Handicap racing is fun, but there is a bit of know-how that you can learn that will greatly improve your confidence and chances at a result.

With Collie – Donnybrook fast approaching and many of SPR’s riders doing this in preperation for the Tour of Margerat River, the race committee will be holding a skills/training session this Sunday at 4pm in kings park with the help of a couple of special guest stars.

• Sunday 14/07/2013
• 4pm – 5.30ish, arrive warmed-up
• Meet here – http://goo.gl/maps/jFuKR 
• Learn how to race this – http://www.wa.cycling.org.au/site/cycling/wa/downloads/2013/Events/2013_08_17%20Collie%20Donnybrook%20Classic/2013%20Collie%20to%20Donnybrook%20Flyer%20and%20map.pdf 

oh, “but it might be wet” you say, its true, water from the sky can be terrifying, but then it might also rain on race day…so stop sooking about getting wet and turn up regardless (this is you Jerry). 

If you are racing the Tour of Margeret river, this is a great (mandatory!) chance to catch up with your team mates, roll through with them, learn a few things and get some motivation to keep training. Be there.

Please pop your name below so we have some idea of the number turning up.

Team selection for the Tour of Margaret River was difficult, SPR has a growing number of competitive cyclists and SPR’s Race Committee had to spend a fair amount of time deliberating.

The good news is that the organisers have added another category at the pointy end allowing us to enter 6 teams across the various grades, this provide a broad scope of categories for various abilities and the chance for riders to challenge themselves to train and compete over the coming months.

The bad news is that we could not accomodate everyone and that Category 1 will be hyper competitive for the lucky 6! 

Riders were selected via a range of factors, more went into the decision then looking at who gets to Dome first on a Saturday morning. If you feel slighted please, no online rants, come and see me. It’s unlikely that the teams will change, but i may be able to provide you with some feedback and rationale. If you think you’ll struggle in your category, get training, you have four months to prepare.

Please note the arrows;

• Should we have a rider withdraw (for excellent reasons, remember the commitment you made via the last blog post!) everyone will move up
• For example, should John Gilbertson be unable to race, Dave Manners would move to Category 1, Ben Madsen to Category 2 and so on. The first row of riders are our Team Captains and will not move categories.
• If you withdraw, you will not get your money back, and you will not be popular.

Where to from here?

• We will shortly create an item in SPR’s shop for you to pay your entry fee
• Accommodation will be arranged and detailed on a separate blog post
• Information on training and racing will be provided over the coming months
• Get racing, sign yourself up for;
  • Pickering Brood #3 RR – http://www.wa.cycling.org.au/event.asp?ID=3259&format=popup
  • Collie Donneybrook Handicap – http://www.wa.cycling.org.au/event.asp?ID=3258&format=popup

Thank you,

The SPR Race Committee

Update: We have 6 Teams registered, the addition of another team means we will need a couple of additional days to finalise the rosters.

Hello All,

The Tour of Margaret River  is set for November and is a rare chance (in WA) to participate in a stage race, run November 8 – 10 and including a range of different disciplines it should be fun

• 25k TTT
• 25k Road Race
• 30k Kermesse
• 75k Road Race

There are five categories to choose from in which there will be teams of 6 riders;

1. Category 1  
   1. Entered teams to consist of a mixture of A and B grade riders.
2. Category 2  
   1. Entered teams to consist of a mix of B grade, C grade, Elite Female and Elite Masters.
3. Category 3   
   1. Entered teams to consist of predominately C-grade riders and female riders.
4. Category 4   
   1. Entered teams to consist of riders who do not normally race including Females.
5. Category 5   
   1. Teams consisting of all female riders.

Entries open July 1 and we would love to enter a number of teams across the various categories, the experience you gain in the lead-up and over the four days will greatly assist your riding and racing, please note;

• This is a competitive event, team members and grade entry will be decided by the race committee with a view to best possible performance.
• It is pay as you go, we will work to find accommodation for everyone at the best price but the cost of food, entry and accommodation is yours to cover.
• If you nominate yourself please consider the small size of the teams and effect you will have if you pull out, do not place your name below unless you are willing to commit to training, attendance and best possible performance over the four days.
• We will arrange for training advice and group sessions for the teams

Please carefully consider the information above and if you are still  interested please place your name and preferred grade below before 27 June.

Got a power meter and dont fully understand how it works and what its telling you? Or, are you googling “cycling power meter” after reading the post title?

Then Brad Hall Cycle Training has a sesion you may be interested in – Power pdf HTC Flyer

My expereince is that a powermeter has helped my training immensly, if you are looking to get faster i would highly recommend one after educating yourself at a session such as this.

If you’re interested follow your nose on the linked PDF above, spaces are limited so register early if you’re keen.

The guys were posing for this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5DAX0LNtrE&sns=em 

After being off the bike most of February with a chest infection and struggling to get over subsequent asthma issues through March, April swung by and I could feel the lungs clearing quite nicely so mid-April I emerged from under my rock and went onto the SPR website to see what everyone was up to. There on the blog page was Luke !’s post for the Goldfield’s Cyclassic. Ok I could be interested. I do need to put something on my calendar to motivate me back into training. I’ve never done a handicap race before. I’ve never raced greater than 75km before. I’ve never done a 2 day road race before. Sounds perfect right?

 So I had myself 6 weeks to get from being dropped on a Main 2 ride to being able to knock out a 2 day race with the goal of hopefully finishing in contact with the lead group from my C Grade handicap. This wasn’t going to be easy but we set goals for a reason don’t we.

 Week after week of a variety of stationary trainer sessions in the garage, SPR rides, Old Papa’s rides and the odd race here and there I could feel some form coming back. I wasn’t going to be back to where I was before falling sick but I was happy to be moving forwards rather than backwards.

 Day 1: Kalgoorlie to Menzies

Having arrived in Kalgoorlie late Friday made it possible to get a very comfortable night’s sleep and prepare for the day’s race without too much pressure, even fitting in a relaxing breakfast at Dome.

 I was racing in C grade for this event which had a handicap of 16 minutes to D grade on the road ahead of us, with B grade starting 10 minutes behind us, and A grade another 10 minutes behind them. Our goal was to catch D grade of course. B grade behind us was only a slim group of 17 riders so we anticipated they would only catch us if they managed to hold on to A grade on their way past.

 The usual pre-race jitters on the start line had set in and were made worse by the ice cold air but soon we were off and rolling with a rather stiff tailwind. I soon forgot all about the cold. The first 30km brought on plenty of hurt, a combination of the group wanting to shake loose as many coconuts as possible and the legs and lungs not being properly warmed up yet. We clocked a 49.1kmh average for the first 30 minutes before things started to get settled. What was left of the C grade group got a really smooth roll through happening. There were many times I found myself spinning at +55kmh and flicking the lever for more gears only to find there were none. So the only option was to make the legs go faster! It was a sensational feeling to be flying along at such speed in a group that was rolling turns like clockwork. The legs were feeling good and the heart rate was at a high but manageable 170 average and we continued this way for another 70 odd kms until…

 BAM!

 At the 111km mark I stop pedalling to take a drink and my right quad locked up. I grabbed the back of my knee and forced my leg to unlock then buried myself to get back on the wheel in front. A bit of hurt and I was back on and safe again. Then as we hit a small rise, the group slows slightly, I stop pedalling and…

 BAM!

 My left quad locks up this time. I shout a few swear words, unlock my leg and proceed to bury myself again and manage to get back on but this time try to keep a little bit of distance to the wheel in front so that I can so keep pedals turning through the speed fluctuations but at the next rise…

 BAM!

 The same thing happens to the left quad again. I loosen it up but…

 BAM!

 There goes my right quad again! Bugger! I think that’s me done for today. I was left with no choice but to let go of the group and tap out a smooth tempo for the remaining 20km to the finish line. I was pretty disappointed at that moment as my goal had been to finish with the lead group in my handicap, but very quickly after crossing the finish line I reflected on what I had just achieved. I had just raced the fastest I had ever raced, the longest I had ever raced, and viewing the results which were literally published half an hour after crossing the line I was very pleased to see that I had only lost 6 minutes to the lead group for those last lonely 20kms. I finished the 130km stage with an average speed of 43.7kph. And then I realised I had to do all this again tomorrow!

 Day 2: Menzies to Leonora

 A bit more of a rush this morning as we had to transit from Kalgoorlie to Menzies for the race start. Breakfast was a quick hotcakes and syrup and McDonalds then we were on the road with heavy bouts of déjà vu as we retrace yesterday’s race route.

 Menzies was deathly cold with an icy wind that cut through to the bone. And to make matters worse it was a cross/headwind today. Oh how nice!

 The first 30km was very similar to day one. Very hectic, with copious amounts of pain, and clocking a 39.7kph average into the headwind. We soon settled into a nice roll through after we had shelled out more than half of the group (sorry guys, I was just following the leader), ensuring all the riders left in the group were working and no one was getting put in the gutter.

 In wind conditions like this it became evident quickly that you either draw the short straw or the shorter straw. If you don’t roll through you end up sitting in the wind for a long time which will really wear you down. So you’re better off keeping your position in the roll through to receive that brief moment in the sheltered lane to let the heart rate drop and get some feeling to return to the legs, all the while aware it’s only a matter of time until you’re the one on the front pushing your painface into the wind, just hoping the guy next in line is tight on your wheel and is kind enough to not put a gap of 5 bike lengths in front of you before deciding to move across. It took a while for a few of the guys to realise that was of no help to anyone.

 We soon had everything rolling tight and smooth again and the average speed was very slowly rising as we ticked off 40km, 50km, 60km. The average heart rate was lower than yesterday which was very encouraging! I was feeling good and it looked like I would manage to stick with the lead group to the end. We tick off 70km then…

 BAM!

 What was that! No it wasn’t the quad cramps this time, it was A grade scratch group thundering past. In a matter of seconds we went from being a tight group rolling through at 40-42kph to a strung out line of panic stricken souls pushed hard in the gutter and fighting to maintaining the 46-48kph average that had just been handed to us. You can guess where I was when this happened. Yes that’s right. I was about 4 or 5 riders from back. A few of our C grade group who were at the front managed to latch on to A grade and this ripped big gaps down the paceline. I stuck my nose out into the wind and almost gave myself a hernia trying to work my way up 1 or 2 riders at a time but after about 5kms of this I was totally spent and had no choice but to back off. I was on my own now. I did manage to pass a few more riders that had held on longer than me and in turn I was passed by a few others that had got some organization happening. I tried to catch their wheel but hadn’t recovered enough to give the acceleration needed to set the hooks in.

A few kms later a B grade group came past with Toby and Des in it. I received some shout of encouragement (I think) and put in a big effort to jump on their group with success…for about 500m. I was soon back to tapping out a smooth tempo to solo it to the finish just like yesterday.

 Very much like yesterday I had that feeling of disappointment for not realising my goal of finishing with the lead group from my grade, and very much like yesterday once I had reflected on what I had just done I was very pleased with myself. Even after losing contact with the main group and having to solo 34km to the finish line I lost less than 11 minutes to them finishing the 105km stage with an average speed of 38.4kph.

 I will definitely be back again next year and hopefully on the back of more than 6 weeks training. Many thanks to everyone who came out to race and even bigger thanks to those who came out to support us. You turned a race away from home into a most memorable weekend. It was great to be there to share many personal triumphs.

Well done SPR!

The view of the Kalgoorlie Menzies Race from a heated seat.

I arrived in Kalgoorlie late on Friday night, and went straight to the school camp. I was loitering in the car park like a seedy paedophile when Luke came to my rescue. On Saturday I had breakfast at Dome, then I watched the start. I drove to the feed zone and then onto Menzies. Sunday I attempted the Menzies breakfast then watched the start. Driving to Leonora, I only stopped at the halfway point to cheer. I did over 1,700kms over the weekend. Big deal, I did not cycle, I drove.

The hard men and women who took part completed an 85 year old race, dressed in lycra dicing with the Road Trains in the cold wind and rain. There were two accidents. One was blown off his bike by a Road Train while feeding and the other getting ready for the Sprint for the line in Leonora.

If you did not make it to the race, then you have no idea about it. Sorry, go to it next year, or live thinking you are hard because you ride in the rain. On Saturday the temperature on the dashboard of my car did not get over 14 degrees, I had to put the heater up every time I opened the window to speak to the riders I passed. (That comment is aimed at Greg).

If you don’t want to ride it, then go as a support person. It was a fantastic event as a support person as the landscape is spectacular; the roads are good; the racing is close; the accommodation cheap and cheerful; and the camaraderie fantastic.

 Fun to be had as a support person:

• I complained about the cold in my jacket, shirt, t-shirt and about a 4inch layer of insulation I carry called fat. While the cycling greyhounds staggered around in lycra before the start. They then thanked me as I took their last layer of warm clothing on the start line?
• I offered my hot coffee to a cyclist as I passed in the car, only to be greeted with stares that would freeze hell, but it made me laugh.
• I stood on the side of the road and cheered and watch them fly by. Some stopped and refuelled, shaking with blue lips thanking me for being there.
• The breakfast at the Menzies Hotel, huge.
• Watching people with blue lips tell you that they are ‘not that cold’ at the finish.
• The look of achievement on everyone that finished.
• The support of the Menzies and Leonora communities.

I will ride this event next year. I have nothing but respect for anyone who rode that weekend and crossed the line in Leonora. The landscape, history and support for this event ensure that it is worth the trip east.

 Travis “I have heated seats, a bottle of single malt and half carton of beer, let’s do this” Kean

About 12 months ago, just after I move up to Main 3, SBS Cycling Central ran a piece on a 2 day race in the Goldfields.  I watch the vision and though that one day it would be really cool to race. Gradually that thought took hold and started to sound less stupid as I started to get faster.  I had cycled from Kalgoorlie to Leonora 30+ years ago on a school camp and thought “big flat roads = my kind of cycling”. I had a go at a few crits over summer and then the first time I hung on to Main 2, it was on – I was going to have a crack at the Goldfields Classic. 

I registered in D Grade.  Met the SPR bunch in Kalgoorlie on Friday evening at the Camp School where we were staying in dorms and then off to find food.  After a surprisingly good night’s sleep, up on Saturday morning, off to brekkie at the Dome, registration and finally race briefing.  It was starting to sink in that I was actually about to start in my first road race and that I had 132km to pedal to Menzies.  Mild panic. 

Back to the dorms, on with the SPR kit, race numbers and a final check of the bike.  It was a handicap race so D grade was off first at 10.24.  10am and I jumped on the bike and, pedalling the few k’s into town, I felt really pumped.  On the start line and even with a freezing (thankfully tail) wind, I was sweating and my heart rate kept going up. 

3,2 1 go and we were off.  As we headed up the 300 or so metres to the first (and only) corner I thought, “this is a bit slower than I was expecting”.  Then we turned the corner and almost 50 riders took off and the speed kept lifting.  I sneaked a look down after a couple of minutes and I was doing 42km/h and still accelerating.  The pace seemed to settle between 40 and 45 km/h and I was pedalling as hard as I can remember just to hang on.  The peloton was shedding riders off the back in 1s and 2s. At about 25kms a long shallow incline saw my speed dropped to the mid-30s.  That was it, the gap widened and I was in a bunch of 1, then a bunch of 3 then 4 then 1 again.

At around 50kms in C grade came past me like a freight train. No chance to get on.  There were constant words of encouragement from SPR/Dome riders as the faster groups went past and a “jump on” for one group (B grade?).  What the hell, I jumped on and the next thing I know I am doing 55kms/h on the flat and I was hanging on!  The smile widened (or was that just sucking in air??) and the adrenalin started to surge.  Then along came another pesky little incline.  Anyone that rides with me knows I do not go up any hill at 55, no matter how shallow and how much tailwind!  Off they sailed into the distance and I resumed my solo pedal smiling that I had held 55km/h for around 2 kms.

Through the feed station, feeling like a pro as I tossed my empty bottle towards my wife Fiona and the first SPR bus. Before I knew it I was in the main street of Menzies.  I had finished my first road race at an average of 35km/h.  It was the longest distance I had ever ridden nonstop. I was buzzing.

Back in the bus, back to Kalgoorlie and off to find pasta with the group.  Early night, and up to do it all again.  Macca’s run for brekkie (the Dome was closed) and an hour and a half drive back to Menzies.  Quick lap of the town and off to the start line in what felt like an artic gale which I realised would be a head/cross wind. Crap. 

3,2,1 go. A combined D and E grade bunch took off towards Leonora and no matter how hard I tried, my legs just didn’t want to go round fast enough.  When I was dropped at less than 2kms from the start, I knew I was in for a long hard day.  I honestly don’t remember much about the next 60kms other than I was cold, other groups sped past me, I couldn’t hang on to any of them for more than a few kms and I really wanted to stop pedalling.  With about 40kms to go Greg Murray (SPR C grade) caught me and, boy was I glad to see him.  We took turns at the front and bitched about how stupid we were to attempt such a race knowing full well all such thoughts would be forgotten once we crossed the finish line.  As soon as we reached Leonora they were duly forgotten.  The smiles were pretty big! 

Overall I finished in 110^th place with a combined time of 7h00:53 (1h34:51 behind the winner) for an average speed of 33.6km/h over 235.4kms.  I was over the moon. When I covered the same distance as a 17 year old, it had taken us 5 solid days riding.  I had just done it in 7 hours! 

The racing was fast and, on Day 2, everything hurt, but I am surprise by just how much I kept smiling.  It is just addictive.  I loved it.  I’m hooked.

I have a new appreciation for those who race at the upper end of the sport.  I also got to hang out with, and learn from, an absolutely great bunch of SPR people, including some I didn’t know before the weekend.

To those that have never race before, all I can say is give it a go.  The apprehension is worse than the reality, it’s an awesome buzz and you don’t have to be first across the line (or even finish with the bunch) to make worthwhile.

Roll on next year, as I will be back fitter, faster and determined to finish with the peloton.

A  few months back, Andrew Williams (the Main 2 Andrew W, as he would be quick to point out) mentioned that there was a good looking event on the June long weekend – the Goldfields Cyclassic. Two handicapped stages over two days starting in Kalgoorlie, riding into open red dirt plains and a total of 235 kms. I’ve entered the SPR Club Crits in D Grade, done one road race of 50kms in Gidgegannup but never done an in-one-go distance past 100kms –  certainly haven’t done two big days back to back. According to the Cycling Australia guidelines, C Grade here I come.

So after the SPR minibus road trip and overnighting in Kalgoorlie, we got a Dome breakfast (where else, eh?) and got to the race briefing. It is 6 degrees outside, overcast and at least a tail wind today. We hit the start line at 10:40 for the C Grade start with Jason Gordon, Daniel Harvey, Amanda Nabi (in a Unicorn Brewery kit for the event), and Alistair Dickinson. It looked like the SPR green kits dominated in club representation, which was great to see. Countdown – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 off you go! A quick spin up to speed, a left hand turn out of Kalgoorlie town centre onto the Goldfields Highway and before you can say “I’m not quite warmed up”, we’re in a roll through formation carrying in excess of 50km/hr. This is gonna be tough.

10kms in, it becomes apparent that the intensity isn’t going to let up until the first of four intermediate sprints – only the first one has a winner for each grade, the rest going to the first rider across the line. 16.5kms in and the first sprint looms, positions are sought. 17.5kms and it starts to pick up faster. 17.7kms and they are well and truly off. I’m thinking it should all settle down after the first sprint, but the stronger riders weren’t interested. Bearing in mind Amanda is in this grade, we should have known.

35kms down and still holding an average speed of 45+km/hr and I think better of burning out and drop off the back of the group. Daniel appears off the back soon after with one of the Squadra Espresso riders – Justin – that we often see on a Tuesday morning River loop. Jason appears from behind about 5km later having had a chain drop and has chased back on. The four of us share the work and decide to at the very least, catch the other C graders that may drop off and definitely catch D Grade. With wet roads ahead and a face full of red dirty water off the wheel in front, we kick on. At 60kms I realise I can’t keep the pace and drop off the back. The other three still looked quite strong and I am resigned to 80 solo kms. I wasn’t sure what to be thinking. I’d just ridden the hardest, fastest 60km of my life – as close to an SPR Fast Group pace as I’d know. I had 80kms still today and another 105 tomorrow to go, there’s not another living soul within 10kms of me and I am singing Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust” in my head, over and over. Good times.

Over the course I’d been cheered by several support vehicles for other riders, local indigenous families cheering near their property entries, Travis’ hilarities/smart arse comments every time he passed in the “Drug Dealers” car and road trains in the dozens. Two, three and four trailer varieties, often over 100km/hr and always kicking up dirt, rocks and buffeting winds. Three and a half hours later and crossing the finish line was amazing. I coasted towards softer ground on the roadside as I wasn’t sure my leg would work when I kicked out of my pedals. Need food. Need warm clothes. Urgh.

Day 2, Menzies to Leonora. We’ve stayed overnight in Kal and driven back to yesterday’s finish/today’s start. I haven’t had a coffee (and that NEVER happens) and it’s after 10am. It’s a 17 minute wait at the café the opened yesterday. The Double Espresso is good, but too late. Tired from yesterday and cracking caffeine headache we head off. Today is a headwind of 20-35km/hr and I am clearly not a C Grade rider. Jason and Daniel look pretty good, Alistair looks strong, and Amanda – well Amanda still looks like she could sneeze and win a race. Pace picks up immediately, and we’ve rolling through at 35-40km/hr again, but into head/cross winds. It hurts. A lot. My headache hurts, my neck hurts, my triceps hurt. Half way down the slow lane of roll through and my vision blurs. I can’t see the wheel ahead clearly and I have half the field behind me. Signalling and pulling out to the right I let the peloton go past – I’m not keen to have the honour of bringing them down. It is the 5km mark. Shit – I can’t get a new song going. Back to “State of Love and Trust”.

Looking at 95 solo kilometres, I go through a few dark times. Out of the saddle to stretch the calves and back. Into the drops to relieve the sore arse in one spot. Shuffle back on the saddle and up onto the hoods. Repeat. I swear at the bumps in the road, I swear at the pockets on my SPR jersey and the elastic on the wind vest as they prevent easy access to some gels. First world problems, I remind myself. Harden up, Greg.

At 70 kms I make out another rider ahead – Andrew Williams (the Main 2 Andrew W) riding D Grade. Maaaaaaaaaaaaate!!!! The remaining 35kms is not really more fun than I’ve had, but different. It’s much more comfortable riding with a familiar face and encouraging voice. Probably the highlight was crossing the time check together 3 hours 30 minutes after starting. A total of 7 hours in the saddle for 235kms. Day 1 was an average speed of 37.5km/hr over 130kms, with the first 60kms at 41.4km/hr. That’s beyond anything I’ve achieved before and with the (slower) day 2, I’ve averaged 33.5km/hr for the 235kms.

SPR did really well. Andy Williams (the Fast one) placed third overall and the last intermediate sprint of Day 2. Jono and Luke finished top 20 overall. Toby ran second on day 1 in B grade. Jess Huston posts the fastest Women’s time at 5 hours 11 minutes, but the mysterious handicapping calculations have her 4^th place overall.

I would have been mid-field in D Grade rather than stone motherless last in C Grade, and have that in mind for next time. Yep – next time. Despite the challenges (and the 9 hour drive home after the event!) I’ll be in next year. I’ve not had more fun on a bike. Period. The event is brilliantly organised, the local communities support it with real pride and the scenery is amazing. After a days’ catch up sleep, a really, really, really, really nice beer, six big, heavy meals and enough muscle stiffness to need seven recovery rides, “next time” sounds good. I may need to have a bigger selection of songs to sing in my head – just in case.

Cheers, Greg

Entries close tuesday night and we have a couple of spots spare on the team bus(s) as per https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/2013-goldfields-cyclassic/ 

If your work roster or weekend plans have changed, give it a go, there’s grades from E to A allowing everyone to compete with riders at their level and, with a good handicap, you just might take home a big chunk of $40k!

Let me know if you’re interested.

lukeellis@iinet.net.au