine and with family visits and all the edible wonders of the season available, it is easy to pack on the extra kilos.  as such, every public holiday, except christmas day will have both an earlybird and a public holiday ride on it.  as the week between christmas and new years is a short week and many people will also have that off, we will probably run some impromptu rides on the 29th – 31st as well.  lots of rides available to achieve your festive 500.

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.

upcoming races – the yanchep criterium is on this weekend.  this is certainly the most interesting criterium that we have on the calendar as it has a nice climb in the middle of the circuit.  if you see yourself as more of a short punchy climber rather than a sprinter, than this is the race for you.  there is also a significant amount of prize money available in a grade, with a special prize for the first non-nrs rider in both men and women.  more info and registration here.  registration closes tonight (thursday).

spr kit bits – the current kit order will close off this sunday 13th so we can try to get it all through before the christmas break.  note that there are a couple of new items in the shop.  the new elite aero jersey is pretty cool.  i have been wearing a sample of this and it is probably half the weight of a standard jersey.  great for summer crit racing as it is super aero and made of lycra.  see further details in the previous post.

spr christmas breakfast and awards – next saturday (19th) we will have our annual christmas breakfast and awards.  there will be awards, as voted by you, for people the club membership felt had contributed this year.  the road rider series awards will be presented for those that raced certain event this year.  as well as a special new presidential award for those who the president has felt went above and beyond this year in service to the club.  as it is also the final saturday before christmas, this will be the christmas dress-up ride where you are encouraged to decorate yourself and /or you bike.  no idea how hot it will be, but we will see if a full santa suit comes out.  cost will be $15 and for that you will get a coffee and access to the buffet table of never-ending treats.  see the previous post for further details.

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 – not long now till christmas and all the wonderful bike related presents that you will receive.  remember, the more you eat, the more you have to ride.  fogf.

saturday 12th december

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 shelley 40.59km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south lake 51.99km spr saturday

sunday 13th december

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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 14th december

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 15th 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 16th 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 17th 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 18th december

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

perspective. its a funny thing and it can certainly make you think about situations differently when you see it from someone else’s view.  a few years ago i was driving the car with the kids in the back and we were stopped at the lights in a long line of traffic.  as the lights changed green one of the drivers ahead of me was not concentrating on the situation and took a while to get going. the result was that not everyone managed to get through the lights with our car being the first one to have to stop.  really frustrating.  however, from the back of the car there is a cheer.  “hooray”. i questioned why they were cheering and the response i received was a typical kids optimistic view of the world.  “we are now first in the line” was the response.  so the kids didn’t see it as being last, or too slow to make it through the lights, they saw it as being first for next time.  sometimes it pays to take that little bit of time out and think of it from someone else’s perspective.  people automatically get defensive when there is a situation they don’t expect.  just take the time to take a breath, and look at it critically before you start. christmas is almost here and you will have to spend a lot more time with all those beloved family members you don’t see very often. so take a breath and think of the extra time you can spend on your bike.

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.

upcoming races – two more races to finish off the year.  race 2 of the smashfest will be on this weekend.  register on the day with all grades provided for.  there is also a “latte laps” event which is aimed at women who are not sure about this whole racing thing, but would like to see what it is about.  this involves riding on the circuit with some coaches and experienced riders in a non-competitive environment.  no race licence needed and cost will be $15.

the yanchep criterium is being held on the following weekend.  this is certainly the most interesting criterium that we have on the calendar as it has a nice climb in the middle of the circuit.  if you see yourself as more of a short punchy climber rather than a sprinter, than this is the race for you.  there is also a significant amount of prize money available in a grade, with a special prize for the first non-nrs rider in both men and women.  more info and registration here.

pink sock ride for beerlinda – one of our members was recently diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.  we are holding a fundraiser ride this sunday 6th to help raise money for her post op care.  the ride is open to members and non-members, but if you can’t make it, you can also use the registration to make a donation.  check out the previous post for more details.  registration closes friday midnight.  if you can’t make it to the ride, wear pick socks and post your photo’s of support using the hashtag #sockdoping4cancer so we can track your posts.  there will be prizes for the best photos.

smashfest criterium series – the second race of the 4 race series will be on this saturday with the first race starting at 1pm.  we need to provide some volunteers for this event as we need a couple of people to man the rego desk.  if you can help out, let me know ASAP.  there will also be a bake sale with all proceeds going to beerlinda’s pink sock ride.  come along and help out and buy baked goods.

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.

spr annual award nominations – each year the spr social committee run a survey to find people that others in the club think need recognising for their achievements.  these people will be rewarded at the christmas breakfast later in the year.  if you think that someone has done a good job, check out the previous post and fill in the survey.

spr christmas drinks – thursday december 10^th. we will be holding our spr christmas drinks.  this is an “out of lycra” event and an opportunity to finish off the year in a relaxing way.  see the previous post for more details, but tickets are by pre-purchase so follow the links to get your ticket. the ticket price covers the price of one drink plus finger food on the night.  thanks to the social committee for organising this event.

ride routes – this saturday is the first of the month, so that means that it is ladies day.  3 separate women’s only groups will follow main 1, 2 & 3.  see the previous post for more details.

saturday 5th december

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 – alexander drive 50.46km spr saturday

sunday 6th december

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

charity ride starts at dome westralia plaza 6:30am

pink sock ride for beerlinda #sockdoping4cancer

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

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – haddrill rd 98.55km spr sunday

monday 7th december

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 8th 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 9th 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 10th 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 11th december

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

the wheels of justice turn very slowly.  last november professor paola ferroni was riding her bike along kings park road when she was stuck from behind by joanne leigh lawrence.  professor ferroni was taken to royal perth hospital, but died 4 days later due to the extent of her injuries.  ms lawrence pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and was due to be sentenced in the district court today.  the sentencing was adjourned because ms lawrence was involved in another crash on november 11 which also indicated that she was driving dangerously.  the prosecutor said ms lawrence sent and received a number of text messages in the six minutes leading up to the crash that killed professor ferroni.  article here.

jumping back even further to october last year, brynt mcswain was also struck from behind when riding solo on the road by joseph frances haenga.  mr haenga was so drunk in fact that he didn’t even remember the accident.  sentencing for this incident was march this year and mr haenga received a 5 yr 6 mth sentence but will be eligible for parole in 3yr and 6 mths.  article here.

based on that, it is clear that professor ferroni’s killer will probably be back on the road within 3-4 years.

what i fail to understand is how being behind the wheel of a car somehow reduces your accountability when involved in taking another persons life.  on top of that, how being drunk or not concentrating (eg on the phone) also diminishes your responsibility.  no one forced the drivers to get drunk or send texts.  no one made them get behind the wheel.  they made those choices for themselves and then they spun the roulette wheel.  unfortunately, it was an innocent person that lost the bet.  no one in this day and age can say that they don’t know what happens when people drink and drive.  it is rammed down our throats all the time though ads on tv, radio and billboards.  to make this more effective, the laws need to reflect the seriousness of the crime.  you are old enough and therefore responsible enough to drink, therefore you must also understand the consequences if you drive.  taking another persons life whilst behind the wheel drunk or texting, should have an automatic heavy sentence.  ask anyone who rides a bike with their helmet slung over the handlebars why they even bother bring the helmet. it is not to protect them from a fall, but to stop them from getting a fine.  i am sure that if not wearing a helmet was an enforced $1000 fine, you would not see anyone with a bare head.

sorry for the rant. i will try to be more festive next week.

ride leader sponsor – november’s ride leader sponsors are spr members Lee & Derek Baston, who own Baston & Co. Property, a boutique property management and real estate sales agency located in victoria park, servicing its surrounding suburbs.  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.

peter clark memorial – the last road race of the season is on this saturday afternoon.  registration closes tonight so get on it.  check the previous post for more details.

pink sock ride for beerlinda – one of our members was recently diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.  we are holding a fundraiser ride next sunday 6th to help raise money for her post op care.  the ride is open to members and non-members, but if you can’t make it, you can also use the registration to make a donation.  check out the previous post for more details.

smashfest criterium series – the second race of the 4 race series will be on next saturday with the first race starting at 2pm.  saturday afternoon seemed to work well with a lot more people hanging around to watch the races.  more info can be found on the previous post, and as usual, we will need a few volunteers to help out on the day.

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 4 or 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.

spr annual award nominations – each year the spr social committee run a survey to find people that others in the club think need recognising for their achievements.  these people will be rewarded at the christmas breakfast later in the year.  if you think that someone has done a good job, check out the previous post and fill in the survey.

spr christmas drinks – save the date. the empire bar. thursday december 10^th. more info to come soon.

ride routes – lots of riding to do in the bright sunshine.  i love not having daylight savings.

saturday 28th november

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 shelley 40.59km spr saturday

fast & main groups – hale rd reverse 51.37km spr saturday

sunday 29th november

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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – cann dam 100.13km spr sunday

monday 30th november

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 1st 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 2nd 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 3rd 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 4th december

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

so you may have seen this campaign on bus stops and around town.  i think that it is actually a really good message that they are trying to get across (see website).  a lot of the time, cyclists are depicted as aggressive, lycra clad mamils (i really hate that word) taking over roads and coffee shops.  however, the statistics show that the majority of people that are hit by cars are riding solo, usually commuting to work.  often it is not the aggressive motorist forcing the riders off the road, but the inattentive ones that accidentally hit a rider from behind.  yes it was an accident, but it is totally preventable if you were paying attention.  the majority of us also drive cars, so this is also applicable to us.  be aware, be responsible.

ride leader sponsor – november’s ride leader sponsors are spr members Lee & Derek Baston, who own Baston & Co. Property, a boutique property management and real estate sales agency located in victoria park, servicing its surrounding suburbs.  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.

westcycle bike safety survey – as the peak body for cycling in western australia, increasing bike safety is one of westcycle’s key targets. their key challenge is creating an environment where people aren’t afraid to ride.  to do this we need to transform our streets, roads and communities into places where traveling by bike is safe and normal. this survey will assist westcycle and their member organisations to develop a bike safety manifesto to make riding a bike a safer option. this survey is for everyone – the people who already ride bikes, people who drive cars, people who would like to ride more but are concerned about safety. the survey closes on the 23rd november, so please take the time to fill it out and pass the link on to your friends.  take the survey here.

kit collection – the latest delivery of the kit (except socks) will be available for collection at the coffeeshop after the saturday ride. for collection at any other time contact kit@southperthrouleurs.com.au

smashfest criterium series – the first race of the 4 race series will be on this saturday with the first race starting at 2pm.  we are seeing if saturday afternoon racing is better for numbers as it still leaves sunday free for other activities (rides).  more info can be found on the previous post, and as usual, we will need a few volunteers to help out on the day.

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 4 or 5 races will be used.  this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running.  more details will be available soon.

spr annual award nominations – each year the spr social committee run a survey to find people that others in the club think need recognising for their achievements.  these people will be rewarded at the christmas breakfast later in the year.  if you think that someone has done a good job, check out the previous post and fill in the survey.

spr christmas drinks – save the date. the empire bar. thursday december 10^th. more info to come soon.

ride routes – a hot windy weekend has been predicted.  make sure you have adequate water as last week a number of people said that they were out before the end of scarbs beach rd.

saturday 21st november

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 22nd november

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

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – grnmt prk mnd wr 93.71km spr sunday

monday 23rd november

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 24th november

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 25th november

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 26th november

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 27th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

in lieu of any real race report from the tour of margaret river, i would just like to say what an awesome time we had down there.  from my point of view, it was not even the racing that made it good.  the social atmosphere we created and the club organisation certainly helped the non-riding aspects.  with houses all in the same area, club sponsored drivers for the buses, centralised race tent and just people that were willing to help everyone out, made it a great 1/2 week away.  there were some good results (as listed below), but the “family” bbq and evening at the pub after all the racing had finished was probably the highlight.  also, spending hours on a bus together was certainly a good way to get to know people.

ride leader sponsor – november’s ride leader sponsors are spr members Lee & Derek Baston, who own Baston & Co. Property, a boutique property management and real estate sales agency located in victoria park, servicing its surrounding suburbs.  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.

westcycle bike safety survey – as the peak body for cycling in western australia, increasing bike safety is one of westcycle’s key targets. their key challenge is creating an environment where people aren’t afraid to ride.  to do this we need to transform our streets, roads and communities into places where traveling by bike is safe and normal. this survey will assist westcycle and their member organisations to develop a bike safety manifesto to make riding a bike a safer option. this survey is for everyone – the people who already ride bikes, people who drive cars, people who would like to ride more but are concerned about safety. the survey closes on the 23rd november, so please take the time to fill it out and pass the link on to your friends.  take the survey here.

tour of margaret river – a great time was had down at margaret river with the 4 spr teams competing.  lorna henson and paul george took out the bronze medals in their respective masters categories for the spr teams.  there were also a lot of other spr riders at this race but riding for other teams.  some of the other podiums were; for the women, sarah duffield of niche living, took out the over women’s classification as well as the wmas1 division.  judy gibson placed 2nd in the wmas5 division racing for the mercy ships maidens team.  for the men; luke ellis took out 1st place in the mas1 division riding for dome, sam smith took 1st in the mas4 division riding for unicorn specialized, thomas o’neill was 1st in the mas5 division for squadra rtr, paul burke was 3rd in the mas3 division riding for team transform and james taylor was 3rd in the mas6 division riding for margaret river choc/squadra barista. check out the results on metarace.  a very special thanks to our volunteers that gave up their time to help out; andrew williams, cathi dixon and amanda nabi.  we wouldn’t have gotten through the week without you.  also a very special thanks to the man with the critically acclaimed (by matthew keenan) mustache, greg murray who drove one of the buses down and back as well as raced.

italy trip – would you like to ride your bike over in italy next year.  there is a trip being organised where you can join/leave at your leisure.  if you are interested, more info is available on the previous post.  an info night will be held on the 12th of november so if you need more info before you take the plunge, have a look at the other previous post.

tim’s ride – the charity ride is on this weekend and in memory of tim anderson, a cyclist who was killed by a drunk driver, riding on a road that many of us ride every week.  there are still spots available, so check out the previous post for more info and get on board.

white ribbon ride – the white ribbon ride is on the 15th november. this initiative is to support the campaign against domestic violence. the ride is 100km, and costs $60 per person, all proceeds go to support and campaign against domestic violence. registrations via this link.

spr christmas drinks – save the date. the empire bar. thursday december 10^th. more info to come soon.

smashfest criterium series – the dates for this years smashfest criteriums at tech park have been submitted and are awaiting final approval.  this year they will all be held on a saturday afternoon on the following dates – 21st nov, 5th dec, 9th & 16th jan.  after this we will also have on the same circuit, the aussie day crit, renae’s race and the state champs.  we will be holding a crit spr championship with a points system held across all 7 races (similar to the spr road race champs).  the all powerful race committee is still finalising things, but your best 4 or 5 races will count towards the championship. stay tuned for more info.

ride routes – looks like a hot weekend coming up so make sure you are properly prepared for the rides.

saturday 14th november

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 – scarbs beach & hale 51.21km spr saturday

sunday 15th november

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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – chook obs goose 94.01km spr sunday

monday 16th november

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 17th november

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 18th november

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 19th november

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 20th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

so last week when roberta and carla where stuck down during the charity ride, another rider on that ride had a case going through the courts.  wes opie was hit by an unlicenced, drunk, 21 yr old driver who had blown a tyre but continued to drive home.  one of the main reasons why this court case made the news was that the victim specifically requested that the driver not serve any jail time for what she did.  the driver had shown a lot of remorse for her actions and this shows a lot of compassion on behalf of the victim.  the reason given was that –  “prison would do her more harm than good.”  now this is probably true. what would the driver actually learn while they were in prison and what benefit would that be to society.  however, mr opie will probably have long lasting physical effects from this incident and i think that the driver needs to understand that these things do not just go away overnight.

the driver has paid some compensation towards a new bike and also donated to the charity ride, but maybe we need to rethink the longer term effects of accidents and the needs of the victims.  somewhere in scandinavia the traffic fines are based on a percentage of your annual salary.  this means that a nokia president once had to pay multi millions of dollars for a speeding fine.  maybe we need a longer term approach to victims compensation where by the perpetrator gets taxed a certain amount for the next number of years to help the victims with any ongoing issues. this way whenever they want to have that holiday to bali, or buy a house, they will have a reminder that they made a choice to drink, a choice to get in their car and those choices have consequences.  i am not trying to speak on behalf of wes opie, but already the article lists some ongoing issues relating to the accident.  it is not just this incident either.  too many times we are seeing people getting drunk and then causing irreparable damage to innocent parties whether they are riding a bike, pushing a pram, walking home from a party, or even just sitting in their lounge rooms when car smashes through the wall.

ride leader sponsor – no ride leader sponsor for october as the one i had lined up was no longer available.  i kind of ran out of time to sort out an alternative, but i know there are a few companies out there that are interested.  i will sort you out for next month.

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.

halloween saturday ride – this saturday is halloween, and although we don’t “celebrate” all hallows eve in australia, we always love an opportunity to keep it interesting by doing something different.  so, if you want, this saturday for the main ride, add some face paint or decorate your bike.

westcycle bike safety survey – as the peak body for cycling in western australia, increasing bike safety is one of westcycle’s key targets. their key challenge is creating an environment where people aren’t afraid to ride.  to do this we need to transform our streets, roads and communities into places where traveling by bike is safe and normal. this survey will assist westcycle and their member organisations to develop a bike safety manifesto to make riding a bike a safer option. this survey is for everyone – the people who already ride bikes, people who drive cars, people who would like to ride more but are concerned about safety. please take the time to fill it out and pass the link on to your friends.  take the survey here.

tour of margaret river – the tour of margaret river teams have been set and we have 2 teams of women and 2 teams of men with a couple of reserves.  these teams head down next week to compete in a three day, 4 stage event.

italy trip – would you like to ride your bike over in italy next year.  there is a trip being organised where you can join/leave at your leisure.  if you are interested, more info is available on the previous post.  an info night will be held on the 12th of november so if you need more info before you take the plunge, have a look at the other previous post.

smashfest criterium series – the dates for this years smashfest criteriums at tech park are just being finalised.  at the moment we are looking at 2 before christmas and 2 in the new year.  this year they will all be held on a saturday afternoon on the following dates – 21st nov, 5th dec, 9th & 16th jan.  after this we will also have on the same circuit, the aussie day crit, renae’s race and the state champs.  discussions are also on around an spr/rccc club crit champs for just our riders with a social event on afterwards.  stay tuned for more info.

ride routes – so i had a bit of feedback from the public on the behavior during the earlybird ride on tuesday.  apparently the lead rider descending majestic hill cut the corner to gain an advantage.  unfortunately there was a few cyclists coming the other way and our rider had to take evasive action.  now i looked on strava to see who was on that ride and messaged a few people.  apparently no-one saw anything, but obviously enough was seen by an outsider to warrant an email through to the club.  at the end of the day, there are 2 simple things to remember; obey the road rules and be aware of other road users.

saturday 31st october

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 – river ride 51.80km spr saturday

sunday 1st november

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

slow hills – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – khna can mills 94.55km spr sunday

monday 2nd november

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 3rd november

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 4th november

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 5th november

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 6th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride