South Perth Rouleurs

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 11^th October

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Zig Zag Camel Hummer 72.67km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Zig Zag Camel Hummer 72.67km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Zigzag Camel Glenisla Patterson Chook 90.98km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 12^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 13^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

1/2 Mild, 1/2 Spicy
Stay together till after Freo bridge

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 14^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 15^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 16^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 3rd – 9th Oct

October 1, 2026 peter

An important part of the rebuild this year has been a rebranding exercise. As we move forward we wanted to establish a new identity, or in part, lean heavily on our roots. What I mean by that is our branding should reflect who we are, which is the South Perth Rouleurs, and not get confused with acronyms.

The logo itself has never really taken off and no-one links the little swirly gear with SPR. If seen on its own, nothing really jumps out that says anything about us. So what we needed was a refresh of the font that makes up the name typeface and a redesign of the logo.

With a little help from a graphic designer we have settled on what you see attached. The font is a more modern design but without being too alternative and can still blend into a classic setting. Fashion changes by design and we wanted something that we would be happy with for quite a few years.

We wanted the logo to show more about who and where we are. By incorporating the SPR acronym into the logo it is clear who it is about. The chainring announces that we are a cycling club and the city silhouette and water show that we are in South Perth. The city view is exactly what you can see from where we start in Coode St, so it has some meaning to the club.

Our club colours are white, black and green. That is written into our constitution and therefore is not about to change. However, there is no specification as to what shade of green we use, so that is where some artistic licence can come into how the club can be represented.

The next step for the club is a new kit design. With these two elements locked down we can now move forward to refresh our look and identity. At our committee meeting this week, we heavily discussed the two submissions that came in from Society and Pedalare. Both brands have their own merits and we will make a decision soon on who we will be moving forward with. It is then onto deciding on a kit design and into production. The hope is to have everything wrapped up as soon as possible so that you can get a new Christmas present and ready for the Nationals.

This week, if you are wearing any variation of our kits at coffee after the Saturday ride, you will get a free keyring as shown in the attached picture.

From the Committee

Look at alternative methods of communication – WhatsApp
Creating teams for Club TTT
New platform for clubs (JustGo) finally transferring fees over
Discussion on the two submissions for kit supplier
Rebranding finalised

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Tour de France Pyrenees 2027 South Perth Rouleurs Bespoke Bike Tour
- Date: July 11-24, 2027Duration: 14 days / 13 nights
- Start: Toulouse Airport
- End: Toulouse Airport

Aigars, owner of HC Tours has designed and lead tours for our club members over the French Alps (2024 – image below), the Italian Alps into the Swiss Alps (2025) and arranged a trip across the mountains of the lesser known, but no less spectacular Green (Northern) Spain in 2026. After watching the TdFrance this year, one of our members wanted to be in the thick of it in 2027. If you want to know more about the Pyrenees TdF next year, you have the opportunity to meet Aigars in Perth. He will join the SPR Sunday social hills ride October 4th and early bird rides Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make him feel welcome and if TdF’27 sounds like you, have a chat with him and his wife Helena; both are here to compete in the UCI Gravel World Championships coming up.

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Tour de Cowaramup 18^th Oct –
The Tour de Cowaramup charity road bike event is on again this year on Sunday 18 th October. Three distances 60km (piccolo), 85km (medio) and 130km (gran) with funds going to assist men suffering from Prostate Cancer.

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Upcoming Racing

ATTA 40km Season Opener( ITT & pairs) – Northlink (4 Oct)
WCMCC Dog Hill Baldivis Road Race (4 Oct)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 2 (17 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)
AusCycling Club Team Time Trial (6 Jan)
AusCycling Club Criterium (8 Jan)
AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)

AusCycling Club Team Time Trial and Club Criterium – Expressions of Interest.

This is potentially the last year that the Nationals will be in Perth as it is the last official year on the three year contract. No idea where it may be moving to next year, and we don’t get many opportunities like this to race around Perth city roads. If you are interested, please click on the link to the Expression of Interest and let us know. We will then form up some teams and get back to you with who you will be racing with and what training opportunities we can provide.

Juniors

Finally the weather for this coming weekend looks fantastic for a ride !

On Sat 3/10 we will meet at the DNA tower car park in Kings Park (https://maps.app.goo.gl/qGZeYdg1odMofijt5) to practice some climbing and descending skills. The appointment is at 10.30am.

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them if it does not rain.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

From the Ride Coordinator

This weekend is looking good for cycling with sunshine, dry roads and negligible wind. This good weather should bring more of our SPR members out.
Dust off your skills and pick the right bunch! Consider your fitness & how long it has been since your last group ride. There may be new faces in your group.
As you may have heard, we had a few serious incidents last week and they were mostly due to rider inattention. We are asking that riders are mindful – no earphones, know the route, don’t overreach, don’t cross wheels or brake suddenly and do call obstacles. Ride within your capabilities and as your current fitness level allows. Also, show your commitment and wear your SPR gear. Choosing to participate in an SPR group ride means you have chosen to be part of a team!
Enjoy the ride and see you at Dome!

Saturday 3^rd October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans North Lake & Shelley 40.50km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Stock & Shelley 49.51km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 4^th October

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Khna Weir 68.66km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Khna Weir 68.66km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Khna Peet Can Mills MWR 90.55km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 5^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 6^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

One groups – mild first half with regroups, then a spicy second half after Fremantle

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 7^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 8^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 9^th October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 26th Sept – 2nd Oct

September 24, 2026 peter

EOI Club TTT and Criterium

For the past two years, alongside the National Elite time trials and criteriums, AusCycling has run two clubs focussed events. A Team Time Trial (TTT) and a Club Criterium. Both are age group based and both are club focussed. Unlike the majority of the racing held in WA, these events are for club representation only. Most races we normally see on our calendar are usually dominated by teams, in which case many riders are actually members of different clubs. Being an event run by AusCycling, the organisation in which clubs are affiliated, it makes sense to make this about club representation.

On Wednesday 6^th Jan, for the Team Time Trial, there will be teams of four riders and they will complete two laps of the circuit that circles Bold Park. Team categories are the sum of the 3 youngest members of the team at the end of 2027 (Open, Masters 90 +, Masters 120 +, Masters 150 +, Masters 180 +). Much like ToMR, only road bikes are allowed, with no aerobars or disc wheels.

On Friday 8^th Jan, the Club Criterium will be held in Northbridge. Again, teams of 4 and in the age group categories based on the combined age of the 3 youngest riders (Masters 90 +, Masters 120 +, Masters 150 +, Masters 180 +). Riders will be given points based on finishing position and sprints to determine the winning club. It doesn’t look like there is an Open category, so teams combined age of the youngest 3 needs to be greater than 90 yrs old.

We are putting out an Expression of Interest to see if any members would like to compete in these two events in the new year. If you wish to race and are keen to represent the club, we are looking at covering the entry fees for each event. Team based competition is a great way to train as it allows you to be externally motivated to go that extra mile. This is also a great way to show club support and we should have our new kit and branding available by then.

Some important points to remember-

Team events are on weekdays and you may need to take leave from work.
If you are a SPR Club add-on member you can only race with us if your primary club is not fielding a team in that category. It is your responsibility to confirm this before committing to a SPR team. You can transfer clubs, though, or do it when you renew if It happens before the event.
All riders must have a valid Race or Club licence in order to compete. No Ride or Day licences.

This is potentially the last year that the Nationals will be in Perth as it is the last official year on the three year contract. No idea where it may be moving to next year, and we don’t get many opportunities like this to race around Perth city roads. If you are interested, please click on the link to the Expression of Interest and let us know. We will then form up some teams and get back to you with who you will be racing with and what training opportunities we can provide.

From the Committee

Next meeting 29^th Sept

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Tour de France Pyrenees 2027 South Perth Rouleurs Bespoke Bike Tour
- Date: July 11-24, 2027
- Duration: 14 days / 13 nightsStart: Toulouse Airport
- End: Toulouse Airport

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Upcoming Racing

ATTA 40km Season Opener( ITT & pairs) – Northlink (4 Oct)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 2 (17 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)
AusCycling Club Team Time Trial (6 Jan)
AusCycling Club Criterium (8 Jan)
AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)

Juniors

Great job for James racing D grade at the Pickering Brook race!

The weather for this weekend does not look great again. So keep your phones next to you for any last minute update.

Once again I have to give the Kings Park ride a miss due to safety concerns about possible wet roads. We’ll be riding around Shelley, Rossmoyne and Manning areas.

We will meet (on Sat 26/9) at our usual spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y63Tt7vwTjsQWfYZ6) at 10.30am.

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them if it does not rain.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

Bike It To Ballidu on 27/9: if you will be going to the gravel event in September, please sign up choosing “SPR team” as your team. The event has several options including short distances for the juniors (11.7km is the shortest ride you can participate in). Check here: https://ballidugravel.com.au/rides/

From the Ride Coordinator

A few quick reminders to keep the bunch safe, smooth and riding strong:

Call out obstacles — give everyone a heads-up.
No half-wheeling — ride shoulder to shoulder.
Hold your line through roundabouts and corners.
Don’t run red lights — if we need to split, call “SPLIT!”

***NOTE***

The Dome Cafe will be closed this Saturday to allow maintenance work to be completed. As our rides return via Vic Park we will head into the lower café strip and stop at the Sunday location, SnL (see link below). Groups need to turn left at Bob Jane T-mart instead of heading down the hill towards the Causeway. There is limited space, but also a chance of rain may restrict numbers anyway.

Saturday 26^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans North Lake & Shelley 40.50km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Canning Vale & Welshpool 49.74km SPR Saturday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 27^th September

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Welsh Mel-Falls MWR 64.18km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Welsh Mel-Falls MWR 64.18km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Wlsh Obs Chook MWR Goose 91.08km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 28^th September (Public Holiday)

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am (Public Holiday)

Fast & Main: Public Holiday North 60.70km (2025ed) SPR Special

Tuesday 29^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 30^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 1^st October

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 2^nd October

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 19th – 25th Sept

September 17, 2026 peter

Ever since AusCycling moved to a new membership system this year, there has been a bit of debate about which licence type is best for you. Race, Club and Ride are all targeted towards riders with different goals in mind. However, the underlying insurance is pretty much the same. The difference in cost is basically reflecting the increase in risk between a recreational rider and someone in a race situation.

With the Gran Fondo early next year requiring a Race or Club licence to enter, this may encourage some people to join a club rather than just get a day licence. Just a reminder, however, although you can pay in monthly instalments, a licence and membership is a full year commitment. I have heard of some people that have taken up a membership and are intending to cancel it after the Fondo. Sorry to say, it doesn’t work that way.

The biggest complaint is often the cost of the membership, especially if you want to get a full Race licence. In all cases the club portion is a very small amount as the rest if made up of insurance and operating costs for AusCycling. So what I thought I would do today is breakdown exactly what you are covered for with your insurance. Bearing in mind that this is my interpretation of the policy and it is just to give you an idea of what you can ask for if you get in an accident.

Firstly, when are you covered? When you are involved in activities that are sanction by AusCycling and these include races, organised training (i.e. club rides), individual training rides, meetings, social rides and travel to and from these activities. Now I couldn’t find the definition of travel to and from, but it should be something that you could ask about if you get into an accident.

So, what is not covered? Medicare covered items (GP visits, surgeon fees, Medicare-listed scans), damage to your bike or equipment and non-sectioned by AusCycling events. What this means is that you claim via Medicare first and the things Medicare doesn’t cover, you can claim against your AusCycling insurance. Your bike, helmet, clothes, computer, glasses, etc are not covered and you should get a separate insurance policy to cover this. I have my bike listed on my home and contents insurance and have made a claim twice when I have crashed. Non-AusCycling events means that you need to ensure that the event organiser has their own insurance and you purchase a day licence for this event.

Most people know about all this, but what a deeper look shows is a bunch of cover that a lot of people won’t even ask about. Insurance companies are not in the habit of giving away money for nothing, so often if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.

The majority of the accidents that I have seen over my years riding the bike are ones that people walk away from and eventually get back to riding again. These are the ones that require a bunch of treatment to get you back but are not necessarily life threatening. For this you claim what you can via Medicare, then you claim via your private health insurance, then you claim the gap against your cycling insurance. You can claim 85% of these costs, up to a limit of $10,000. Dental is a bit of a tricky one here and often covers the initial injury, but not necessarily the restoration that follows.

Worse case scenario is that you die, have permanent total disablement, become paraplegic/quadriplegic, lose an eye, limb, or hearing. For all three membership types, you get a payout of $100,000. I didn’t actually realise that we could claim against the insurance policy if I died while riding. As morbid as it sounds, we do engage in a risky activity being on the road all the time, so I just made sure that my wife knows that we can claim against it too.

There is also an “income protection” benefit of up to $750 a week for up to 52 weeks. This one requires a lot more proof of temporary disablement and medical professionals to attest to it. It is worth asking about if you have to have time off work.

If you are injured and require someone to come and help you (not a relative, but a paid person) you can claim up to $200 per week for up to 52 weeks. Again this needs to be certified by a medical practitioner and is paid in arrears.

If you end up in hospital away from home but still in Australia, you can claim the travel and accommodation costs of your family to come and be with you while you remain in hospital. This is up to the values of $10,000 but covers “reasonable expenses” outside of 100km from home.

Funeral expenses are also covered up to the value of $10,000.

If any of the permanent disability things I mentioned previously occur, on top of the benefit amount, there is also a home and vehicle modification benefit. This allows up to the value of $10,000 for any medically certified modifications required for you to return to daily living activities. This includes thing like ramps in the home or changes to car (i.e. steering or pedals).

You can claim a one off “out of pocket” expense of $500 against transportation for the purpose of seeking medical treatment (i.e. you uber to the hospital), or also for medical mobility equipment (walking aids, scooters – probably doesn’t cover campagnolo gear).

Up to $20,000 is available for “Retraining and Rehabilitation”. This is after a temporary total or partial disablement but medical evidence must be supplied by the treating medical practitioner that the vocational training, tuition or guidance is necessary to rehabilitate you as a result of the Injury.

As a student you can claim up to $200 per week for up to 26 weeks to hire a tutor if a medical practitioner has determined that you are unable to attend class.

There is also an “unexpired membership benefit”. If you have prepaid for a gym, sporting club, etc, and have sustained a permanent disablement, you can claim up to $500 if a medical practitioner certifies that you can no longer participate.

There is a “Driver Service Benefit” to the value of $2500. On your return to work, if a medical practitioner certifies that you are unable to drive or travel on public transport, you can claim against using legally approved services like taxis or ride share.

And finally there is “Trauma Counselling”. If you or your family (partner, dependant children) require counselling as a result of a bodily injury sustained, then up to $1,000 per week up to $10,000 is available. Must be provided by a registered psychologist or psychiatrist and must be certified by a Medical Practitioner as necessary for your wellbeing.

Sorry for the length of this post, but I think that it is important for people to understand just what a membership can offer them. We, as a club, do what we can to provide a safe environment for you to pursue your passion for cycling. We pre-plan the routes, provide training for ride leaders, keep the groups sizes controllable, but there are so many unknowns out there that we may not see coming. Hopefully you never require to make a claim, but if you do, at least now you know what you can ask for.

From the Committee

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Japan April 2027

Please complete this brief EOI for the tour

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Upcoming Racing

MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
ATTA 40km Season Opener( ITT & pairs) – Northlink (4 Oct)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 2 (17 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)
AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)

Juniors

Super awesome ride by Hugh, representing the SPR juniors at Dwellingup 100! Hugh competed in the 20km race securing the 11th position out of 67 kids in the 8-11 year old category. Awesome job !

Great thanks to Hugh’s father, Andrew, for the pictures and his support with the junior program.

The weather for this weekend looks a little uncertain again. However, it should be OK for a late-morning ride.

Once again I have to give the Kings Park ride a miss due to safety concerns about possible wet roads. We’ll be riding around Shelley and Rossmoyne area, mainly along Riverton Drive, with a focus on group riding, positioning, communication and safe bunch handling.

We will meet (on Sat 19/9) at our usual spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y63Tt7vwTjsQWfYZ6) at 10.30am.

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them if it does not rain.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

Race: Pickering Brook #1 on 20/9/2026. Registrations: https://entryboss.cc/races/31952

From the Ride Coordinator

Rides are always more enjoyable when the group stays together, and shares the “work” evenly. This requires planning, self awareness, and sometimes some sacrifices.

Don’t be a Lemming – and follow other riders blindly. Each one of us is responsible for our safety and that of the riders around us so please remember to check for oncoming traffic at intersections – don’t rely on the “Clear!” call made by the first rider.

Saturday 19^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Cresswell 40.21km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: TV Stations 50.29km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 20^th September

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Kal Glenisla Palm Lwnbrk 60.03km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Kal Glenisla Palm Lwnbrk 60.03km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Kal Obs Goose 94.37km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 21^st September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 22^nd September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 23^rd September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 24^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 25^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 12th – 18th Sept

September 10, 2026 peter

I’ve been sick the last two weeks and it has been bad. Proper sick, too. Not some man-flu but a proper 6 days in bed with fever and aching joints. The weather gods were kind to me last week as there were a number of days where the club ride was washed out but I did manage to stumble out of bed last Saturday to kick off the groups. The morning drizzle has numbers down a bit but I still counted 55 riders that obviously missed enough rides during the week that they weren’t going to miss another Saturday. The previous Saturday when I was totally bed ridden, we had massive numbers, especially for a winter ride. It was estimated that between all the groups there were about 100 riders in attendance. Great to see so many there as it allows us to split into groups of like ability much better.

This week, though has been absolutely marvellous weather-wise, so I thought I better get back on the bike. It wasn’t pretty and I got dropped on the Tuesday Earlybird once we hit the hill on Preston Point Road. Something about a lack of lung capacity meant I didn’t make it up the hill with the group. But I’m a big boy and am capable to riding to coffee by myself. However, that ride has evolved quite a bit over the last year and we need to lay down some rules of engagement so everyone know what to expect.

First thing to cover is the meeting point. It has been under the narrows for the past 15 plus years and will continue to be there. However, as other groups also use the same starting point at the same time, it makes it hard to understand just how many riders we have and if we should split into multiple groups. As such we will slide a little further down the path and under the bridge itself. If you are approaching from across the road, we will be on the right once you hit the path.

Early in the year, Tuesday had two groups, a Relaxed and a Roll Through. Over winter, as numbers dropped this became one group with a variable pace. If we do build number back up, there may be a demand for a harder ride, but for now we are going to try to cater for both. The important thing for me is that the group stays together until it crosses the Stirling Hwy bridge. Even though it is early morning and traffic is light, riding solo over that bridge is not pleasant and an unnecessary risk to our riders. As such the first half of the ride will be “Relaxed”. Now relaxed does not mean Zone 2 as your Zone 2 and my Zone 2 may be two different speeds. Relaxed means that you take into account the whole group and maintain a conversational ride as we travel through the suburbs north of the river. Normal regroup at the water tower and then a controlled crossing of the bridge at Freo.

After that point we can let it get a bit spicy. The rest of the roads back towards Raffles are generally less busy and very much accustomed to having cyclists on them at all hours of the day. The aim would be to allow the spicier riders to get spicy and others try to hold on as best they can. It is also an opportunity to be smart about it too. If a bunch of riders get dropped together, then learn to work together to share the load.

Now this is definitely a divergence from how Tuesday has run in the past, but the club has been evolving over the last year and we need to try different things to maintain that attraction. There is a recovery ride the next day, so having a spicier ride on Tuesday is not necessarily a bad thing.

From the Committee

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Japan April 2027

Please complete this brief EOI for the tour

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Upcoming Racing

WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
ATTA 40km Season Opener( ITT & pairs) – Northlink (4 Oct)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)
AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)

Juniors

The weather for this weekend looks a little uncertain, but it’s still looking promising for a late-morning ride.

My original plan was to work on some hill and downhill skills. However, given the possibility of damp and slippery roads, I think it will be safer to focus on bunch skills this week.

We’ll be riding around Shelley and Rossmoyne area, mainly along Riverton Drive, with a focus on group riding, positioning, communication and safe bunch handling.

We will meet (on Sat 12/9) at our usual spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y63Tt7vwTjsQWfYZ6) at 10am. Session will end a little bit earlier (around 10.50am) due to a personal commitment.

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them if it does not rain.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

Race: Pickering Brook #1 on 20/9/2026. Registrations: https://entryboss.cc/races/31952

From the Ride Coordinator

It is always great to see a large turnout in club colours. Be seen in green.

We’re putting safety reminders in the spotlight this week. Please:

Call obstacles
Don’t half wheel; ride shoulder to shoulder
Don’t cross wheels (i.e. wheels overlapping)
Hold your line on roundabouts & corners
Don’t run red lights, call “SPLIT”

Saturday 12^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Mosman 40.39km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Wanneroo Kings Park 50.44km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 13^th September

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Zig zag, Hummerston 71.79km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Zig zag, Hummerston 71.79km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Zig zag, Chook, Obs 86.79km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 14^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 15^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 16^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 17^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 18^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 5th – 11th Sept

September 3, 2026 peter

As we have seen the past couple of years, alongside the National Road Championships being held in Kings Park, there is an opportunity for us non-elites to compete in the Gran Fondo on the same course. Last year this event sold our fast and entries opened for earlybird access at 10am this morning. I missed out last year and eventually got in via a transfer from another rider who had injured themselves. They couldn’t release any more spots as their insurance only covered up to the limit, so it became a bit of a scramble towards the end. This year I have climbed out of my death bed to make sure I didn’t miss out.

There are, however, a couple of changes that may affect which race you do as they are also offering a short course version. The Gran Fondo National Championship (long course) takes in 6 laps of the same circuit raced on the last two years. To be able to enter this event you need to have a Race or Club licence. A non-competitive Ride licence is not enough and no day licences are available for this race. If you want to be eligible for a national champs jersey, podium and medal, you need to have a Race licence. A Club level licence only allows you to race in club level events and as this is a National Championship, to be eligible you need a Race licence. You can enter on a Club licence, and if you think you will finish off the podium, then this will be all you need.

The short course race covers 2 laps of the same course and you do not need to be an Auscycling member to enter, but you get a discount if you are. The other difference is the age limits, where you need to be 15+ for the short course and 17+ for the long course.

Luckily you can get all the different licence types by becoming a member of our club and a visit to our membership page outlines the different types. If you have any questions about becoming a member, please contact the club or reach out to a committee member after one of our rides. It is important to note, that even though AusCycling offers a monthly payment, the commitment is for a year and you cannot just cancel your membership after the event.

Last year to assist in people training for the Gran Fondo, we ran a series of training sessions in the months leading up to the event. We will be doing the same again this year, and these will be open to everyone whether members of SPR or not. More details will come out soon on the specifics of each session, but basically there will be a Women’s only session on Tuesday morning in Kings Park, a Friday three lap session and a Sunday full six lap session.

The Tuesday Women’s session will concentrate on building confidence on the main climbs, while the Friday/Sunday sessions will be race-pace with regroups. Again the Fri/Sun sessions will regroup to neutralise the riders on Mounts Bay Road to minimise the risk of solo bikes dodging morning traffic.

This coming January is the last official year for the Nationals being held in Perth. Organising racing in Kings Park is costly and not something that can easily be activated without a lot of financial support. This may be our last chance for a while, so make sure you jump on board while you can as SPR has you covered for licence requirements as well as training.

From the Committee

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Japan April 2027

Please complete this brief EOI for the tour

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Upcoming Racing

WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)
AusCycling Gran Fondo National Championship (10 Jan)

Juniors

Last week we had another enjoyable ride around the Canning River Regional Park and along the Roe Highway. Hugh continues to make very impressive progress in his training, showing great improvement in his confidence, riding skills and overall endurance.

Due to a quite uncertain weather forecast we will not have our usual ride for the U11s. However the weather should be good for the club ride early in the morning. So our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

Race: Pickering Brook #1 on 20/9/2026. Registrations: https://entryboss.cc/races/31952

From the Ride Coordinator

It is always great to see a large turnout in club colours. Be seen in green.

At SPR, we encourage all riders to familiarise themselves with the planned route before joining a group ride. Not knowing the next turn can increase the risk of accidents — for you and others in the group.

Saturday 5^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Abernethy 39.96km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Abernethy Rd 48.21km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 6^th September

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Welsh Falls Repat MWR 74.76km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Welsh Falls Repat MWR 74.76km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Wlsh Obs Cam Goose 86.02km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 7^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 8^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 9^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 10^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 11^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 29th Aug – 4th Sept

August 27, 2026 peter

One of the four cornerstones that the club was built around was “inclusion”. Back in 2008 when the club was in its formative stages, it was important to us to define what it was that we were trying to achieve. Many of the clubs back then concentrated primarily on racing as you needed to be part of a club to be able to race. We didn’t have the 100 year history that many of the clubs had back then, so the skills to organise and run an event were very foreign to us. Coming to the Perth cycling scene from the outside, I did however see a fairly big gap. Many clubs back then had minimal group rides. This was often handled by the “shop rides” and some clubs even directed riders to do the shop ride instead. Our main differentiator was that we had club rides that catered for a variety of people.

When we first met at Coode St, there was only one group. This made things easy, but didn’t give any space for those that were not at a particular fitness/skill level. As the group grew, a faster segment wanted to push harder, so we split. The “fast” group would leave first, and at one stage did a slightly longer route, and then the second group would follow. The second group could not be called the “slow” group, so it became the “main” group.

As time went on and the club grew, it was clear that we were beginning to attract brand new riders that have never ridden in a club let alone a group environment. Social media was in its infancy but we maintained a very active website, so our club was often the first thing appearing when people were looking for rides in Perth. The development or novice group was formed to cater for these newbies and then a “transitional” group that bridged the distance between the novice and main routes.

People often commented that they were attracted to other aspects that mirrored our other cornerstones – “organised” (ride routes published and downloadable), “social” (coffee afterwards) and “safe” (even before ride leaders, there was a standard that was upheld in the groups).

The inclusion part was also in how we ran the club. We have never forced anyone to join the club to be able to ride with us. It is certainly encouraged and if you do ride regularly with us and feel that you are getting something out of it, becoming a member is an easy way of giving back. But another part of that is that you need to be a member to get the kit, so we also don’t enforce a kit policy either. We want people to be proud to represent the club, not have it forced upon them. As much as we love to see as many people in green as we can, we would rather just see them out riding with us.

The rebranding process is currently underway and the EOI for kit suppliers is still open. I have met with a few companies to fully understand what they can do for us and it is great to see such high quality products available to us in Perth. The logo and font is almost finalised, which when added to a new kit design should give us a fresh new look. There has been questions to me an others about when kit can be ordered. Please bear with us, this process takes time and we want to do right by both the club and the members. So as much as I want you in new kit, I want to see you in the right kit, with the right design, for the right price.

From the Committee

Review of the 2^nd Strategy session run by Gary, looking at attracting and retaining riders
Discussion on how to ensure details of new riders get to the right people to pass on information
Revision of Life Membership benefits
EOI’s back from prospective kit suppliers
Discussion with AusCycling about a potential criterium circuit
Discussion around if we require sponsorship during the rebuilding phase

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Japan April 2027

Please complete this brief EOI for the tour

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

SPR cycling trip across Northern Spain (currently on)

Some wonderful roads and scenery unfolded over the last week of cycling. Loving the roads (quiet), the climbs, the local bars and the food here. The climbs feel a lot harder than the Italian trip last year but apparently its actually similar elevations – seems the memory for pain is short. Also, very glad it is not as hot as the rest of Spain. Meanwhile La Vuelta continues elsewhere in Spain.

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Canola classic 2026

Canola 2026 really turned it on, with perfect weather, empty roads, great organisation and comradery amongst all participants. This is a personal challenge for most who compete with two distances that allow all who cycle to participate.

Photo by Dan Hoey at Broken Media; (L-R: Martyn & Nataasha Lethbridge; Jo McInnes; Mirelle Kerrigan; Carol Dowse; John Phillips; Linda Nelson; Rob Kerrigan and Jimmy Stoichev. Missing from photo but very much participants: Claire Tyrrell; Roger Cadle and Susan Taylor.

Collette Barbour; Shirley Vine, Natalia Tsirigotis and James Fowler participated under the banner of Canola Canaries.

Of the 315 who completed the 93km circuit, Martyn finished 31st for SPR, Claire 43rd; Adam Ralph (unbranded) finished an unsurprising sixth; 222 completed the 53km distance with Mirelle coming first in the group.

Kudos to our new SPR members Jimmy, Roger and James who participated in this event.

Some of us stayed two nights in York which was so much fun – so why not make a weekend of it next year.

Upcoming Racing

ATTA The Panther (Gravel) (30 Aug)
WCMCC Dog Hill Road Race (30 Aug)
WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
ATTA Earlybird 1 (3 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)

Juniors

Last week we had a very nice ride around Shelley, Manning and Rossmoyne area. We were lucky enough to catch the rain just at the end when we finished at the cafe.

The weather looks fantastic for this weekend too, so it should be a great opportunity for the kids to get out for a ride!

Saturday (29/8)

We will all meet at 10:30 am in Shelley at our usual spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Bq9tsEyDTef4qbu5):

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

From the Ride Coordinator

It is always impressive to see a large turnout in club colours. Be seen in green.

One of the reasons we like to keep the size of Saturday groups to around 15 riders, is to limit the physical length of the group on the road. Longer groups are a greater disruption to traffic, and more susceptible to being split at lights. One way to help maintain a compact group is for those on the front to delay accelerating when coming out of corners.

Saturday 29th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Canning Vale 42.35km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: South Lake 51.99km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 30th August

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Welsh Pat Lawn 65.16km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Welsh Pat Lawn 65.16km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Welsh Fall Forrest Patt Lawn Zigzag 89.7km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 31st August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 1^st September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 2^nd September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 3^rd September

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 4^th September

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 22nd – 28th August

August 20, 2026 peter

Road racing has been a little light on this year with it becoming harder and harder to put events on and we are getting pushed further out of town. If you are eligible to race masters or like time trials, then there are options, but for the younger road racers, the pickings are slim. However, it now looks like there are a few bright sparks to close out 2026. Midland has just announced a three race program with two races in Pickering Brook in Sept/Nov and the Midland Traders 100 in October.

The Pickering Brook circuit used to be a staple of the Perth road racing calendar with many races held up there every year. Unfortunately, certain neighbours tried to spoil it and the circuit has been lightly used ever since. It’s not a flat circuit, but no lengthy climbs either. A good race for the punchy riders that want to try to animate the race. It’s also a fairly short course, so if you are new to racing and are worried about getting dropped or lost, then you can’t go to far wrong with this one. Midland also usually run grades down to D or E plus have juniors as well. There should be something for everyone.

The Midland Traders 100 is usually on a much harder course and the premier event for this is the 100km “A” grade men’s race. Again, there should be lots of grades to suit all riders, but expect a harder course and race than the Pickering Brook circuit.

Also in November, Peel are running the State Road Champs on behalf of AusCycling. With the usual Elite and U19 fields, there are also age group masters fields for both male and female riders. Definite bragging rights on the line at this event. Held down at Boddington, this is a much more testing course, as it should be for a state champs. This is always a good day out and lots of opportunity with so many age groups being available.

What this is all leading towards is the last year of the Nationals in Perth and therefore, potentially the last chance at the Gran Fondo. Held on the 10^th of January, this is an event not to be missed as racing around Kings Park and the City on closed roads doesn’t come along very often. There were about 850 spots last year and it sold out quickly. So quick that I missed out but managed to get a transfer from someone that unfortunately injured themselves leading up to it. Entries open on the 3^rd of Sept, so my advice is to get an entry in even if you are unsure. You can always transfer it later if you don’t want to race.

There will hopefully also be Team Time Trial and Club Criteriums held as part of this cycling festival, so we are hoping to also field teams in these events too. As we did last year, there will be weekly training sessions for the Fondo, hopefully starting in October all the way up to race day. The intent is to follow the same format as last year, with a Women’s only session on Tuesday morning, a shortened three lap session on Friday and a full course session on Sundays. Again these sessions will be open to anyone, not just SPR members.

So after a very slow start to the year and a slew of legacy events no longer running, it is good to see some good solid road racing on the calendar. Time to shave the legs and burn off some of that winter hibernation padding that we tend to put on during the colder months.

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Japan April 2027

Please complete this brief EOI for the tour

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

SPR cycling trip across Northern Spain

Sandra, Alex, Petra, Andy, Serena, Paul and Phil have just started their 14-day cycle across the lush north of Spain called “Green Spain”. The route goes through the Basque country, Cantabria and Asturias regions, one of the best kept secrets in Europe for cycling. The Cantabrian mountains connect all these regions through an extreme lush geographic profile, mild summers and little traffic.

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Canola classic 2026

It has been a few years since SPR formally promoted the Canola Classic and with declining mass road cycling events, participation is key to keeping Western Australia’s cycling community vibrant.

Set in the picturesque Shire of York on Sunday 23 August, cycle routes of 93km (1200m climbing) or 52km (600m climbing) take you from the York township through boundless blooming yellow canola fields of the Avon Valley. Registration costs $145 and $130 + booking fee ~$5 respectively; more information on the ride routes.

York is ~1hr drive from Perth so you can drive up in the morning or stay overnight. Contact Carol at mailto:admin@southperthrouleurs.com.au if you want additional information. So why not support this ride with other SPR members – you can ride or just come up for the weekend to enjoy with wonderful scenery.

Upcoming Racing

X-Speed Round 3 Road Race (22 Aug)
WCMCC Herne Hill Road Race (23 Aug)
ATTA The Panther (Gravel) (30 Aug)
WCMCC Dog Hill Road Race (30 Aug)
WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
AusCycling WA Road State Champs (1 Nov)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)

Juniors

The weather looks fantastic for this weekend so it should be a great opportunity for the kids to get out for a ride!

Saturday (22/8)

We will all meet at 10:30 am in Shelley at our usual spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Bq9tsEyDTef4qbu5):

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. I will be there supervising them.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

From the Ride Coordinator

At SPR, we encourage all riders to familiarise themselves with the planned route before joining a group ride. Not knowing the next turn can increase the risk of accidents — for you and others in the group.

Saturday 22nd August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Reabold 38.69km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Cresswell & Herdsman 48.86km SPR Saturday

Coffee – Dome Westralia Plaza, Perth City

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 23^rd August

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Grnmt Goose 62.18 km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Grnmt Goose 62.18 km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Grnmt Prk Weir MWR 86.91km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 24^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 25^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 26^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 27^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 28^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 15th – 21st August

August 13, 2026 peter

Coming back in as President this year, I had one clear goal: damage control and rebuild. Yes, it does sound like two goals, but neither can happen without the other. There were some clear gaps left in the day to day running of the club that needed filling. The club needed to provide structure and stability so that members and others that ride with us knew what to expect and when to expect it. Being active and visible during all SPR group rides was the intent and ensuring that the rides were kicked off with clear expectations.

The push to include coffee stops after the rides is part of that rebuild goal. Ensuring that the weekday rides don’t become “just training rides” and hopefully bring people together a bit more goes a long way towards building that community. The coffee stops are definitely not forced and were picked for convenience and a little bit of tradition. The Thursday Earlybird traditionally stopped at Atomic in South Perth, but with a lot of people finishing the ride down Kintail, they tend to stop at Steamlab. So we are changing Thursday coffee to Steamlab.

Tradition itself can often get in the way of progression. A lot of my playbook for rebuilding the club stems from what we did previously. A lot of what worked when the club was in its infancy is relevant again today. Building that base, getting buy in from members, providing opportunities. But that also doesn’t imply that everything we did back then will help us today. This is where we need to be careful that nostalgia doesn’t influence policy. The world has certainly changed since 2008 and the members of the club have as well. What the fresh faced, new club members saw back then was still that sense of belonging and they were willing to buy into the dream, not forced to represent.

So grassroots growth is important and happily, we are seeing that through the increase in novice riders fronting up during winter. Traditionally, new riders are usually sweet summer babies which is absolutely hilarious to see them on the first cold day of the year. But as we said, tradition isn’t always reality. The increase in social media has allowed more people to see and respond to what we have to offer. Getting them into warmer kit and then coming back again for further rides is where the rest of the club has to play its part. We all started somewhere and helping new riders to the club (whether novice or advanced) know how we operate, what the expectations are and what else the club has to offer goes a long way to developing that sense of belonging. Cycling can be a very cliquey, individual sport and often we hear of people riding with other groups and just being ignored. So, when you see that new face at the coffee shop, make sure you take the time to say hello.

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Please complete this brief EOI for either or both tours

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Tour de Cowaramup 18^th Oct –

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Canola classic 2026

It has been a few years since SPR formally promoted the Canola Classic and with declining mass road cycling events, participation is key to keeping Western Australia’s cycling community vibrant.

Upcoming Racing

Midland Cycle Club has recently added three new races to the back of the calendar. The Pickering Brook race is held a great short circuit that is a good starting point for any one that want to dip their toe into racing. Have a chat to anyone on the committee if you are interested but don’t know where to start.

WCMCC Chidlow B Road Race (16 Aug)
X-Speed Round 3 Road Race (22 Aug)
WCMCC Herne Hill Road Race (23 Aug)
ATTA The Panther (30 Aug)
WCMCC Dog Hill Road Race (30 Aug)
WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (20 Sep)
MCC Midland Traders 100 Road Race (25 Oct)
MCC Pickering Brook Road Race (22 Nov)

Juniors

This coming Saturday, Peter Mah will be taking over the coaching of our juniors. Unfortunately, I’ve come down with another cold and won’t be able to ride for a few days.

The weather looks fantastic, though, so it should be a great opportunity for the kids to head to Kings Park, enjoy some hills, and work on their riding skills along the way

Saturday (15/8)

We will all meet at 10:00 am at the DNA Tower car park in Kings Park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4uv8tc7P9DkcvSxc7

Our U17 and U15 juniors are invited to join our main club rides from Coode St car park (South Perth) at 7am. Peter or another club member will be there supervising them.

Please check our WhatsApp SPR junior channel for any last minute call. If you are not in the group chat, please let me know if you would like to be included.

Events coming up:

From the Ride Coordinator

We’re putting safety reminders in the spotlight this week. Please:

Don’t run red lights, call “SPLIT”
Call obstacles
Maintain a gap with the rider in front
Hold your line on roundabouts & corners.

Also, try to keep group sizes to around 15-16 max riders.

Saturday 15th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Benara 39.90km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Benara Rd 50.76km SPR Saturday

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 16^th August

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Brktn Weir 79.19km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Brktn Weir 79.19km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: F’berg Urch Obs 92.84 km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 17^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 18^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 19^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 20^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Friday 21^st August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Coffee – Hoopla, Kensington

Ride Routes 8th – 14th August

August 6, 2026 peter

Any cycling group usually has one goal in common, no matter where in the world they ride. Establishing an identity usually via the kit they wear. Cycling has always been a little different to other sports in the sense that there is more of an individualistic aspect to it compared to the mainstream Aussie sports that most of us grew up with. However, most people still have that desire to feel like they belong to something and that is why the Act, Belong, Commit campaign has been running for so long.

Act Belong Commit is an evidence-based health promotion campaign designed to encourage people to take action to improve and protect their mental health and wellbeing. We know that staying active, connecting with others and doing something meaningful are powerfully protective and provide the foundations for mental health and wellbeing.

Jumping on the bike is the first step as it gets you out and about and any experienced cyclist know how refreshing it is to get out and clear our mind. Engaging with other riders through training rides and social coffees helps with the feeling of belonging. And joining the club and being an active member shows that you are committed to it.

Early on in the clubs life we quickly established an identity with the regular club training rides. A name and corresponding kit were the natural next progression as it helped people (and us) identify who we were. Green became our thing. Not because we identified with any of the social justice aspects of it, but rather at the time, very few other groups used green in their kit. It seemed to stick and we ran with it.

You can see from the attached picture that the kit has certainly developed over the years. In the clubs infancy we were just trying to scrape together what we could and asked any members if they could help subsidise the kit by sponsoring different panels. If you were around in those days, you will certainly remember the tape measure down the inside of the leg as we received some “tongue in cheek” support from a couple of urologists. The tag line was “no problem too small”

A change came in 2013 when we moved from Cannibal to Champion Systems as a supplier. Bigger company, more choices, different system for ordering. This was when the kit world started to change how they operated. Jumping back to Cannibal in 2015 we also made a major change to the look of the kit. The club had grown to the point that it was self-sustaining from a financial sense and therefore we didn’t require kit sponsorship as an income stream. It simplified things and allowed us to design a kit that could stay the same for a number of years. This meant no logo changes from our side and not forcing people to buy new kit every year just to get the new design.

A move to Mayeur in 2020 allowed us a more direct line to a supplier as they were already within the club and that is who we have been with since, through two iterations of jersey designs.

As I mentioned last week, we are in the process of updating the club logo and font as we were looking at a refresh as part of the rebuild this year. We thought that it was also a good time to go back out to market to see what other kit suppliers were now established. So if you are involved with any kit supplier or know any personally, feel free to forward this to them. Details below –

SPR is seeking a kit supply partner for our club apparel. We’re inviting experienced cycling clothing suppliers to submit an Expression of Interest outlining their capability, pricing, and service offering.

If your company can deliver high-quality kit, reliable production cycles, and a great member experience, we’d love to hear from you. Once an EOI is received, suppliers will be sent a detailed outline of what we are looking for.

EOIs close: 31 August 2026

For full details and requirements, contact: kit@southperthrouleurs.com.au

Event Information

2026 and 2027 international trips –

SPR is again looking to organise trips overseas after the success of ones to the Italian & Swiss Alps 2025 and The Grand Alps France 2024.

Please complete this brief EOI for either or both tours

Note: no SPR member nor the club benefit from the organising of these trips – it is intended to extend the cycling experience with fellow cyclists

Tour de Cowaramup 18^th Oct –

Start/ finish: Juniper Estate

Canola classic 2026

It has been a few years since SPR formally promoted the Canola Classic and with declining mass road cycling events, participation is key to keeping Western Australia’s cycling community vibrant.

Upcoming Racing

Backroads Gravel Multiple Distances (8 Aug)
WCMCC Chidlow B Road Race (16 Aug)
X-Speed Round 3 Road Race (22 Aug)
WCMCC Herne Hill Road Race (23 Aug)
ATTA The Panther (30 Aug)
WCMCC Rockingham Crit (13 Sep)

Juniors

Unfortunately the weather forecast looks pretty wet and it will not be possible to run an enjoyable and safe session with our juniors this coming Saturday. We will meet again next week hoping for a better weather.

Events coming up:

From the Ride Coordinator

Consistent communication (e.g. highlighting potholes) during the ride helps with group coordination and contributes to the safety of the group. Where two groups get caught together at a junction let the front group pull ahead and resist the temptation to jump across. This preserves the group size that was initiated at the start of the ride and reduces the chance of a larger group forming, which is difficult for other road users to navigate around.

From the President

If you remember a few weeks back we talked about trying to re-establish the café culture around our training rides. As such we are now listing the cafés that we intend to use as the social meeting point after each of the rides. These have been selected purely on convenience due to their proximity to the finish of the ride and have no connection to the club. If you have time, feel free to stop for a coffee and chat as it is a good way to build those social connections.

Saturday 8th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

All rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Development group (*) – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

Transition: Trans Reverse River 40.58km SPR Saturday

Fast & Main: Alexander Drive 50.47km SPR Saturday

Coffee – Dome Westralia Plaza, Perth City

(*) Please note that our Ride Leaders will adjust the composition and route for Development, Transition and Main 4 to suit people and conditions on the day.

Sunday 9^th August

Rides start at Coode St carpark at 7:00am

Social River Loop – approx. 50km

Short Hills (Social): Les Obs 67.37km SPR Sunday

Short Hills: Les Obs 67.37km SPR Sunday

Long Hills: Welsh Obs Zig Zag 87.92km SPR Sunday

Coffee – SnL,Victoria Park

Monday 10^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

Currently no ride scheduled – stay tuned for a new Monday ride

Tuesday 11^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Two groups – solid roll through vs relaxed pace

Coffee – Steamlab, Applecross

Ride starts at 6:30am at Koorak Kings Park Cafe Car Park

Main 4/Transitional/Novice

Kings Park laps at own pace, coffee at 7:30am

Coffee – Koorak, Kings Park

Wednesday 12^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am

No drop recovery ride

Coffee – Little Horn, Applecross

Thursday 13^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (City side) at 5:30am

Three groups fast paced roll-throughs

Coffee – Atomic Espresso, South Perth

Friday 14^th August

Ride starts under the Narrows (South Perth side) at 5:30am