Just a quick note. I know SPR has numerous people riding the Swan Valley Cyclo-Sportif. For those that aren’t riding and don’t get free entry or those who have partners already at the event please go to the address below and purchase a ticket to watch some great track racing.
http://
Night Ride tomorrow if anyone fancies it. No Toby as apparently he was last spotted doing a runner from Kerbokan prison.
Dome Westralia Plaza @ 7pm usual route.
Ouch……..Ouch……….Ouch some more………still hurts……..ouch……..ouch again……..Ouch…….why is this not getting easier……….Ouch……..Ouch some more.
This theme continued for about two and a quarter hours.
This was definitely the most scenic Cyclo course yet, but with 1 km of flat at the start and 1 km of flat at the end was also one of the hardest. Fantastic effort from all team members especially Dave H who we had to get to slow down on numerous occasions. Also special mention to Ryan who did a great job as captain on the road keeping the group together and pushing when necessary.
As Ryan mentioned in previous comments 4th fastest but only 25 seconds off 3rd at an average speed of 35.17km/h for 79 hilly Kilometers.
Well done to Davin and his partner Carla who have just completed the Smiling for Smiddy challenge in Queensland a gruelling 1600 kilometre, eight day cycling journey with no rest days. Cyclist’s average 200 kilometres a day.
It was created to commemorate the life of Adam Smiddy – a young physiotherapist who passed away in August 2006 after a short battle against an aggressive cancer. Adam was just 26 years of age and in the prime of his life.
4 September 212km Brisbane – Blackbutt – Nanango
5 September 242km Nanango – Gayndah – Eidsvold
6 September 200km Eidsvold – Biloela
7 September 205km Biloela – Blackwater
8 September 181km Blackwater – Emerald – Clermont
9 September 175km Clermont – Belyando Crossing
10 September 202km Belyando Crossing – Charters Towers
11 September 179km Charters Towers – Townsville
If you would like to donate and help fight against cancer please go to http://www.everydayhero.com.au/team_WA
Details of the event can be found at http://www.smilingforsmiddy.org.au/default.aspx
Congratulations Gus and his lovely bride Kathy who were married at the weekend. After cleaning up in all the tipping competitions this year Gus was able to afford the wedding and honeymoon.
Can you believe under the fancy tux he was loyal to the club and sported his SPR arm warmers. Whether or not Kathy managed to get him to take them off for their first night as a married couple is unknown !!!!
by Jonny
It is with my greatest sadness that I advise that the decision was made to stop this world record attempt at the fastest time to cycle trans-Australia by bicycle.
As they were entering the 4th day of the attempt and soon after the half way point, while still on world record time, they were faced with continued rainfall. It had already rained the first night, the second morning, and almost the entire third day. The forecast when they left had said a chance for showers. The forecast now suggests that we would have had rain for five or six days of the eight days of the attempt.
The problem with the rain, which yesterday was heavy and unrelenting, comes from the side effects of poor visibility, particularly at night while on the road, and the associated wall of water that can almost knock you off your bike when a road train goes flying past. The rain also led to increased chafing.
By Jonny
A few of you may know Chris Marris. He has rode with myself, Lennie (via a Perth – Merredin return training trip), Carlos, Meg’s, Shun, John Phillips and others at some of this years cyclo-sportif events and also came to and supported Lisa Wood’s India fundraiser.
Please support Chris, the flying cyclist http://www.flyingcyclist.com.au/ , as he sets out to break the Guinness World Record for the ‘Fastest time to cycle trans-Australia from Perth to Sydney (male)’ while raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service – an attempt which is eight per cent longer than the recent le Tour de France and is planned to be completed in one third of the time !!!
The ride, scheduled to start 28th August 2010, aims to raise over $15,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The current record, set in October 2006, stands at 8 days, 10 hours and 57 minutes, held by Australian, Richard Vollebregt.
Chris aims to make the crossing in under 8 days, about 10% faster than the current record.
The attempt will see Chris make the 4,000km journey across Australia on a road bicycle, calling on every muscle in his body and every ounce of determination in the process. He will be physically cycling for more than 20 hours per day, for up to eight days straight. Sleep will be a luxury for Chris, as he travels some 550km per day – the equivalent of Paris to Amsterdam or Perth to Coolgardie.
The world record attempt will be equivalent to swimming the English Channel 14 times straight, doing 45 consecutive marathons, or enduring nearly 1 million pushups. Obviously the need for food will be great, with Chris expected to need 10,000 to 12,000 calories a day. That equates to around 7 weeks’ worth of food over a 1 week period. Other endurance cyclists report soreness in their jaws from eating so much.
That will be the least of Chris’s concerns as he battles sleep deprivation, arguably the biggest obstacle of the ride.
To make a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service please ensure ‘Chris Marris’ or reference #98742 is entered in the comments box. https://www.thankq.net.au/donate/v211/Donate1.aspx?ref=5638860728&pid=3
by Jonny
Well I’m sure this won’t be the only report that mentions this but ‘how bloody cold was it last weekend’ ! Luckily our start time was not till 9.10am which would give the body a chance to thaw out a little.
I arrived at the velodrome early as Lennie was also riding in an all-girls team and was due to start a bit earlier. We parked up and straight away could here a call of ‘traitor’. Either this was the guys I rode the last two cyclo’s with giving me grief or some of the SPR crew giving Lennie grief. Luckily it was Lennie getting the grief….. the traitorous devil.
Registration was very straight forward and having the SPR tent on site made meeting up with the rest of the crew easy. A few introductions were made as many on the team did not know each other nevermind trained or rode together. We rode the 8km to the start together apart from Mike B who said he would meet us there. Having ridden with Mike for some time now I was expecting him to join us on route from a random side street as he so often does on group rides.
A few of the girls in Lennie’s team had driven up to the school so this was a chance to offload a few layers of clothing in people’s cars ready for the start. Unfortunately one of her team mates had a puncture and they were all at the school trying to fix it. I rode down to the starter to request a later start for them. I told him nine girls were trying to fix a puncture and it was not a pretty site !
While queuing for the start we were surprised to see a casual looking Morrison and Mike Tan; this calmness evaporated a little when we pointed out there SPR team had left 6 mins beforehand. We told them to jump in with us and we could all work together to pull the other teams back. We did end up pulling back the 2, 4 and 9 min gaps to the other SPR teams but the extra guys only stayed with us for the first 15 mins or so and decided to save some energy for when they did catch up. I’m looking forward to the write up’s from the other teams to get all the details.
The ride went well and the team worked great together. Those feeling the strain did short turns on the front while others feeling good pulled longer. One or two calls of ease up on the drags and out of some of the corners but on the whole we gelled well. We said hello to the other SPR groups when passing and were pleased that we caught quite a few teams without getting passed ourselves. It’s a shame we couldn’t find an extra 3 riders to make a complete team as this would have been a bonus; still 9th fastest is not too bad especially as I know at least four of the teams ahead of us didn’t wait for tiring riders or those with mechanical problems in the true cyclo-sportif spirit.
Well done to all my team members and to everyone who took part on the SPR teams also and a big congratulations to those who put in some great performances at the track.
Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/106627723232873020094/PlanBCycloSportifSwanValley2010#
Results
By Jonny
The day started with a call from Pete saying he was running late and to not wait as he would join us later on the route. Pete also said that Julian was still in bed and wouldn’t be riding either. Now if I was writing for the West Australian and not the SPR blog I would have put two and two together come up with 7 and wondered what Julian was doing in Pete’s bed in the first place! If I was a journalist for A Current Affair I would have put two and two together come up with 13 million and announced “President and Vice President of SPCC in love pact plan plot to terrorise Perth’s Roads……..blah blah…..mortage rate increase….blah blah…….petrol price increase. Truth is they were probably both cooking breakfast in bed for there understanding partners but were too macho to admit it !
Luckily I had checked out the route and was confident of at least leading the fast group. Christophe offered to look after the rest as the route was programmed into his Garmin. I told everyone the plan and after emphasising where the split would take place we were on our way. Heiko and Alistair led us but it wasn’t long before Mark H rode to the front to slow us down because someone had a mechanical. I’m not sure who this was or what the problem was but by the time we got to Canning Hwy I was getting the thumbs up from the back of another long line of cyclists (very impressive for Mother’s Day) and we rolled on. Heiko and Alistair did a good job on the front and after that it was my turn. There was a bit of reluctance from the main group guys near the front to come and join me but it wasn’t too long before somebody did and after one wrong turn we were soon nearing the first climb of Welshpool Rd.
Strangely there was no big surge here just a couple of people pulling slowly away. I later found out a group had got stuck at the lights on Tonkin containing most of the ‘climbers’. Ashley set a good pace from the start but it wasn’t too long before Mike, Heiko, Jarrad etc were up to join him. Stuart and Dan (on the Alloy Cervelo..Insert nickname here) were also up front but decided to take Melaleuca Rd instead of Lesmurdie. I think turning left on to a steeper road while already climbing didn’t appeal too many but I do know Pete is planning to map this on a future ride so beware. Also when he does make sure you follow Stuart (not always easy) and Dan rather than Matthew who went that way and got lost.
Up front Mike and Ashley pulled away, Sato was chasing alone followed by Jarrad alone chasing Sato, followed by Heiko myself, and Dan (yet another one…on a Giant formally De Rosa Dan I think) chasing Jarrad. On the last kick upwards Jarrad had caught Sato and Heiko and I had caught them both. Jarrad suggested letting Sato take the points after his superb effort. I agreed but then my legs didn’t and they sprinted off up the road taking me with them.
1st hill (Welshpool): bonner, ashley, jonny, heiko, sato
We re-grouped at the petrol station and it became clear it was going to be quite a small group considering how many had started. I guess most needed to be back early but would not be surprised if a few others simply followed the wheel in front and missed the Lesmurdie Rd turn off. I had a photo request at the top and only later wondered about identity theft……oh well not much to steel anyway.
The descent down Lawnbrook was fun but on the climb Heiko, Ainsy and I were happy in the laughing group and left the hard work to others. The talk at the top was wondering where Brodie was; being a good son we summarised but when we heard an obscenity from Jarrad it almost insinuated Brodie had been left with his Mum !! (you probably had to be there…..)
2nd hill (Observatory): bonner, ashley, dan, stuart, sato
The Camelberg was next but after Mike B put in a big effort on the steep bit it was game over for me. Pete joined us here and after some chat it was time to do Mundaring Weir Rd and head to Kalamunda. Nobody was sure who got over the line first so Mike might want to correct us here. Regardless I somehow think his KOM title will be safe for another month.
3rd hill (Camelburg): ashley, bonner, stuart, dan, jarrad
By now my legs had decided they didn’t want to play anymore so no more contesting hill points for me.
4th hill (Mundaring Weir Rd): bonner, ashley, stuart, dan, jarrad
Hopefully part 2 will follow as I and a few others decided to bypass the last climb in order to head home a little earlier. Unfortunately this plan didn’t work out as the coffee only arrived 30 seconds before the Gooseberry Hill raiding party did. In Chris’s case his muffin arrived long after the ones ordered by the second group !!
5th hill (Gooseberry) ?????
At least we had a fair sized group for the ride home. The group stayed together really well and didn’t even need to wait for a re-group at the bottom of Welshpool. After sharing the work on the way home I tried to take the final sprint and thought I was going to get it before being over-taken by a blur of white poserness.
By Jonny
First thing to note today was how bloody cold it was. Base layer, wind vest, arm and leg warmers for me plus long fingered gloves. OK I admit I am soft and surprisingly I do feel the cold after living in a ski resort for 7yrs before coming to Perth. The cold didn’t seem to deter anybody though and we had another great turnout. It also seemed that not as many were racing this weekend so the fast group was the largest it’s been for a while. Many of our regular racers were out such as Steve, Matty, Brendon, and Bec all sporting SPR club kits. Cyclists are a funny bread, you would think the inclusion of the Mur de Gooseberry would have put a few off; in fact it seemed the opposite with a few riders I spoke too coming especially due to the climb being included.
The ride out was fairly uneventful and gave everyone I chance to catch up. The traffic lights also gave me a chance to get rid of a few items of clothing as I was sure I wouldn’t need them for the Mur. When we got to Dundas Rd after around 15km and a quick chat with Pete I decided to start a roll-through. Thanks to John, Bec, Matty, Melvin, Pete and a few others for your efforts but after rolling through three or four times is as many minutes it was obviously the bunch was not interested in working too hard before the climb and the attempt ended.
Daniel H and Pete led us up the start but with a howling headwind it wasn’t going to be easy. I soon found myself on the front but was very happy when a few others including some new guys took up the pace. I followed Ryan for a while noticing how he seemed to be at the opposite end of his cassette to me. The big sprockets make it easier mate !!! or did you just want to make Gooseberry hill more challenging ? True to form Mike Bonner took the honours at the top from Ryan and a fast moving train of Steve, Matty and Joe who all flew past me on the last steep section. I was happy to pass over 7th or 8th behind Julian and not too far away from the leaders.
A re-group took place at the top and when it looked like we had everyone we turned left for the descent down the zig-zags. This is always a nice place to ride and the pace down was fairly relaxed even if we did scare a few riders riding up the other way. It was also very smoky apparently due to a “controlled burn off”. I fail to see how it was controlled……make sure the wind is blowing strongly…..check……make sure the wind direction is towards Perth…..check……make sure it’s the day before every poor war veteran with breathing difficulties is taken out of every nursing home in Perth……check.
Gus led us down Ridgehill Rd but when we turned on to Bushmead the pace picked up with Ryan doing a big turn on the front at around 50km/h. I went and helped for a little while but when I pulled off discovered a very long single line of riders and it seemed a long way before I was able too get back in. I couldn’t see the front too well now but was pretty sure I could see Brendon driving the bunch with Ryan and keeping the bunch stretched out and the speed high all the way to Guildford Rd.
I used the stop at the junction to move back to the front and did a couple of efforts on the front swapping turns with Julian. This didn’t last too long as 43km/h obviously wasn’t fast enough and a surge took the pace up to 47-48km/h. I think we started loosing some of our big bunch here partly due to the accelerations, the uphill drags and riders getting caught at traffic lights. Matty, Ryan and a few others proved strong here and got gaps only to be caught by the lights. I’m not sure how many times it happened to them but I’m sure it would have been very frustrating.
By the time we rolled onto Railway Pd there was still about 10 of us together. Again a surge went and again Ryan et al got away only to be caught at the lights. Just before the East Perth climb Bec indicated we had a small gap and we gunned it; we weren’t expecting to pull away but with the luck some of the guys had been having we were hoping the lights would go Red and give us a break. No such luck though and on the climb Ryan and Matty again proved too quick. Julian and I were next up and could see the lights were on Red for the two leaders; however when we got there it was only Matty waiting, seems it was one Red too many for Ryan to cope with. He did however pull up and ride back to the group before Riverside Dr.
Turning onto Riverside Dr after yet another Red I was surprised to see Pete, Daniel H, Dav and a few others we had not seen since the top end of Guildford Rd appear and ready to contest the finish; after the numerous splits and escapes the group was amazingly back together. The sprint was too fast for me and I was a spectator as Ryan led a few others over the finishing line.