the tour de freedom ride started this week and involves 40 riders tackling a 6 day 1000km charity ride to raise money for Teen Challenge WA.  a few of our club members (carlos, meg and cathi) are doing this ride and a few others known to the club as well (roberta and carla).  at the end of the first days ride, the group headed to lunch.  as smaller groups headed back to the accommodation, a group of three including roberta and carla, were involved in an accident.  a vehicle managed to turn right across the path of the three riders and cleaned up roberta and carla.  roberta sustained a broken ankle among other injuries and was airlifted back to perth.  carla sustained a hip injury and some other grazes but has also returned to perth.  the worse part about this incident was that the driver then reversed back, and took off without even stopping to see what damage they had done.

so, firstly, how do you not see three cyclists riding towards you??? a single rider, i understand, but three bright moving objects???  the driver managed to miss the first rider but cleaned up the following two.  as a driver you need to focus.  be aware of everything around you.  as a cyclist, look to see if the driver has made eye contact with you.  trust no-one.

the whole hit and run thing i really don’t understand.  a few years ago a guy hit a cyclist on port beach road and didn’t stop, but finally abandoned his car in cottesloe.  he managed to drive a couple of k’s with a badly smashed windscreen before deciding to pull over.  take some responsibility for your actions.  once people are inside the safe and warm cocoon of their vehicle, they seem to feel that they are protected.  the driver in esperance had come to a stop.  the next move would have been to turn the engine off and see how the riders are.  but no, they made the decision to reverse the car and then speed off.  even without the whole “consequences of your actions” thing, what type of person is so callous as to leave an injured person lying on the road.

it is time for some legislation changes in wa.  we don’t need to be pioneers, as qld, act and sa have already started the ball rolling.  a 1m minimum distance doesn’t protect riders from being hit, but it gives them a recourse for charging the driver with something serious.  recently a guy was cleanup by a taxi who pulled out as the rider was coming down malcolm st.  in the police action that followed, it was decided that the driver would not be charged with dangerous driving because video footage showed him checking his mirrors before pulling out.  it doesn’t mean he saw anything, or acted on it.  it just means he went through the process of checking.  the difference between dangerous driving and careless driving is 10 times the fine and a possible jail time.  in the meantime the cyclist has ongoing injuries that they may never fully get over.

wa is often referred to as a nanny state, and it certainly seems to be that way.  unfortunately, instead of looking after the more vulnerable members of society, it seems to make sure that the perpetrators are not too hard done by while the victims have to fend for themselves.

we hope that roberta and carla make a full recover and are back on the bike soon.  it will also be interesting to see what happens to the driver once the law catches up with them.

UPDATE – they have a person in custody over this incident.  hitting the cyclists is just one of many charges he is facing.

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.

spr quarterly breakfast – this saturday after the main ride, join us for the quarterly breakfast at Dome.  $15 gets you a hot beverage plus access to the buffet table. see the previous post for further details.

spr watertower challenge – this sunday sees the 2015 running of the watertower challenge.  we have 25 teams of 3 riders tackling the imperial and metric centuries.  may thanks to the club volunteers that have said they will help out this weekend.  an email will go out tonight to riders and volunteers outlining what is required on the day.  also special thanks to our nutrition suppliers aqualyte and watt+ that will be keeping the riders going. more info on the watertower event page.

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.

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 – the watertower challenge is on this sunday and will start from the coode st carpark from 6:00am.  all riders will be away before the 7:00am start of the hills ride, but please be aware that many of the regulars will not be on the hills ride, so make sure you know the route and step-up if needed to manage the group.

saturday 24th 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 canning vale 42.34km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south st 51.23km spr saturday

sunday 25th 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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 26th october

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 27th october

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 28th october

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 29th october

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 30th october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

there has been a bit in the news lately about the auditor general’s report that was released on wednesday. the findings from that report were that perth cyclists were among the community’s most vulnerable road users and that incomplete networks had led some cyclists to hang up their bikes.  now instead of giving my opinion on the matter i will leave it to someone more qualified.  spr’s own sarah smith is the community engagement operations manager for westcycle and has penned an article for the online paper, watoday.  see the article here.

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.

spr quarterly breakfast – this was postponed from a few weeks ago due to some clashes.  it is now back on next saturday 24th.  come and join the club for a low-key breakfast after the main ride.  see the previous post for further details.

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word. registrations close tuesday midnight.

watertower volunteers – we are still looking for a couple more volunteers to help run this event.  nothing too strenuous is required.  need someone that had a ute/4wd or trailer that can act as sag wagon during the event.  petrol money provided.  more info on the previous post.

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.

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.

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 – it is almost that time of year where we don’t need lights for the earlybird ride.  we are close.  really, really close.

saturday 17th 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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – hale & ridgehill 50.58km spr saturday

sunday 18th 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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – roley obs 100.16km spr sunday

monday 19th october

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 20th october

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 21st october

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 22nd october

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 23rd october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

sorry for the delay publishing the ride routes this week.  there was a bit of confusion between the president and the vice-president as to who was writing the blog and it ended up with neither of us doing it.

now there was a crash on the friday spr earlybird ride today.  there has been a lot of discussion about the spread of skills on that ride and the size of the group.  the blame seems to be placed on the “development group” that the club committee’s training and development officer had established.  now, lets be clear here.  the development ride is not only novice riders, and my understanding is that currently most of the riders are main 1-3 group riders.  development means that the groups aim is to develop riders.  now this can be to develop from main 3 to main 1 or tranny to main 3.  to assist in this, the friday ride is used as it is meant to be an easier pace with a hard hit out along shelley.  the development riders use the group to work on strength and speed, and if they can’t hang on all the way to to the end of shelley, they turn around and ride home.  over the last couple of weeks i have heard of a number of “regular” friday riders complaining about the “development riders” slowing the pace of the ride down. as far as i am concerned the club is inclusive, the ride is inclusive and this ride, out of any of the rides should be able to absorb a wider spread of abilities.  if the group is too big, then like other rides during the week, it will need to be split, but to say that one group of riders is more eligible to ride our club rides over another, goes against what the club stands for. i recommend that some of our members re-read the ride etiquette guide before they comment on what should and shouldn’t happen on sanctioned club rides. the worse thing that can happen to the club is that it turns into an exclusive clique of snobby riders.

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.

2015 club survey – the club survey has closed and we are currently going through the results.  we will attempt to post some replies to any of the specific questions/issues that have been raised.

spr club champion – the final race in the club championship was run over the weekend and the final leaderboard should be set soon.  there will be some presentations for the winners and it will probably be at the next club breakfast.  for the upcoming crit season, we will run another club champion series with more details to follow the release of the crit calendar

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word.

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.  there will be specific training for all teams starting this weekend.

ride routes – rides for all riders.

saturday 10th 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

tomr teams – ttt training in kings park

fast & main groups – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday

sunday 11th 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

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – grnmt prk mnd wr 93.71km spr sunday

monday 12th october

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 13th october

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 14th october

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 15th october

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 16th october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

the world champs have just been run and won in richmond usa and only a few weeks ago the uwct finals were on in denmark.  both are essentially run under the umbrella of the uci.  so i was thinking, why are not the two events together???  not so long ago, the juniors and senior world champs were at different times and different places.  now they are combined together.  with the uwct masters, you would also have a massive crowd of international supporters that would most probably hang around to watch the pro”s race.  imagine being able to say that you got to race on the same circuit that the world champ did that year.  it”s not something that we as a club can do about it, but just a thought as i was watching pig diving at the royal show today.  another thought was that it would be great if you filled in the survey.

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.

ladies day – it”s the first of the month so we will again be running ladies day.  as part of the main ride for the day there will be a ladies only main 1, 2 & 3 (depending on numbers).  there will also be a ladies only beginners session for those that want to take that step towards group riding, but are a bit worried to do so.  see the previous post for more details.

2015 club survey – every couple of years we conduct a survey to see just what you guys are actually thinking about how the club is run.  please take the time to fill out the survey as the committee uses it as a basis for our decisions on the future of the club.  there have been quite a few responses so far and we will start to answer some specific questions that have been raised, so people can get the feedback they require.  as it is anonymous, the responses from us will just be in the form of a blog post.  the other data within the survey will be used by the current and future committees when making decisions about the direction the club takes. see the previous post and help us out by filling in the survey monkey.

spr club champion – the final race in the club championship was run over the weekend and the final leaderboard should be set soon.  there will be some presentations for the winners and it will probably be at the next club breakfast.  for the upcoming crit season, we will run another club champion series with more details to follow the release of the crit calendar

beverley heroic – the heroic is on this weekend and is a participation ride with a difference.  it takes in some quiet country roads around beverly and york and also includes sections of unpaved roads.  you can use your modern racing bike, but the appeal is to dust off the old clunker and see if you can punch out 100 miles old school.  for more info see the previous post. as an added incentive, if you provide a volunteer for the day, you will get to ride for free.  jobs range from driving cars to ticking boxes, with some jobs having their expenses covered.  please contact toby on jedi@mrvesparazzi.com if you can help out and to sort out your free entry.

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these casino towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word.

tour of margaret river – registrations for the spr teams need to be in by next wednesday 30th.  the 2 women’s teams are now full but there is space on the men’s teams.  if we don’t fill all teams by next week, we need to cancel some of the accommodation and transport or the club will be out of pocket.  this weekend is pretty much your last chance to be involved.  there is also a tomr training ride on this coming monday in lieu of the public holiday ride.  meet at coode st as normal, but the teams will head out on a separate ride.  vp julian johnson will be leading the tomr team ride.  the tomr page has been updated and there is now a list of registered riders.

ride routes – there is apparently a footy match on this weekend that may keep a few people occupied.  don”t let that stop you from getting a few kms in anyway.  the roads may actually be a bit quieter if everyone is in front of their tv”s.

saturday 3rd september

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

ladies main 1, 2 & 3 – ewen st 50.26km spr saturday

fast & main groups – ewen st 50.26km spr saturday

sunday 4th 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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 5th october

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 6th october

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 7th october

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 8th october

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 9th october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

the feedback from the club survey showed that a couple of people mentioned a lack of respect for the ride leaders.  some people feel that members within the club are not listening to instructions or are arguing back after instructions are given.  this is very disappointing.  the groups that require ride leaders are the groups that generally have less experience and skill.  no-one really likes to be told what to do, but we are involved in a sport that has a lot of aspects that are out of our control.  not only do we have to deal with other road users, but group riding also relies on a lot of faith in the riders around you.  if you are given an instruction during a ride, it is probably because someone has noticed you doing something repeatedly.  if it was a one off occurrence, people generally accept that there can be a lapse in concentration.  however, grabbing handfuls of brakes, overlapping wheels, surging in the group can make the experience for the rest of the group less pleasant.  learn from the experience that we have within the club and take the instructions for what they are.  advice to stop you being the reason that people are on the ground.  we are always looking for more respect from other road users, so it should at least start with those that are sacrificing their own rides to help out the club.

ride leaders sponsorship – September’s Ride Leaders are proudly sponsored by Allused Commercial Equipment.   please see the previous post detailing what they provide and we thank them for encouraging our members to step up as ride leaders.  ride leaders will receive a $10 Dome voucher to be used after the saturday ride.  if you have a business that you want to promote to our members, check out the previous post to both promote your business and help out the club.

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 club survey – every couple of years we conduct a survey to see just what you guys are actually thinking about how the club is run.  please take the time to fill out the survey as the committee uses it as a basis for our decisions on the future of the club.  there have been quite a few responses so far and we will start to answer some specific questions that have been raised, so people can get the feedback they require.  as it is anonymous, the responses from us will just be in the form of a blog post.  the other data within the survey will be used by the current and future committees when making decisions about the direction the club takes. see the previous post and help us out by filling in the survey monkey.

spr buddy program –  this saturday sees the next round of the buddy program kick off.  if you have some questions that you would like to ask our more experienced riders check out the previous post for more details.

spr club champion – the remaining race for the club championship is this weekends state road race.  the leaderboard has been updated after pinjarra classic and there are some clear leaders. dave and lorna will be impossible to beat for the spr champion, but there maybe some movement in the non-spr kit champs.  both alec and jono are on the same points and both racing the same race this weekend.

state champs – good luck to those racing the state champs this weekend.  numbers are not as high as other races, but apparently the course is spectacular.

club quarterly breakfast – the club breakfast this saturday has been cancelled due to other commitments from some of the organisors.   a new date will be posted once it has been established.

beverley heroic – the heroic is a participation ride with a difference.  it takes in some quiet country roads around beverly and york and also includes sections of unpaved roads.  you can use your modern racing bike, but the appeal is to dust off the old clunker and see if you can punch out 100 miles old school.  for more info see the previous post. as an added incentive, if you provide a volunteer for the day, you will get to ride for free.  jobs range from driving cars to ticking boxes, with some jobs having their expenses covered.  please contact toby on jedi@mrvesparazzi.com if you can help out and to sort out your free entry.

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word.

tour of margaret river – registrations for the spr teams need to be in by next wednesday 30th.  the 2 women’s teams are now full but there is space on the men’s teams.  if we don’t fill all teams by next week, we need to cancel some of the accommodation and transport or the club will be out of pocket.  this weekend is pretty much your last chance to be involved.  there is also a tomr training ride on this coming monday in lieu of the public holiday ride.  meet at coode st as normal, but the teams will head out on a separate ride.  vp julian johnson will be leading the tomr team ride.  the tomr page has been updated and there is now a list of registered riders.

ride routes – summer is coming early to perth and you can start to ditch the arm warmers and vests.  with a long weekend this monday, you can take extra time to get on the bike instead of drowning your sorrows after both wa teams get knocked out of the finals. 🙂

saturday 26th september

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 lake 51.99km spr saturday

sunday 27th september

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 28th september

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

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

fast/main – public hol 58.97km spr special

tour or margs – team training

tuesday 29th september

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 september

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 1st october

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 2nd october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

so i was out with the main group today on the thursday earlybird ride and i must say that i was not really that impressed.  there were probably a dozen occasions where riders did not stay in their lane.  the usual spot after the roundabout at christchurch has people moving over to blow their nose, which is fine.  but some were all the way over in the opposite gutter which gives them very little time to get back across the road if a car is coming.  on other occasions as the group slowed to head up a hill, people came out over the double white lines because the person in front had slowed.  they weren’t being dropped, there was no gap being formed, so just slow down as well.  the sprint on port beach road was actually unbelivable.  yes we are on a double lane road, but this is no reason to cross into the other lane when you are sprinting for 30th place.  especially since there were cars in that lane that had to slow down to avoid hitting the riders…twice.  basically this type of behavior is not even close to being acceptable.  after seeing first hand what a rider hitting a car head on looks like, i do not want to be picking someone off the road again.  there are things that we do that are considered risky.  just being on the road with cars in general, could be considered risky.  why increase that risk by doing something stupid, just to gain a spot in a sprint that you don’t get points for.  there was an article in the paper from a cyclist talking about when it is ok to give advice to other cyclists.  in this case, it is a club training ride and if you are on it then you will adhere to the standards that we as a club set.  at a minimum that means stick to the road rules about crossing solid white lines, going the wrong way through roundabouts and traffic islands and giving way to other road users.  if you see something that contravenes what we hold as standard, say something then and there so people understand that this behavior is not acceptable.  even if they don’t consider it dangerous, it reflects badly on the club and cyclists in general.

ride leaders sponsorship – September’s Ride Leaders are proudly sponsored by Allused Commercial Equipment.   please see the previous post detailing what they provide and we thank them for encouraging our members to step up as ride leaders.  ride leaders will receive a $10 Dome voucher to be used after the saturday ride.  if you have a business that you want to promote to our members, check out the previous post to both promote your business and help out the club.

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 club survey – every couple of years we conduct a survey to see just what you guys are actually thinking about how the club is run.  this is your chance to let us know the direction we need to take, or even just to reinforce some of the things we are doing.  please take the time to fill out the survey as the committee uses it as a basis for our decisions on the future of the club.  see the previous post and help us out by filling in the survey monkey.

time to say thanks – is there someone in the club that has helped you out recently and you would like publicly give them high 5???  well on the previous post, add to the comments with some feedback for that person.  whether it is someone that has given you a draft back to the group, a push up a hill, a coffee at the cafe or just someone that stayed back with you when you got dropped.  let the rest of the club know what a champ they are.

rollapaluza race series 02 – this saturday evening sees race 2 of the rollapaluza roller challenge at Dome. hosted by meg, carlos and carla, there will be a trophy for the “best dressed” and all money raised goes to Teen Challenge WA.  see the facebook event page for more details.

kit order –  the current kit order will close this sunday evening and we have been promised that it will be ready before the tour of margs.  it is important that anyone considering doing the tour has the correct current spr uniform for the event.  there are also a new smaller bottle available as well as the larger one. check out the previous post for more details.

spr club champion – the 2 remaining races are pinjarra classic and now the state road champs. the current leaderboard has been updated to include the last pickering brook race. find out where you sit in the club championships.

pinjarra classic – good luck to those racing the pinjarra classic this weekend.  it looks like the weather will be a lot better than last year.  more info here.

club quarterly breakfast – on the 26th september we will host the next club breakfast after the saturday morning ride.  take the time to get to know different people in the club. more details on the previous post.

beverley heroic – the heroic is a participation ride with a difference.  it takes in some quiet country roads around beverly and york and also includes sections of unpaved roads.  you can use your modern racing bike, but the appeal is to dust off the old clunker and see if you can punch out 100 miles old school.  for more info see the previous post. as an added incentive, if you provide a volunteer for the day, you will get to ride for free.  jobs range from driving cars to ticking boxes, with some jobs having their expenses covered.  please contact toby on jedi@mrvesparazzi.com if you can help out and to sort out your free entry.

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word.

tour of margaret river – registrations are open in the club shop to be part of the spr race team heading down to the tour of margs.  we have positions for 4 men’s and 2 women’s teams.  due to the popularity of this race, you cannot just enter as an individual and the teams slots were effectively sold out months ago.  spr has secured 6 teams and will now look to fill those teams with club members.  to prove that you are willing to commit to the training needed for a race like this, we are asking for the entry and accommodation to be paid for now.  once we have all interested parties, we will then pull together the teams based on riders with similar abilities.  due to the logistics of this years race we will also be hiring vans to transport everyone and their bikes.  we now have the 5 volunteers required and we thank those people for giving up their time to help look after the riders.  the tomr page has been updated and there is now a list of registered riders.

ride routes – sensational weekend predicted, weatherwise.  get on the bike and make it count.  it has been a busy couple of weeks for some of our riders with international (uwct denmark) and national (uwct amy’s grand fondo) events.  take the time to catch up with them to see how they went.

saturday 19th september

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 – shelley & mosman 50.14km spr saturday

sunday 20th september

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 – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 21st september

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 22nd september

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 september

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 september

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 september

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride

well done to those that took part in the uwct champs last weekend in denmark.  a great effort by all in what looked like a very full on race.  see the vice presidents race report in a previous post.  this weekend sees another group of spr riders trying to achieve the next goal.  victoria hosts amy’s grand fondo along the great ocean road and some of our guys and girls are over there trying to qualify for the uwct champs which will be held in perth next year.  there is another chance to qualify in perth next march, but if you can get in early, then all good.  the next 2 weekends also host some goal races for people.  pinjarra classic followed by the state road champs will make for some exciting racing.  with the weather being less than pleasant over the last month or so (the hot days this week excluded) it is great to see that our members have been supporting each other in group rides etc, to get people ready for their goals.

ride leaders sponsorship – August’s Ride Leaders are proudly sponsored by Allused Commercial Equipment.   please see the previous post detailing what they provide and we thank them for encouraging our members to step up as ride leaders.  ride leaders will receive a $10 Dome voucher to be used after the saturday ride.  if you have a business that you want to promote to our members, check out the previous post to both promote your business and help out the club.

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 club survey – every couple of years we conduct a survey to see just what you guys are actually thinking about how the club is run.  this is your chance to let us know the direction we need to take, or even just to reinforce some of the things we are doing.  please take the time to fill out the survey as the committee uses it as a basis for our decisions on the future of the club.  see the previous post and help us out by filling in the survey monkey.

time to say thanks – is there someone in the club that has helped you out recently and you would like publicly give them high 5???  well on the previous post, add to the comments with some feedback for that person.  whether it is someone that has given you a draft back to the group, a push up a hill, a coffee at the cafe or just someone that stayed back with you when you got dropped.  let the rest of the club know what a champ they are.

cyclo-cross – this weekend hosts the final cyclocross for 2015 with round 5 of the numbat cup.  this is a great, low key, inclusive, family friendly event.  there is a kids race on first with kid size obstacles then the adult races.  all you need is a mtb and you will be fine.  lots of our club members have raced the previous rounds. more info can be found here.

kit order –  the current kit order will close mid september and we have been promised that it will be ready before the tour of margs.  it is important that anyone considering doing the tour has the correct current spr uniform for the event.  remembering the cold and wet stages that we had last year, this may also mean a spr vest to keep warm.  check out the previous post for more details.

spr club champion – the 2 remaining races are pinjarra classic and now the state road champs. the current leaderboard has been updated to include the last pickering brook race. find out where you sit in the club championships.

pinjarra classic – a great challenging race that is ideal for anyone that regularly does the sunday hills ride.  entries close next week, so get on board.  this is a great testing course but not too long (shorter than collie-donnybrook) for those looking to test the legs before the tour of margs.  more info here.

beverley heroic – the heroic is a participation ride with a difference.  it takes in some quiet country roads around beverly and york and also includes sections of unpaved roads.  you can use your modern racing bike, but the appeal is to dust off the old clunker and see if you can punch out 100 miles old school.  for more info see the previous post. as an added incentive, if you provide a volunteer for the day, you will get to ride for free.  jobs range from driving cars to ticking boxes, with some jobs having their expenses covered.  please contact toby on jedi@mrvesparazzi.com if you can help out and to sort out your free entry.

spr watertower challenge – you may have seen that entries are now open for the spr watertower challenge.  for those of you that are relatively new to the club, it is a participation ride for teams of 3 that takes in a number of the high water towers scattered around perth.  the majority of these towers are found on the tops of hills, but not really big hills.  there are 2 distances a metric century (100 kms) and an imperial century (100 miles/160 kms).  the ride is supported with feedzones and a sag wagon and is open to any cyclist out there. more info on the watertower event page.  spread the word.

tour of margaret river – registrations are open in the club shop to be part of the spr race team heading down to the tour of margs.  we have positions for 4 men’s and 2 women’s teams.  due to the popularity of this race, you cannot just enter as an individual and the teams slots were effectively sold out months ago.  spr has secured 6 teams and will now look to fill those teams with club members.  to prove that you are willing to commit to the training needed for a race like this, we are asking for the entry and accommodation to be paid for now.  once we have all interested parties, we will then pull together the teams based on riders with similar abilities.  due to the logistics of this years race we will also be hiring vans to transport everyone and their bikes.  we now have the 5 volunteers required and we thank those people for giving up their time to help look after the riders.  the tomr page has been updated and there is now a list of registered riders.

ride routes – with the weather looking sub-par on saturday, i have scheduled in the standard river route for the main ride as it will be more than likely a combined group ride.  the hell of the north is on this weekend and i was going to map out a course for the sunday hills ride that took in some dirt roads.  unfortunately, with the weather the way it is, dirt roads become mud roads which would not be ideal.  maybe in a few weeks time.

saturday 12th september

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 13th september

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 weir kal 101.71km spr sunday

monday 14th september

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

main group – south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 15th september

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 september

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 september

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 september

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday development ride