All posts by Daniel Harvey

Ride routes 3rd – 9th April

So. Definitely the beginning of a new era. If you have a look at the photo of the new committee, it is most definitely a feature that @elprez is absent.

I said this last Saturday at our AGM, but it is worth repeating here. It was not for the sake of raw ambition for the role of president that I have taken it on, but I most definitely believe in SPR and what it represents collectively for us as members. Cycling has been a significant part of my life since I seriously took it up as a sport around 2008 – I can’t tell you the precise date as I did not have a Garmin at that time (my earliest ride on Strava is 2010). What I can tell you is that my first SPR ride was a Thursday morning fast ride from which I was dropped in Dalkeith – and for which Peter had the group wait for me to get back on as he knew it was my first ride. I’ve done a few rides since then, and Peter and I have become good friends since that time.

But more that physical health and fitness, SPR has been an essential part of my mental health. There is something about the single-minded focus of holding a wheel that, even in the most stressful of times, allows me to take some space from all of the other things that at times crowd my life. And those that pay attention will have noticed, I rarely ride solo as I enjoy too much the company of friends. It will be different things for many of you, but I know that SPR has been successful for the fact that many others appreciate what we do as a club.

Thank you Peter. I would also add my thanks to Rob, Nancy and Teneal who have also stepped off the committee at the AGM last week. Your contributions are appreciated.

One of the things that we have discussed at committee is how we go forward with the weekly blog.

Clearly, we will continue to publish the blog each Thursday 🙂

Equally, for those of you that know the ebb and flow of my life, it would be inviting disappointment for me personally to attempt to emulate the discipline and reliability of Peter’s consistent production of weekly blog posts. I’m not completely inexperienced – having written several ride reports (as they used to be called – for proof, see here and here) among other things – but Peter is completely out of my league. More on that later.

Enjoy the long weekend, and see you on the bike.

The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.

As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change.
Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.

  • The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
  • No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
  • Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.

SafeWA registration – As the state opens up to more interstate travelers, the risk of community spread could possibly increase. Contact tracing is an important way to contain the virus in case it finds it’s way into the community. If you want to sit down for a coffee you must register your details at that premises. There are 2 ways to do this, register on a paper form, or scan a QR code on an app.
So, how do i get the app? Download the WA Government free app – SafeWA and sign up as an individual.
– Android users click here
– Apple phone users click here
We have had it pretty good in WA so far. Lets make sure that we can open up safely.

AusCycling Memberships – As of November last year, Cycling Australia ceased to exist and AusCycling was formed to combine multiple disciplines of cycling together. To be part of the national organisation, our club has joined Auscycling and memberships and renewals are now available though it. As such we have updated the memberships page to reflect the membership types and approximate costs. There are now 4 types of licence – Lifestyle, Race off-road, Race all discipline & Non riding. On top of this there is also a Club Add-On where you can join SPR if you are a member of another club, like Peel or RCCC. This is similar to our Extraordinary membership (which still exists for other orgs) but has been formalised a bit.

EDIT: There has been a bit of confusion around the clubs relationship with Westcycle as some people have opted for a Westcycle licence and have linked to SPR as their club. Our club is affiliated with the national body which is AusCycling, but we do have a tenuous link back to the state body which is Westcycle. We are currently working out what that means for members in regards to the rights that they have within the club (voting, committee positions, etc). Until we clarify that, just be assured that your insurance is still valid and you are still free to ride with the club.

Life Members for 2021 – At our AGM last Saturday I announced on behalf of the 2020 Committee the admission of Peter, Julian and Rob as life members of the club. It seems fitting that the very first life member is @elprez. For those who missed this auspicious occasion, have a read of this post.

Thursday Group 3 & 4 – The last few weeks we have been formalising and supporting the group 3 and 4 rides on Thursday. SPR Thursday has a reputation of being a hard and fast ride and the size of the first group today was a good indication of it’s popularity. However, we also want to provide an opportunity for people to develop and progress through the ranks, so to speak. As such the group 3 and 4 rides on Thursday now have ride leaders assigned to them to help guide people. The expected average speeds for the groups are 34k/hr and 30 k/hr or less average, respectively, so you can make a call as to which will suit you best. Organically developing rides to provide for what the needs of the group is what has contributed to the growth of the club. This is just another step along that path.

Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.

Where do i need to stand again?

Saturday Start Locations – In order to facilitate any expected changes to gathering rules, the Saturday start location were modified when group riding resumed in 2020. We still want to maintain the separation between groups as much as possible and as such will continue to start the fast and main 1 on one side of the carpark with main 2-3, trannies & novice on the other. If you are new to our Saturday group rides, click on the photo to see where each group needs to congregate.

From the Ride Coordinator – It’s a great time of the year for cycling. Mornings are a little cooler and you get some of the best sun rises on the EBR rides, some just take your breath away. With the Easter break giving us a couple of extra cycling days, for those that are not going away, it looks like it’s going to be a great opportunity to get out on your bike with lots of choices. Good Friday we are spoiled with choice with either of the EBR, VP or public holiday ride to choose from and again on Monday with EBR and/or the Public holiday ride. In between we have our normal Saturday and Sunday schedule. Whatever cycling you do over the long weekend, make it a good one and look after tour safety. Happy Easter everyone.

(Please note the Saturday Hills ride option will not be run this month due to the VP ride and the long weekend)

Saturday 3rd April

Sunday 4th April

Monday 5th April – Easter Monday

Tuesday 6th April

  • Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
  • Ride starts Frasers ave at 5:45am
    • Development group – interval training kings park

Wednesday 7th April

Thursday 8th April

Friday 9th April

SPR Life Members for 2021

At our AGM last Saturday I announced on behalf of the 2020 Committee the admission of Peter, Julian and Rob as life members of the club. It seems fitting that the very first life member is @elprez. For those who missed this auspicious occasion, have a read below of their citations.

Peter Mah

Peter was the inaugural President of the South Perth Rouleurs in 2009, and has been has been instrumental in the life and ethos of the club since that time. He was key in setting the original direction and has provided consistent, strong and visionary leadership in the role of President from inception through to his retirement from the Committee in 2021. In many ways, Peter’s involvement personally has provided the “face” of SPR in the eyes of both club members and the public. Peter was actively involved in the running of events, from the Water Tower Challenge (an innovation of the club and Peter in particular) through to the conduct of the “Tech Park Criteriums” that were a feature of the summer racing scene for a number of years. Notably, Peter has authored the club’s “ride routes blog” released every Thursday evening for many years, something that has become so much a part of the culture of the club that people get worried if the blog post runs late. Not to mention that over that time, Peter has also ridden 145,000 km. Peter was admitted as a Life Member of the South Perth Cycle Club in 2021.

Julian Johnson

Julian was an inaugural member of the South Perth Rouleurs in 2009 and Vice President from 2010. He has played a key role in the leadership of the club from that time until his retirement from the Committee in 2020. Julian has provided a steady hand and reliable advice to the club over that time. Throughout his tenure, Julian has been a consistent contributor to the club’s regular rides, always prepared to put up his hand and take responsibility for leading rides or taking steps to ensure that rides are safe and enjoyable. In addition to his contributions on and off the bike, during his time with SPR Julian has ridden 140,000 km, many of these in the Perth hills, his favourite. In recognition of this love, Julian was instrumental in starting the club’s Vice Presidents Ride which runs at Easter. Julian is known for his love of zinc and his willingness to wear maximally mismatching kit. Julian was admitted as a Life Member of the South Perth Cycle Club in 2021.

Rob Ramsden

Rob was an inaugural member of the South Perth Rouleurs in 2009, a member of the Committee 2012 through 2013, and then again from 2016 through 2020 taking on the Training and Development role. In particular, Rob was responsible for bringing his “day job” expertise to the club in the development and execution of the club’s Ride Leader Program. This program is an innovation of SPR that seeks to enable the club to put on regular group rides for which safety and organisation are highlights. The program enables the club to train ride leaders, and then promote and recognise them as a key part of club life. Rob was both the author and the driver behind this program, which has been hugely successful and is today a key part of the life, ethos and culture of the South Perth Rouleurs. Other notable contributions include work on the organising committee for the club’s 10-year anniversary as well as volunteering & marshalling for many of the club’s races & events. Rob has been a regular rider with club and a regular Ride Leader himself – though it is recognised by most that he is allergic to any form of inclement weather. Rob was admitted as a Life Member of the South Perth Cycle Club in 2021.

Our commitment to core values

As a committee, we are proud of the community that South Perth Rouleurs embodies. It is something that we have been intentional about from the beginning, and it is something that we know from listening to club members is important to many, if not all, of you.

It is for this reason that I am writing on behalf of the committee now. In our role as leaders within the SPR community, we felt it was worth re-visiting our values and the guidelines that we have put in place to help our community operate in a way that is consistent with those values.

The club has four core values: Safe. Inclusive. Organised. Social.

One of things we discovered over time, particularly as social media increased in popularity, was that it was important to write down clear expectations of behaviour. In 2016, we put together our Community Guidelines to help with this process of communication.

I encourage everyone to (re-)read these guidelines if you have any doubts as to the type of behaviour expected within our online communities and in-person on our rides.

In particular, I would like to highlight inclusivity and our guidelines that ask everyone to avoid portraying any person in a negative light based on their age, colour, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion or sexual preference.

Recently, there have been several instances where we have observed casual racism occurring within our social media conversations on official SPR sites/groups. If you are not aware of what this looks like, please take some time to read about this form of racism; perhaps here or here or here.

Some would say that reference to “casual” racism is unhelpful because the term diminishes the importance of describing the actions as racism. I have used the term here as it does emphasise the fact that this form of racism occurs in everyday conversation and is not overt, often occurring as a joke or off-hand comment. It is often not intentional.

None of this changes the fact that it represents a form of racism – something that is clear when the comments are examined in terms of the perception by others and their impact on the individuals/groups targeted by the comments – and as such, is something that we do not want within the SPR community.

In some of the recent examples, this has been clear when other members have pushed back individually against comments made – something I think that represents healthy dialogue and for which I am thankful. We have also spoken personally with the people involved – we feel it is important to both hear everyone’s point of view but also communicate clearly the club’s expectations on these important issues. The committee also felt it appropriate to comment specifically and publicly through this blog post.

We ask that everyone contribute, whether online or on the bike, toward ensuring that SPR is inclusive and welcoming to all.

Please keep in mind that we are explicitly not singling anyone out in making these comments, and ask that no one else does either. We explicitly want our community to be an inclusive one that allows everyone the space to participate and the space to collectively learn and improve together.

On behalf of the SPR Committee.

Daniel Harvey

Club committees, AGMs and getting involved

Hey. I’d planned on doing this post to stimulate discussion around involvement at the AGM and in the SPR Committee for the upcoming year. I thought I’d missed the boat, but some discussion online encouraged me to finish it off and put it up. And this is 2019 – social media will mean everyone will have read it by 11am.

I want to put the invitation out again for people to put their hand up and get involved in the running of the club. The AGM is tomorrow.

I have several slants on this:

  1. We have nominations, as it stands now, for most of the positions, and in particular, the key positions. This means that if you step up, you are NOT taking on something huge without support. The club has a solid foundation, but also space for your ideas and contributions.
  2. Having said that, we do not have nominations for every possible position on the committee. This means that as it stands, if you nominate, you will be welcomed and there is space and room for your input, hard work and contributions.
  3. Not having all positions filled, as it stands now, also means that the AGM is not likely to need votes as popularity contests to choose the star team from dozens of nominations. That would be nice (maybe) but for community clubs like ours this is often not the case – for varying reasons, but often because people are generally happy and don’t want to presume to take over or change what is working.
  4. The final slant I’ll mention is one that elPrez mentions specifically. Even for positions where we have nominations (existing members such as elPrez or myself – and I am seeking to continue on the committee), the positions are open to a vote. If members of our community want to see change, they (you) have a voice, a vote and a responsibility to show up at the AGM and make that voice heard.

So feel free to nominate. You are invited. You will be welcome. And even for the fact that we have some things in our club sorted and with some history (did anyone say 10 years?!), we want and need new ideas, new contributors and new leaders. Change is inevitable.

And let me say one last thing, which is a big one for me personally. As a committee we have to be able to work together, but if you see things differently (or think you do) to me (or anyone else on the committee) do not let that discourage your getting involved. I strongly believe that diversity of opinion and thought can be constructive and is essential to growth and progress. And I think that in most cases, SPR does that really well.

So what’s involved you ask?

The key parts of being on the committee:

  1. Meet. A committee meeting of 1.5 hours every 6-8 weeks. We’re working hard to run these meetings effectively so we get things done but don’t waste people’s time. And still manage to get up a 4:30am the following morning to get a ride in (OK, 5 for people who live closer to South Perth than I do :)).
  2. Slack. Be a part of the SPR Committee Slack. For those that don’t know, Slack is like Facebook Groups and we have “Slack channels” for most aspects of club life e.g. #club_rides (if we have a win or a problem on a morning ride, you will hear about it here first, almost guaranteed). This enables committee members to be involved, make decisions, etc online between meetings. And when you’re at work you can set it to silent (or not – your choice on managing boundaries).
  3. Contribute. We are looking for people that are prepared to contribute. Events, races and programs don’t happen by themselves – you get the idea. And this stuff is fulfilling – we have lots of achievements that SPR as a club has achieved, but also things that individuals have contributed to – think Tour of Margaret River, The Beverley, Ride Leader Program, hundreds of people wanting to show up on group rides, club coaches, club mentors, social events, club kit. We have an honour roll of contributions for which people have worked hard and for which they are and should be proud.
  4. Communicate. Everyone has a life, a family, a training program and a job (that order right?). And these things can go in waves. We all get that. A key for us is to try to communicate about what we can and can’t do. Some things take longer than we want or intend – this is true for all of us (me definitely!) – our objective is to aim to communicate expectations and boundaries clearly. Just part of being an effective (100% volunteer) team.
  5. Question. Most of the great things SPR has achieved happen because someone asks a really good “what if?” or “how can we do this better?” question. Things like: How safe are our rides? What can be improved? How can we better support women taking up riding? Racing? How can our group rides meet members needs better? How can we support and encourage more racing? (If people are keen but unsure) What does it mean to have “racing teams” associated with the club? How can we get the best out of that whilst keeping a level playing field? How can we communicate more effectively?

Now. People often want to help and will “dip the toe” in small roles before stepping into bigger roles once they are comfortable. Have we got a subcommittee for you. These vary from year-to-year, may meet more or less frequently than the committee and are topic-focussed. Examples include Social, Kit, Race and Training and Development.

Each of these are typically a smaller and more focussed version of the committee. The beauty of this can being that you get to be involved in a way that you get to set the boundaries and parameters. If you are keen on one particular aspect of SPR club life, putting your hand up for a subcommittee could be the thing.

So please. If you have ideas or interest – speak up.

Official nominations are through an email to elPrez – admin@southperthrouleurs.com.au.

And you’re invited to ask any of the committee members questions. I personally can be reached at treasurer@southperthrouleurs.com.au or just message me on social media.

See you on the bike.

Daniel

SPR 10th Anniversary River Cruise – Early-bird Tickets Released

Get in quick team – we’ve got a set number of tickets available and a short time for you to get them at the early-bird price of $90 – available for 1 week only.

Come along to celebrate the South Perth Rouleurs 10th Anniversary on the evening of 6 April 2019 with a river cruise on the PS Decoy. This will be a river loop with a difference!  The event will be a black-tie evening not to be missed. Frocking up and enjoy a catered cruise with live music, a seasoned proportional of Club nostalgia and stories not to mention some superb company.

Get you tickets in our shop here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

SPR Social Sub-Committee

2017 Annual Report

2 Comments

Evening all, it is with great pleasure (as much because the job is now done as anything else!) that I present the South Perth Rouleurs Annual Report for 2017.

As you may have been aware just by participating in the life of the community at SPR, there is a lot going on when you put it all together.

I, for one, am proud of what our little cycling community has achieved together, mostly because it has been rewarding and enjoyable for all club members.

Please read through and join with myself and the committee in celebrating everything that was SPR for 2017.

 

saturday 17 april – fast (ridge hill road)

ride report by daniel

The blog has been busy today and so have I – two reasons to keep this brief. Well, two excuses anyway. Let’s see how it goes.

I’d been hoping to do the Peter Clark Classic, but was not able to get the time I needed Sunday morning. As it turns out, this put me in the minority – when Peter called forth the fast group there were just nine of us. Sounds like a small but reasonable group to be riding with, but I did a quick check just to be sure: Ryan, Jerry, Ben, James … Mmm… it was looking like I was going to be working hard. Good. Sort of.

We headed off, our route taking us out along Shepperton Road and onto Albany Highway. We each did a turn on the front, and for my part, I was working relatively hard into the stiff headwind that was the order of the day. The reasonable pace continued as we turned onto William Street with no relief from the headwind just yet. We started rolling though somewhere along Hale Road, still keeping the pace reasonable.

At this point we were still riding into the headwind, and with one or two riders struggling, we decided to ease back the pace a little. Jerry suggested that due to the small group size we re-group at the top of Ridge Hill Road. Sounds like a plan, which we executed. Needless to say, I climbed Ridge Hill without too many problems but was not able to keep pace with the lead riders. We re-grouped, and with everyone back on, we started the descent down and headed towards Guildford.

After the initial descent, we started taking 30s turns on the front. This worked for a little while before some gaps opened up. When I took my next turn on the front, I tried but was not able to make any impression on the gap to Ryan and several others in the lead. When Jerry took the lead, he lifted the pace and was starting to make an impression on the gap. At this point, I was working hard just holding Jerry’s wheel, and thought to take a quick look back to see how the rest of the group was faring. Not so well; a gap had opened up and they were a fair way back. We continued, with Jerry showing no sign of tiring and providing an excellent wheel for me to hold. I however, even though sitting in and drafting, was feeling the heart rate rise a little too high and the legs starting to go away from me. As I started to fade off Jerry’s wheel, he noticed my predicament. He dropped the pace slightly, and after a quick signal to me, I was back on. Thanks. Given this, we did not manage to catch Ryan, Ben and Jerry until we reach Great Eastern Highway, where we all stopped briefly to get everyone back together.

We then kept a reasonable pace heading back into town along Guildford Road. I think it was along here that Melvyn dropped off the back. I was feeling it too. I managed to stay on, but probably only due to the small respite granted me by several of the traffic lights along Guildford road. I’ll take that.

We came to the lights at the corner of Guildford Road and East Parade, and as I was sitting at the front with Ryan we watched the Main 2 group sail past. No problems, we would be happy to go for the chase. The traffic lights cycle completed and we were ready to go. No joy – it seems some dear person had hit the pedestrian crossing button and then disappeared. Waiting, waiting. With the group ahead now given quite a head start we were off. I tried hard to hold Ryan’s wheel, but he was determined to catch the group in front and I couldn’t hold on. No major drama as I was still catching the group ahead, and I think they were held up a little at the freeway lights. Anyway, by the time we’d climbed the East Perth hill, we had managed to get to the front.

Now, Peter had indicated that we would not be able to sprint due to the Red Bull Air Race and the associated road closures. I considered this as we approached, but it looked to me like Riverside Drive had been closed just for us: one empty, inviting road. So, I lifted the pace as we turned onto Riverside Drive. Before too long, the pace was lifted past me as Ryan and others came past.

Until next time.

PS I’m not sure I really achieved the brief bit. Oh well.

saturday 21st nov – canningvale reverse

Ride report  by daniel

Having got a little wet during the week, it was good to be back into dryer weather as the weekend dawned. Although, when we started riding it was a little cooler than I would have liked. Oh well. Anyway, it was a relatively good turnout for the Saturday morning ride. I think we probably had several people doing the State Criterium Championship’s but looking around we would have plenty of company on the road. Pete was out early but had left the lycra at home for a change – seems like handing out water bottles and the like is such hard work the he needed to take a rest from riding in preparation! Hard for some.

Pete was up to giving us the pep-talk before we started: Canning Vale reverse, remember that there are some hills early, try to keep the group working together. The usual, but many of us need to be reminded.

So we started, and I think that we managed to hold everyone together in the main. Heading west on Canning Highway we did split the group several times coming over the freeway due to lights – but no real hassle – after a brief pause to gather everyone, we were off again, and holding a nice even inclusive pace. I was close to the front when we hit the hill leading up to Stock Road, but I think we managed to keep everyone resembling one group; I’m open to being corrected here as I was towards the front at this point 🙂

Either way, the lights along Stock Road kept showing red, and this helped us to regroup, and kept us together all along Stock Road and in the initial run down South Street. It was at this point that things got a little interesting. As we approached North Lake Road, I recall Ryan discussing with Jerry when we were splitting and exactly when it was that it would be OK to “go fast”. Or words to that effect. In any case, immediately after this there was a sudden acceleration down the hill towards Gilbertson Road. Now I don’t always have the legs to stay with some of these surges, but neither can I resist giving it a real good go. It seems like I was not the only one, so we were off!

As it turned out, this turn of speed did not last long as we took a few more lulls at lights as we crossed back over the freeway. However you rate it though, by the time what was the fast group had reached Bannister Road, I think it is safe to say that what started as a single group was definitely split into several pieces.

From this point this pace was kept relatively high but not insanely so – again due to lights and even a reasonable wait a roundabout. It seemed like we shared the work in the main, although I do recall Ryan hitting the front several extra times to make sure we kept pushing reasonably hard. So we headed back into town along Spencer Road  and then Albany Highway, picking up several riders who had taken the main group route (I think) and so managed to get out in front of us. We continued in pretty much the same way all the way back, with the lights playing true to form and stopping us as we picked up speed down Shepperton and onto the Causeway.

I can’t tell you who won the sprint as I got held back by the lights on Riverside Drive – except to say that it was not me.

Back in the coffee shop we met Pete to collect waterbottles and trisuites. It was good to see a few new faces on the ride. It was also good to see a few regular faces, the likes of Lisa and Anna, rejoining us after their efforts in the Tour de Perth (well done!). Not to mention that we got to meet Josh’s family, along with the regular appearance of Pete’s boys. Very cool.

See you all next time.