All posts by Daveman

Pickering Brook Series Wrap & TOMR Training this Saturday

The final races of this years Pickering Brook Series were on Sunday. A big thank you goes out to everyone at Midland Cycle Club for putting on such a fantastic series.

The APRC wants to celebrate the achievements of every SPR member that performed well, but especially to three members who won the overall competitions in their divisions.

Paul George won the best overall rider in C grade. Congrats!

Very special recognition should go to two SPR members who won their respective A grade competitions, Amanda Nabi and Alec Vukovich. To win the series in A grade is an amazing achievement. You both deserve to celebrate your winners jerseys!

Courtesy of Midland Cycle Club
Courtesy of Midland Cycle Club

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While the APRC is always watching, sometimes it needs a better view! This Saturday, there will be a special TOMR introduction / team TT training session on offer instead of the normal Main/Fast ride.

The session is open to anyone, but we are especially interested in people who are, or are considering, racing at TOMR.  Both men and women are welcome. The session is designed so riders can meet other TOMR participants and we can work out the best teams. It will leave at 7am before the fast group rolls out. We will head to Kings Park and then some TTT efforts along Dalkeith. All abilities will be catered for.

The forecast is a bit iffy at this stage, but this session will happen regardless of weather. As people who were at last years TOMR will remember, the racing will go ahead no matter what the weather, so better be prepared!

 

Pinjarra Classic and WA Road Race Champs – new SPR club champ race

The road racing calendar is filling up afer a quite few months.

Entries have opened for Pinjarra Classic on Sunday 20th of September and the newly announced State Senior Road Race Championship on Saturday 26th of September.

The Pinjarra Classic is another “classic” WA cycle race held by the Peel Districts Cycle Club. It is one of the hilliest races in Perth, but the main climb up towards Dwellingyup is early on, so there is plenty of time for the peleton to chase down the break away. Lets hope it will be better conditions than last year! Remember to stay for a beer at the pub after!

It is part of the SPR club championship, which is still wide open!

More information and entries for Pinjarra Classic can be found here.

A new upcoming race –  The State Open Road Race Championship – has just been confirmed. There is a very exciting new course in the Wellington Forrest outside of Bunbury. Much of the course will be on fully closed roads through forrest. By all accounts, the winners will deserve their state titles! It is scheduled for Saturday 26th of September. More information can be found on the facebook page.

The APRC has decided that this will be an additional, and the final, race to the 2015 SPR Club Championship series!

For people racing at TOMR, you should consider these races as compulsory training for race craft and experience.

 

Pickering Brook RR Entries Open and TOMR update!

The next race in the SPR road race championship is the final Pickering Brook road race, with ITT prior.

This race sells out VERY VERY quickly! But… entries open tomorrow! Check out the event’s facebook page for details

Do NOT wait! you WILL miss out! It is a great race of all riders as it is relatively short in distance. If you’ve been thinking about road racing, sign up for this one!

Secondly, there have been some important updates to the TOMR plans. These include a small increase in the price due to omissions when calculating the overall cost. There is also clarification about the process including some important dates to be aware of!

Check out the SPR TOMR page for all the details.

Collie-DonnyBrook Cycling Classic – Entries close 6th August

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It seems that road racing has hibernated for the depths of winter. Get out the warm gear and think about getting ready for the Collie Donnybrook Classic.
ctd 2015 flyer-jpegThe race is the second oldest handicap race in Australia and it is celebrating it’s 90th year! SPR member Ben Godridge holds the all time fastest record for the course!

The race is a handicap format, meaning you will be allocated into a group of similar ability with the aim being to work together to get to the finish before the fastest A graders catch you.

There is over $8000 in prize money on offer and $1400 to the first person to break Ben’s all time record!

To celebrate the 90th anniversary, the Collie Cycle Club have special cycling gear and souviner stubby holders available on their website.

Registrations close Midnight Thursday 6th of August and can be made here.

Tour of Margaret River 2015 – It’s coming!

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Yes, yes! The best event on the road racing calendar is the Satalyst Tour of Margaret River. This event has gone from humble beginnings to be one of the biggest Pro-Am cycling events in the country. SPR has always had a great relationship with the TOMR, one that continues this year – November 5th-7th.
SPR has been kindly allocated 4 male and 2 female teams of 6 riders for this years event. This is a truly special, memorable and unique event, both for individuals taking part and SPR.  Saying that, it’s a big effort to commit to several days of honest hard racing.

Next week, the APRC will open the SPR TOMR expression of interest. Check out tourofmargaretriver.com to get excited, talk to members this weekend who have done it before and pencil in those dates into your program! SPR wants members of all abilities to stick their hand up and give it a go. You can do it and we can help you be at your best!

Note: the SPR committee has already organised accommodation down south for each team and will also organise  race logistics for each stage as they all start in different areas.

Don’t wait! Pickering Brook ITT & RR #2 – Entries Open!

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Don’t miss out! Entries for the next race in the SPR 2015 club championship, the second Pickering Brook TT/RR, have opened! Places are limited to 200 riders across all grades and 50 in each grade! Last time, the event sold out well before the Tuesday night deadline.

SPR cleaned up at the first race with a member on almost every road race podium. Let’s do it again this time!

Remember, details of the clubs plans for Tour of Margaret River will be released soon. Trust me, racing throughout the year is the best way of securing your spot for TOMR. If you’re considering putting your hand up for TOMR, sign up for this race too!

More info can be found at the Midland Cycle Club facebook page and entries are available here.

Pickering Brook Series TT & Race – Entries OPEN!

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The fourth race in the SPR club championships is the Pickering Brook TT & Road Race on Sunday 24th May. This much loved event is the first in a series of three races across winter. There is an individual TT consisting of 1 lap of the 7.5km undulating course. The road race follows with all the usual grades including a dedicated women’s race for both A and B graders. You can do both the TT/road race or either individually.

Because of the time trial, entries are strictly limited to 200 people and it is a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis. Enter now to avoid being disappointment at this link.

Don’t forget about the Goldfields Cyclassic!

Tom Lowry Race Report

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Sarah Smith has kindly written a race report from the Tom Lowry Road race. Lorna Henson and her worked really well in B grade and came away with great results. C grade men also did really well with Ben Jackson and Craig James on the podium. Paul George and Troy Blizard were also top ten earning valuable Club Champ points. Their combined performance  won the Team competition in C grade. Patrick Saccani-Williams netted one of his best results to get 5th in B grade. Lets not forget Stephanie Lim who won womens C grade in her first ever road race!

The Club Championship Leader-board has been updated and the next race for this are the Pickering Brook Series. The first is on Sunday 24 May. These races are usually limited to a total of 200 riders accross all grades, so when entries open… don’t delay!

TOM LOWRY WOMEN’S B GRADE RACE REPORT – SARAH SMITH

Seven women took to the B grade start line on Sunday morning at Collie Motorplex for the Tom Lowry Memorial road race.  Lorna Henson and I were both representing SPR, with the others in riding for five different clubs from across the state.
 
It was cold and threatening rain as we set off on the 60km route.  After a fairly processional lap of the motorplex circuit, we left the complex and hit the road. I launched an attack straightaway, which set the tone for the next 20km.  As the road began to undulate, Lorna and I tried multiple times to get a solo break, but nothing stuck.  The fast pace and bursts of acceleration began to take their toll, as we lost a rider off the back.
 
Lorna attacked again at the bottom of a steepish slope with me at second wheel. Even though this hadn’t been pre-planned, I saw a great opportunity to help her make it stick and, instead of continuing to follow her wheel, I deliberately slowed down and controlled the pace to give Lorna time to get a good break.  It took the others a while to realise what I was doing, by which time Lorna was well away and powering to the top of the hill.  The others made a few attempts to chase, but didn’t really seem keen to work together to bring Lorna back – and I certainly wasn’t going to help!
 
With my teammate up the road, I sat at the back of the bunch.  We passed Lorna on the way to the turnaround point at 30km.  She was already nearly 1km ahead, and only continued to extend her lead heading back to the motorplex. A great win for her – a 40km solo break on such an undulating course is immense.
 
Back in the bunch:  There were a few digs on the return leg, stretching the group out but it always came back together. My thoughts turned to the end of the race with a bunch sprint seeming inevitable.  At 10km out it began to rain. I switched to my small chainring and increased my cadence to keep my legs warm and ready for sprint action. 
 
As we approached the turn into the motorplex, I moved up into third wheel.  Through a chicane and around a corner into a headwind, I was now second wheel.  I jumped at about 200m, quickly opening up a gap to the rest of the bunch and took second overall. So a great race for the SPR Chicks, securing the 1 – 2.
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Goldfields Cyclassic – Transport & Accommodation rego closing soon

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Still lost on what to do this WA day long weekend? Want to spend a fantastic few days filled with good company, great racing and lots of prize money? As outlined on the previous post, the club puts together a transport and accommodation package for members wanting to get out to Kalgoorlie to enjoy the races!

The Cyclassic is made up of 2 separate handicap races, both a bit over 100km long. Handicaps provide a great opportunity for riders wanting to give racing a go. You start in a group of riders of similar abilities. The idea is to work together as a peleton to stay away from the fast a graders who will chase from scratch!

The two races are long and testing but Cathi Dixon has volunteered to provide recovery massages! It is a great time spent with club members. Have a look at the video from last year or last years race reports to get excited. There are plenty of familiar faces!

The transport and accommodation package will close on Tuesday 19th of May. Many members have already signed up and we don’t want you to miss out! We will still need non-riders who will have subsidised rates to help out on the race days. Please leave a comment below and the race committee will get in touch to confirm.

Stan Gurney VC Memorial Crit, Midland 100 Race Report, Club Champs Update, Tom Lowry, Cyclassic!

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Wow! What a busy few weeks on the racing calendar! Better keep this brief…

1) The season’s last criterium race is the Stan Gurney VC memorial crit on this Saturday in Midland. The course is a cracker.  hot dog with a dog leg! The race commemorates all veterans but especially Stan Gurney who was awarded the VC posthumously for amazing courage in Egypt during WWII. Entries close Tuesday night. More information and entries can be made here.

2) SPR had great success at the Midland 100 Sunday week ago. The race tried to replicate the conditions of Paris-Roubaix (held on the same day). The roads out there border on pave and the rain didn’t help!

Both Paul George (C grade) and Sarah Smith (B grade) made it onto the podium in their respective grades. Jonno Bolton rode fantastically to get 3rd in A grade. Brian Sing racing in SPR colors pulled of a 7th in A grade too. Like Pemberton, it was the women who shone with SPR picking up a clean sweep of the womens A grade race.

Anna Massey broke away from Diane and Lorna early on but decided the fans at the finish line deserved some excitement after being in the cold and wet all day. Diane and Lorna caught up and Anna just pipped Diane on the line in the sprint!

The club championship points have been updated and can be found here.

3) The upcoming Tom Lowry Memorial weekend in Collie is on Saturday and Sunday 2-3 May. This is a great weekend of racing always well supported by SPR. Saturday is a fantastic criterium on the motoplex raceway. Last year, racers said it was the best criterium course of the year and a perfect course for beginners. The road race course on Sunday is also a good one for newbies with a few small undulations but there are a few (currently secret) changes for the first time this year. Even if you don’t want to race, there is a cyclo-sportif event on the same course for riders wanting a challenge! More info can be found here and entries close next Tuesday night (28/4) here.

4)  Last but not least… dont forget about the Goldfields Cyclassic on the WA day long weekend at the end of May. We are providing a transport accomodation option as per the previous blog post.