i talked to both brett and nicky yesterday and received a text from brett this morning. both are ok, in the sense that there are no life threatening injuries and are in relatively good spirits.
however, both have now been moved to the rph spinal ward as brett has confirmed fractures of 4 vertebrae and nicky has continuing back pain. both are due for more x-rays and ct scans today.
the police have been in contact and will be talking to them again today. if witnesses are needed, please make yourselves available to talk to the police, but remember to stick to the facts. again, as this is an ongoing investigation, please refrain from making comment, especially on social media. When it comes to riding reckless on the road one must know that charged with a DUI as a minor is no good.
brett and nicky would also like to thank everyone for their efforts yesterday in keeping them safe after the accident. from the sounds of it we had a good team of people taking control of the situation and ensuring that the correct procedure was followed. for those involved, you are a credit to the club, and we thank you for you efforts. You could also learn more regarding an accident that occurs at work and how your employee is entitled to help you get compensation.
as many of you are aware, there was an accident on the main 3 ride today. It is was quite serious as Eric Ramos Law, PLLC reports. unfortunately Brett and Nicky were hit from behind by a vehicle and are currently in hospital with some serious fractures. If the victim is suffering from any injuries or trauma like PTSD from a car accident, they can consult an experienced lawyer to claim compensation. this incident is being investigated by the police and as such i would appreciate that we keep our comments and opinions out of social media until we fully understand the situation.
the media outlets have also been on the scene with channel 9 & 7 trying to interview people which will probably be on the news tonight. at this point in time the club (being all members) has no comment on the incident until the police investigation is finalised. what we don’t need is for this to degenerate into an bikes vs cars argument regardless of who is at fault. at the end of the day two of our members have been hospitalised and we need to concentrate on getting them back to full health. In such situations, according to Portland injury law firm, the victims can contact lawyers who will help them in dealing with insurance after an accident and help them claim compensation for the injury and damages caused.
any well wishes for Brett and Nicky can be left in the comments below. for everyone else, please stay safe.
there has been lots of debate going on this week especially in social media after a not very good weekend on the road for cyclists. luckily in the three incidents that have been filling up the pages of facebook, no-one has actually been killed, but that does seems to have more to do with luck. i have been very careful not to comment or link to any of the videos as that just seems to attract the cyclist hating trolls (that on facebook are suppose to be your “friends”). what can we do as a club??? well for starters obeying the road rules regardless of what others are doing. stop lights means stop. don’t slide down stopped traffic when we are riding in a group. ride single file if we need to. ride safely and in a considerate manner so that we are not the ones that spoil it for everyone else. stay safe.
ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised. sign up here.
2014 spr agm – this saturday after the ride, we will be having our quarterly breakfast along with our agm. as a financial member of spr you can vote on any items that we need to present to the membership as well as vote on the members of the 2014 committee. please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email and add to the comments if you are attending.
ucwt masters and tour de perth – next weekend will be the culmination of many of our riders training for the past few months. there will be a few members that are racing in the 4 stage tour de perth national road series race, and a whole lot more that will be competing in the uci masters championships. the tour de perth is held over 4 days (while most of us are at work) but culminates in the final stage around rebold hill. the masters race is held after the tour around the same course. we will hopefully have a supporters tent in the feedzone and if you have someone in the race, you can join us there to help support/feed/yell at them.
beginners course – if you are new to cycling, maybe look at the a beginners course first. see the previous post for info on what one of our club members, cathi dixon, is running.
ride routes – the last of the bonner uci laps are on this saturday. hopefully in a couple of weeks, things will get back to normal. strong easterly winds mean a nice smash along benara road.
saturday 22nd march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
A view of Falls Creek at sunrise a day after Three Peaks Challenge, it was priceless.
The journey began when I decided to sign up for this challenge back in October 2013. Looking back, I am glad I made that decision.
I knew it would not be easy and it required serious commitment. I however was ready for whatever training is necessary to complete this challenge.
For those of you following me on Strava, you might notice that I have been cranking up my kms significantly. It was not only the distances, I also had to do repeats.
I experienced high and low during the training. Long distance riding and climbing could be tough sometime, especially when you ride on your own.
On this occasion, I would like to thank Mr Rupert Belzunce for being a great training buddy. I do not reckon I would make it without your support.
Moving on the event day itself, I was nervous, excited and also scared when I left the accommodation to the start line.
I also felt really lucky. The weather was great although it was a bit chill at 6:30 AM.
The first wave of the riders left at approximately 7:15 AM and I was waiting impatiently. I was in wave black and purple, slightly at the back.
I could not wait to hit the road and start the event!
There was a delay not long after 720 AM that a vehicle entered into a closed road and the organiser had to hold the remaining waves for around 10 minutes.
I finally hit the road at approximately 730 AM.
The first challenge was the descent from Falls Creek. If you guys think that Welshpool Rd East is scary, it is not as scary as descending in the Australian Alpines!
It took me 55 minutes to descent from Falls Creek to Mount Beauty. Yes, it was a long winding descending road. There are some hair pins, which I never encountered in my life on a bicycle!
What made it even more torturing was that it was a cold morning. Thanks Mr Peter Mah for advising me to bring sufficient clothing (including wind jacket) for this descent!
I cannot thank you enough for this tips! If I did not wear my winter gloves, a long bib and a winter jacket, I would be freezing to death!
On my way down, I encountered two issues:
My Garmin mount collapsed and I ended up not having Garmin to monitor my heart rate and cadence throughout the ride
I had a chain drop but managed to get it back up without stopping (Thanks Mr Andrew Ballam for your tips before!)
I thought, this is not a good start of my day. Oh well, I finally hit Mt Beauty and continued my journey to the first climb of the day, Tawonga Gap Rd.
Having driven along the route a day before, I roughly knew what to expect.
Yet, I struggled to get the rhythm going. From descending to climbing in such a short distance, it did not give you much time to warm up the legs.
I had a quick stop refilling my water bottle at the first stop and continued to Harrietville. The route to Harrietville is the flattest section of the whole ride.
Time passed really quickly, by the time I realised, I was up against the second climb: Mount Hotham.
Random picture at Mt Hotham
Mount Hotham has undulation hills with some sections at average 10% elevation. As long as the eyes could see, there were only trees and long road.
It actually reminded me of Mundaring Weir Rd or Death Valley in WA. I can tell you that Mt Hotham felt much longer.
Folks, after completing Mt Hotham, Mundaring Weir Rd feels like much smaller climb. Perth hills is not comparable to Mt Hotham!!
The challenge on Mt Hotham is completing three significant climbs with average elevation of 10% (as I mention again!), with a total distance of 4.9 kms. It was tough.
I managed to snap a picture while checking on the route!
Many people got off from their bikes and even gave up half way completing the climb. It was discouraging but I refused to get off no matter what happened!
The training I had through SPR Boot camp enabled me going through these tough climbs easier. My stability while off the bike has also improved significantly.
My big thanks for Mr Rob Ramsden for having SPR Bootcamp and pushing me every week!!
Passing Mt Hotham, at around 130 PM I arrived at Dinner Plains for lunch and continued my way to Omeo.
It was another descent and undulation route on the way to Omeo. It was fortunately not as difficult Mt Hotham or Tawonga Gap.
The view was breath taking guys. It was just a mountain after a mountain, something I will remember the rest of my life!
Unfortunately I arrived at Omeo at 3:19 PM and I was stopped by Bicycle Network officials. He advised that I passed the cut off time which was at 3:15 PM.
I did not like what I heard so I asked what if I continue? The answer was I would be riding unsupported.
Having done 160 kms at that point, I knew that I would need supports. I had another 75 kms before I crossed the finish line at Falls Creek.
I decided to stay. My consideration was that I did not see another suburb (for getting supplies) unless I rode for another 40 kms climbing up the mountains.
I nevertheless was shattered…
My legs were great and my spirit was positive but I was unable to continue.
Having done so much efforts to be where I am now, at the end all went down the drain.
I will never find out that how it feels like to complete the final climb to Falls Creek and that was really the end of my journey.
Despite of the outcome, I have had a great experience and consider myself achieved a significant milestone: completing two out of three peaks.
If you ask me right now, am I going back next year? My answer is ABSOLUTELY!
I must be mad but I want to go through this challenge again and complete it.
To be honest, I miss the Alpines and I look forward to my next climb on Mt Hotham.
My love to cycling definitely exceeds my disappointment of having “DNF” status at the end of my 2014 Three Peaks Challenge Journey.
My fellow SPR members, I cannot mention each of you here but from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.
The club has helped me to be a better cyclist and a better person
Thank you for your word of encouragement from the first day I joined SPR.
Thank you for your word of advice. I have received many suggestions on how I improve and I really value each of them.
Thank you for the long hills riders who waited for me on every climb.
There were few rides when I started doing double and you guys waited for me patiently.
To Mr Jay Richardson, thank you for your understanding and care. You have been wonderful!
There are high and lows in preparation of this challenge, which I would like to share with you:
The trip can be expensive so you need to make sure that you have done sufficient training to cross that finish line!
My best advice is to get a training buddy. This person helps you having reality check with where you are at in completing the challenge
Advice your family what you sign up for and what this involves in advance. The training requires so much sacrifice.
Emotionally you want to have as minimal distraction as possible as this will have significant impact on your training.
Consider other training (eg SPR boot camp, running), It will help improving your cycling ability.
Go on longer rides and work on your nutrition. Riding on hills at more than 150 kms is different to riding on flats for 150 kms!
Enjoy the process! It is really critical that you do. It is nothing worse than treating your training like chores.
Stay longer at the Alpines if possible after the event. It is a great place for riding!
i was talking to cathi the other day and she was saying the in the beginner courses that she runs, it is amazing how many people are not wearing their helmets correctly. it may seem pretty basic (after all you just put it on your head), but if it is not worn correctly, it may not protect you. you often see people riding with it pushed far back so you can see lots of forehead. that is also what the pavement sees when you go over the handle bars. the australian standards are much higher than the us or european standards and they also test each batch of helmets that enter the country. have a look around the carpark before the ride and if you think that someone’s helmet is not on correctly, then politely suggest that they may need to adjust it.
ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader. it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides. there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.
teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing. initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised. this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory. more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.
2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting. please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.
beginners course – if you are new to cycling, maybe look at the a beginners course first. see the previous post for info on what one of our club members, cathi dixon, is running.
ride routes – last week there was an experiment of sorts with the formation of main 4. this was aimed at providing another step for those that are finding the tranny ride too easy, but the main 3 ride too fast. remember that we often split groups up for safety reasons, so if the trannies and the main 3 groups are getting too big, then you need to self seed into groups of similar abilities. it is good to test yourself, but please be realistic of your own abilities as it often means that the ride leaders need to do extra work to keep the group together.
saturday 15th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
usually around the beginning of the year we get a few new riders. sometimes it is the new years resolutions, or the weather is nice, or they have put on a lot of christmas cheer this year, that gets people out. make sure you take the time to say hello if there is someone new in the group. make sure that they understand the expectations of the rides and have a chat with them over coffee. not every rider that is new to the group is a beginner and they may actually have a story to tell. perhaps they have ridden at a high level in the past and could impart some knowledge on you that may help you with your riding. if you see someone that is hanging around at the start and looking a bit lost, make sure that you make them feel welcome.
ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader. it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides. there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.
state crit champs – we are running this event in conjunction with rccc on sunday. we will need some volunteers to help run the event. please see the previous post and put your name down in the comments if you can assist.
crit corner marshals – also, we need corner marshals. we are prepared to pay $50 per person to cover the juniors and $75 to cover the seniors ($125 for the whole day). we want mature people who can stay focussed on the job. we have had a couple of close calls in recent weeks with cars on the circuit. please email daniel at president@roueschaudes.com.au
giro d’perth – a fun event for the whole family. see the previous post for details and sign up for some low speed fun.
teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing. initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised. this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory. more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.
2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting. please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.
ride routes – after a hot week, we are looking forward to a bit of respite. mid to high 20’s are predicted for both saturday and sunday, so i expect that there will be a few people out this weekend. look out for each other.
saturday 8th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
next sunday we will be hosting the state criterium championships with rccc on the tech park circuit. the new timing system has meant that we now don’t need as many line judges, but will still need a few volunteers to keep the event running. there will be probably 2 needed for the timing and finishline camera, 1 or 2 to look after the tuck shop and someone for first aid. add your name below if you can help out on the day. setup is at 7:00am and this is usually the most important time so we can get the event under way.
more details below.
RCCC and SPR are pleased to present the Junior and Senior State Criterium Championships for 2014.
Date: Sunday 9th of March 2014
Where: Technology Park Bentley
Cost: $20.80 BYO MyLaps transponder*
or
$26 for rental MyLaps transponder*
(*includes transaction charges)
Program:
U13 7.30am: JM 15 +1 laps / JW 10 + 1 laps
U15 7.50am: JM 20 +1 laps / JW 15 + 1 laps
U17 8.15am: JM 25 +2 laps / JW 20 + 2 laps
U19 8.50am: JM 30 +2 laps / JW 25 + 2 laps
Masters 9.40am: 40 + 2 laps
Open Women 10.30am: 40 + 2 laps
Open Men 11.15am: 60 + 2 laps
ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader. it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides. there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.
spr kit – current kit order closes after this weekend. see the link in the right column for more information.
giro d’perth – a fun event for the whole family. see the previous post for details and sign up for some low speed fun.
teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing. initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised. this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory. more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.
2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting. please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.
ride routes – wow, so this long weekend crept up on me. public holiday ride as normal but we will split it into fast/main1, main1/main2, main3/trans. it should be a safe fun ride, not a world championship race.
saturday 1st march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
for many people out there, the length of rides that we do on a regular basis may be considered to be quite long. not everyone is comfortable riding on busy roads or attempting events like the dams rides. last year the inaugural giro d’perth event was held and was very successful. it combines bike riding with exploring around areas of perth that you may not have seen before. hidden laneways, street art, cobble stones and the challenge of getting lost and discovering new things.
there are 3 distances covered (11km, 17km, 31km) so that this event can cater for everyone. if you have a partner that is tentative about getting on the bike, or have younger kids that can’t smash out 100kms yet, then this may be the perfect way to introduce them to riding for fun.
the rouleurs support this event and provide the online registration to get it up and running. part profits come back to the club but more than that it is an event that provides a pathway into cycling for many people.
if you are not doing anything on the 16th and want to try something different, then head to the website and register. you can do it solo or in a team, but the idea is to have fun on the bike.
more info and registration can be found on the website.
respect for other road users. now this is not just about a healthy respect for cars, trucks and other vehicles that potentially can injure us, but also for other riders that we share the road with. i received an email during the week where a cyclist complained about one of our saturday morning groups. he was a fairly new rider and probably didn’t have all the “cool” gear on, but found it quite daunting when 30 or so riders all came past him. he said that he tried to talk to the guy that was on the front, but was just ignored completely. now, i am only hearing one side of the story, but when someone from outside identifies a group of our riders and says that they haven’t been shown any respect, then i worry that there may be some elitism creeping into our club. we pride ourselves on being inclusive and that is not just who we allow to ride in our groups, but also how we treat other riders on the road. there are many stories of people joining other ride groups and not being given a second glance let alone a polite word. we don’t want to get that type of reputation. understanding that we don’t own the road when we come past another group, and just stopping to think for a minute back to when we started riding and how we may have felt in their situation. look out for each other.
ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader. it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides. there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.
2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting. please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.
Cyclist Coffee Stop of the Year 2014 – Dome Westralia has been nominated for coffee stop of the year in the Cyclist magazine. you have to vote via facebook, but there is a link to their link here.
road works – our monday, tuesday, thursday, saturday ebr and sunday ebr rides now have an extra dimension to them. cyclocross along melville beach road while there is roadworks going on. at the moment, it is not too bad as long as you don’t hit it at speed. the weather is looking pretty good, so it shouldn’t turn to slush, but if it gets too cut up, then let me know and we will reroute the rides until it is fixed up. please ride to conditions and stay safe.
ride routes – hot windy week predicted so make sure that you are adequately prepared before your ride. also, have a think about the wind direction before you start up a roll through. the idea is to make it easier, not harder, so if you think the group is rolling the wrong way, do something about it. a little visual reminder here.
saturday 22nd february
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
