All posts by Amanda Nabi

2023 SPR Christmas Ride and Awards

Thank you to all the Rouleurs who participated in Saturday’s Christmas Ride and Annual Awards process.

Each year, SPR recognises some of the cyclists and participants who help to support the club or inspire others with their cycling achievements.  Here’s a summary of this year’s awards:

Most inspirational rider – Jordan Brock

Many people may not know that Jordan is one of the main reasons SPR has a ride every day of the week.  He showed dedication and commitment in the early days of the club to make weekday rides ‘stick’.  Jordan is also a known character as a ride leader over many years and made a huge contribution to the club – he is an inspiration to what builds this club.

Most improved rider – Tedman Wong

Ted has thrown himself into a massive training effort in 2023… with performance improvements to match. He has shown amazing dedication, commitment and consistency that has been key to his improvement. He was right in there when training for the Tour of Margaret River.  To top that, he has always been a character and cheerful on the ride with the most positive and infectious outlook.

Good Samaritan – Giovanni Firmani

The club has had plans in place over a number of years to do juniors programmes and has found it to be challenging. Giovanni took on the task this year, first qualifying as a coach, working through AUS Cycling requirements in order to work with juniors. He has been pioneering in establishing a juniors programme with a variety of rides and cycle-based activities that inspires juniors. Congratulations Giovanni on making this happen.

Epic moment or equipment – Jane Yang (accepted by her husband Maurice)

Jane has had many epic moments. This year she is recognised for this award when she fell at the water tower challenge food stop and bent her derailleur. The reason for falling off her bike was she forgot to unclip her shoes when she went to grab some lollies on the table.

Ride Leader – Greg Jones

Greg is “The Ride Leader’s Ride Leader”. Always calm, reliable and stepping up if the numbers are low. He has been a fundamental part in organizing rides and is a huge exemplar of what it means to be an SPR Club member. He is “The Coordinator of Safety”, always consistent and considerate of the people he rides with. A clear communicator ….and fun too.

Volunteer – This year the award goes to the SPR Chicks Committee – Amy Currie, Mandy Coles, Michelle Bonner, Belinda Evans, Meegan Fyfield

The SPR chicks committee have done an amazing job this year putting on a number of diverse, interesting, informative and successful events for the “chicks”. Great rides and off the bike events this year.

Best Race Contribution (female) – Claire Tyrell

Claire Tyrell has been with the club for quite a few years and has had a couple of setbacks with injuries, but has persisted and worked really hard to race the Tour of Margaret River as well as a lot of other races this year. She is one of the most supportive people to have on a ride.

Best Race Contribution (male) – Matt Rice

Matt Rice has shown a huge leap in form to become an absolute weapon on the bike this year. He raced in the Tom Lowry and got smashed, came back to have one of the strongest races of his life in the Collie Donnybrook, B grade in crits and raced strongly in the Tour of Margaret River.

President’s Award – Steve Burns

This award is no surprise with the amount of work Steve puts into organising racing events, notably the Tour of Margaret River (ToM). He makes the impossible happen with 90 entries in the ToM so all levels of abilities could compete, filling late dropouts – it is a huge effort and investment of time. But he is also there throughout the year supporting morning training, other individual training programmes,

Steve is Mr Race Guy – he is a legend.  One cannot but admire and respect his commitment to the Club – such passion and for his tireless and incredible work for the club and its riders behind the scenes to make things happen. He makes riding and racing so much better for everyone – guiding and encouraging everyone as a ride leader, and as a fellow club member when not ride leading. Thank you Steve.

Club Participant (selected by the President) – Meegan Fyfield

Meegan is also quick to step up and help – whether it is ride leading, supporting the water tower, Chicks support, filling any gap where needed, she is there for people and a wonderful representative for the Club.

Prize drawer for the awards survey – Tim Pesch

Best dressed bike / rider female – Michelle Bonner for her satin Christmas pyjamas

Best dressed bike / rider male

Tony Lendrum for cycling in a full Santa suit

My journey to 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, Perth, Scotland

By Nancy S. Tippaya

I remembered the first time I saw Mr. Bonner at the start line of the 2016 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Perth, WA. I thought, “This is really cool!” Since then, I have seen the green and gold custom SPR kit flying around in France and Italy, and it has absolutely inspired me… One day, maybe one day. Fast forward to 2022, I signed up for Amy’s Gran Fondo race in Lorne. It was fantastic, in my opinion. After all the hard work, I finished 4th. Yes, I missed the podium by a second and no UCI qualifier medal. After racing in ToMR with the SPR W1 team, I completely stopped my structured training and most of the weekend racing. On top of that, I had a couple of injuries. In May 2023, I received an official email stating that I had qualified! It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I believed this might be my only chance. Yes, I’m going!

I had to constantly motivate myself as I was rebuilding my fitness to a level where I believed I could finish the race. I couldn’t commit to the full training schedule due to work and time constraints. Thankfully, I received tremendous support from my former coach, my cycling family & friends, David Menarry, my awesome wicked sisters 👯‍♀️ Megs & FDJ, and my partner Phillip. Their support kept me motivated. The key points for me were “sleep, eating, being sensible, knowing your strengths, and your ability”. About a week before my departure, I felt a surge of confidence… I was ready.”

The bike arrived in Scotland without any issues…as opposed to Amy’s GF race last year. 

Race recon with Team Australia organised by Sportive Breaks

The “Super” World Championships took place this year, and it was the inaugural edition featuring about 13 different cycling disciplines. I was extremely excited to watch all the races, and it was my first time in Scotland. To cut a long story short, I had to represent Thailand. A big thank you to Tom from Mayuer Cycling for the exceptional kit, which is apparently the only one of its kind in the world.

The starting pen for my age group.

Race day in Perth, but not the one in WA. The weather was perfect. I went through my usual warm-up routine, and the start line was just in front of the hotel. I rolled into the starting pen and met more Aussie riders in my age group. The race began and it was hectic. I managed to start at the front but, not long after, found myself dropping to the back. With a distance of ~160km and approximately ~1900m of climbing, rolling course with three major climbs, I knew it would be a long day. It was as surgy as I had expected. As for the road terrain—well, if you’re familiar with roads in the UK, you’ll understand why I have no further comments. I was hanging at the back, focusing on staying upright during the first hour of the race. After a major climb, the group split. I tried chasing back and encouraged other riders, but that was challenging, especially against a headwind.

Two age groups started together. I was in the front row… only at the startline though. 

We were riding in a small group, and as we went, we picked up more riders from another women’s group, probably about 12-14. I nearly got dropped during the second major climb, but thanks to a fast descent, I managed to rejoin. Later, we caught up to another group, forming a substantial sized peloton. However, we split again after the feed zone. It was chaotic, and I lost track of the race’s dynamics. I found myself in a smaller group, riding alongside a lady representing France in my age category. By this point, exhaustion had set in for everyone I could see. Yet, the pace on the flat was high, especially with strong gentlemen pulling the turns. Eventually, I found myself riding solo, with no sight of the lady behind me. “Keep going,” I continuously said to myself.

The highlight of this event for me was the spectators. Almost every town we rode through, I heard shouts of “Thailand!” Yes, my kit stood out, haha! I must admit, I had a few tears in my eyes while riding alone through one of the towns, with hundreds of spectators still cheering by the roadside. “Go Thailand!” There were only 30-40kms left at that point, and I didn’t want to give up. My legs were aching, water was running low, and I was craving gelato instead of gels. But the cheers of the crowd pumped me up. Fortunately, I was caught by another small group of two Aussie riders – yay! We worked together and crossed the finish line safely. I did it! I finished 41st out of 51 on the startlist. It’s done and dusted. This was truly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve always told David how amazing it is to see how far we’ve come since we started cycling.

Photo by Suzanne. Thank you 💕

Cooooo

The rest of the trip in Scotland was dedicated to the World Championships races. Phillip and I stayed to watch track cycling, trials – this one has blown my mind!, and both Men’s and Women’s road races and individual time trial. I achieved my mission of getting Annamiek to sign my SPR jersey. I was dashing around the team bus, taking selfies with the pros. That was the perfect wrap-up for me.

Annemiek van Vleuten. My mission is complete.

I hope my story can inspire many of you who might be considering participating in qualifying events like the Tour de Brisbane and Amy’s Gran Fondo. It’s a fantastic experience that can lead to the WC event, as my journey this year has shown. My next ambitious goal is the second Super World Champs in 2027, which will be in France according to the announcement last year. So, more training and more qualifying races are on the horizon for me.

Lastly, Amy’s GF is this weekend. I’m sending all the best wishes to our SPR members who are racing. Have fun and race hard! Go green!”

Trip to the Worlds

1 Comment

David Menarry’s trip to Glasgow

I recently competed in the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Perth (Scotland) after qualifying at Amy’s Gran Fondo (Victoria) in September last year. This year was the first time that they combined all cycling disciplines at the same event – I also managed to visit the elite track and men’s road racing, both in Glasgow.

After what seemed like an interminable training program, race day arrived. It was relatively cool and dry, making perfect racing weather. Released in 5-year age groups, the first challenge was avoiding road furniture on the roads out of Perth. The 160km course was largely rolling terrain with three longish climbs, all less than 10 kms each.

The first climb determined the race outcome. My 180-strong age group split into two main bunches.  Unfortunately – due to poor positioning on my part – I ended up in a small third bunch between the two, and despite best efforts (on my part at least …) we couldn’t bridge back to the first group.

Riding the middle third of the race as a group of 8 to 10 was extremely tough.  It included all three major climbs and by the top of the third I was well and truly cooked, so much so that I couldn’t jump on to the fastest women (who had started 5 minutes behind us) as they passed towards the top of the third climb.

That also resulted in the breakup of our small group, and I found myself solo for a few kms. Thankfully I was able to stay with the third bunch of women, who were extremely motivated to catch the first two groups, and after another 10kms or so we managed to catch the faster women and those of our small group who had been able to stick with them.

The final third of the race was actually quite relaxed. The women raced their race, and we sat behind them as they dragged us along. There was no pressure on us because we weren’t close to the front, and we didn’t want to interfere with the women’s racing.

In the end I finished 120th out of 172 and 6th out of 15 Australians in my age group. I had hoped for top half, but my poor positioning into the first climb was the kiss of death for that. Nevertheless, I was happy to have finished (no certainty given the length of the race!) and the scenery and experience were wonderful. Racing with people from countries across the world was a privilege, one I was delighted to share with Nancy Tippaya, who always inspires me.

SPR Chicks Trash & Treasure Picnic

One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure! Here’s an opportunity for our women and girlfriends to share and swap cycling gear that is no longer needed, or surplus to requirements, and enjoy afternoon tea on the club.

Date: Sunday, 21st November 2021

Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Venue: Coode Street Carpark, look for the SPR flags

Bring: Cycling bits & bobs to gift, swap or sell

RSVP: Via the SPR Chicks Facebook Page so we know how many people to cater for.

Fuelling for Endurance – SPR Chicks Event

The NSW Institute of Sport say…

“If you intend to drive a car for several hours, it wouldn’t make much sense to start that drive with the fuel light on. It’s going to be far more efficient for your drive to put enough petrol in the tank”.  The same thinking can be applied to going on a long hills ride or taking part in a multi-day cycling event.

Come join Nutritionist and Executive Coach, Lesley Burch and Passionate Foodie Mandy McEvoy (both SPR Women) for an interactive afternoon in the kitchen discussing how to fuel for more than the Saturday club ride.  Recipes will be demonstrated and up for sampling, plus you’ll walk away a few little goodies designed to keep you energised whilst cycling and recovering well so you can keep turning those pedals!

Date:  Sunday, 10th October 2021

Venue:  Earthwise Community, 315 Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA, 6008

Time:  2:00pm – 4:00pm

Cost:  Free for members

Reserve your place here

Lesley is a passionate and experienced Executive Coach, Qualified Nutritionist and Mentor focused on building women’s resilience with a deeply personal approach to restore calm and strength. Her clients incorporate nutrition, focused rest, stress cycle techniques and inner foundational work to optimise wellbeing and performance.

www.lesleyburch.com

Growing up in a premier Perth Hospitality family, Mandy was always destined to be a Foodie. She honed her talents working in and around her family businesses and doing some catering through university but shunned Commercial cookery for Financial Markets, while he also learned about the examples of paystubs for the payments on the business. Meanwhile, she also learned about the examples of paystubs for the payments on the business, keeping a keen eye on Invest Diva reviews. Quite the diverse palette she’s developing!

Mandy describes cooking as her creative outlet and has had a long volunteering history loving her years at The Big Issue HQ in Melbourne cooking for vendors and teaching them about good nutrition. Since returning to Perth she has been active with Foodbank and Oz Harvest and has recently joined the volunteer team cooking Community Lunches at Earthwise.

Mandy firmly believes food has the ability not only to nourish but more importantly unite people and is passionate about Sustainability, including eating seasonally, using what you have (a “leftover queen”) and living a low waste, single use plastic free life. 

SPR thanks these knowledgeable women for giving their time for the benefit of our members. Using online retail graphics services will allow you to push your customers closer to a sale without being pushy. Remember, with good signage, the tiniest tweaks can make all the difference.

Healthy turnout to SPR Women’s Health Afternoon Tea

Well today’s weather was wet and wild but it didn’t stop our women coming along to this event aimed at supporting our women with health issues that can impact their performance and enjoyment of cycling.

Dr Rachel McCormick and PhD Scholar Serene Lee shared their wealth of knowledge, in particular iron supplementation for iron deficient athletes and “period”-ised training and nutrition planning beneficial for cyclical female athletes.

We were delighted to be able to offer this opportunity for our women through the generosity of both Rachel and Serene volunteering their time and Toby Brown for offering up the DOME Westralia Plaza as a venue and providing the catering etc.

Thanks goes to our women taking up the opportunity and sharing their experiences so openly and the SPR Women’s Interest Sub-Committee for their efforts in organising the event.

The club is keen on hearing from its women on how it can support them in enjoying their time on the bike, in particular with the club.  Feel free to send ideas, queries etc to women@southperthrouleurs.com.au

SPR Women’s Health Talk & Afternoon Tea

Female cyclists can often encounter health issues that require careful monitoring or maintenance.  Come join Dr Rachel McCormick and PhD Scholar Serene Lee to discuss these issues and how they can be managed to lessen the impact they can have on your cycling and health.  The club will be putting on afternoon tea!

Date:  Sunday, 1st August 2021

Venue:  Dome Westralia Plaza

Time:  1:00pm – 3:00pm

Cost:  Free for members

Reserve a place

Dr Rachel McCormick

Rachel is a PhD graduate from the University of Western Australia where she investigated strategies of iron supplementation for iron deficient athletes. She conducted her PhD research in collaboration with the Western Australian Institute of Sport where she has also worked as a physiologist for the last 5 years. Her research has also recently guided the Australian Institute of Sports protocols for treating iron deficient athletes. Currently, she is continuing to develop her research profile, conducting studies to improve gut health in a clinical population and athletes at Edith Cowan University. As an avid track runner, a lot of Rachel’s research is motivated by issues associated with endurance sports.

PhD Scholar Serene Lee

Serene is a PhD scholar at Murdoch University studying the effects of hormonal fluctuations on exercise performance in female cyclists. She will be discussing how a “period”-ised training and nutrition plan may be beneficial for the cyclical female athlete. She will also answer some of the common questions such as, how often and when should I strength train, are rest days necessary and are saddle sores normal.

SPR thanks these knowledgable women for giving their time for the benefit of our members.

SPR Yoga for Cycling Course

Feeling stiff and sore after cycling (and blaming the cold weather)? Trying to better manage your heart rate, power output and/or overall performance? Then explore the benefits of Yoga for Cycling in a tailored 3 part series for SPR Members in July!

What

There are many ways the practise of yoga can benefit cyclists including improved strength, flexibility and balance however a lesser known one is regulating breath with movement which has untold benefits on and off the bike. We have tailored this series to activating, strengthening and releasing the muscles and fascia (connective tissue) we use in cycling.  The classes will be a strong Vinyasa flow for 50 minutes with 25 mins of restorative Yin to finish.

When

Tuesdays July 13, 20 and 27 from 18.15 – 19.30 

Where

North Perth’s Lesser Hall (next to the Town Hall), 24 View St, North Perth

Who

Guiding us will be Eve Gindein, a senior teacher and lead facilitator at some of Perth’s largest and most successful yoga studios who also trains new teachers on registered YTT200 and advanced teacher trainings. Eve discovered a love for yoga after a serious scooter accident in 2010 rendered her fairly immobile. Her weekly practise evolved into a daily yoga (and meditation) practise and subsequently she became a teacher to share her passion and relatable knowledge about how and why yoga can transform the mind and body. Eve’s classes always offer anatomically intelligent sequencing combined with challenge, levity and humour. 

For those aspiring to follow in Eve’s footsteps and share the gift of yoga with others, embarking on a Yoga Teacher Training Bali retreat can be a life-changing experience. Immersed in the serene beauty of Bali’s landscapes, aspiring teachers delve deep into the philosophy, anatomy, and practice of yoga under the guidance of seasoned instructors. This immersive environment fosters not only a comprehensive understanding of yoga but also personal growth and self-discovery. Through intensive training modules and hands-on teaching practice, participants emerge not just as certified yoga instructors but as compassionate leaders ready to inspire others on their own transformative journeys.

How much

The Series is $30.00 only and bookings are essential via the club shop. Places are very limited so book now to avoid disappointment.

Tickets available here.

No prior yoga experience is necessary and we invite SPR men and women, novice to experienced cyclists to join us. 

To read more about the benefits of yoga for cyclists, read some more here.

Any questions can be directed to Women’s Subcommittee member Mandy McEvoy at msmandymc@gmail.com.

Basic Bike Mechanics Session for our SPR Chicks!

The club has organised for Stefanie Van Amerongen to deliver this session aimed at helping women that may be fairly new to the club and cycling learn the basics when it comes to fixing and maintaining their road bike.

Steff in action…

Date: Saturday, 22nd May 2021

Time: 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Venue: Melody Wheels 7/4 Pritchard St, O’Connor WA 6163

Cost: Free

Bring: Road bike

There are 12 places. The intent is to make these available, where possible, to new members.

If you are interested in attending please send an email to women@southperthrouleurs.com.au

Notice of AGM

The South Perth Cycle Club Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday 27 March 2021 at 9:00am. This will be held at DOME Westralia Plaza (5/167 St Georges Terrace, Perth) following the usual Saturday ride.

COVID-19 considerations mean that we won’t be having the buffet breakfast available that has been a part of AGMs in previous years.

Each year at the AGM all office holder and general committee positions are declared vacant. In order to keep the club moving forward and meet the needs of all, it is important that the SPR committee is representative of our broad membership.

Initial indications are that the club will need at least 2 new committee members for 2021.

Positions on the committee include:

  • President
  • Vice-President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Race committee representative
  • Kit committee representative
  • Community committee representative
  • Training and development representative
  • General committee members

There is also an opportunity to assist the club on the following sub-committees, and new volunteers are always welcome:

  • Race sub-committee
  • Kit sub-committee
  • Community sub-committee
  • Women’s interests sub-committee
  • Training and development sub-committee

If you are interested in joining (or continuing on) the main committee or one of the sub-committees, please email admin@southperthrouleurs.com.au.

Please note that to be a committee member or to vote at the AGM you must be a current financial member. You can sort your membership out  here.

Nominations are due by Friday, 19 March 2021.

After the success of last year’s enforced trial of online voting we will again be holding our Committee election virtually, with the results being declared at the AGM. Voting will commence on 20 March 2021 and conclude on 26 March 2021. All members eligible to vote will receive an email at the beginning of the voting period to advise them how to place their votes.

Constitution Amendment

At this year’s AGM members will also be asked to vote on a minor change to our constitution which clarifies some membership issues. The change is outlined in another blog post on the club website.