All posts by peter

ride routes 19th & 20th may

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still a bit restricted on the bike this week as the house is still in turmoil due to the team of painters.  moving furniture late into the night (quietly of course so as not to wake the kids) does not make for a lot of motivation to get up early to ride.  hopefully i will get out a bit this weekend.  make sure you come along to coffee after the saturday ride to see the new vista at the coffee shop.  the wall has finally come down and has opened up the area extensively.  we will have to work out where to park the bikes now.

fundraisers – as you may have seen on the blog, there are a number of people that have qualified to go to south africa for the masters world champs.  as such they will be running a series of fundraisers between now and the race to help get them over there.  the first thing is the quiz night, but will be followed by other events like raffles, tipping comps and participation rides.  make sure you get involved to help your fellow club members race overseas.

ride routes – after the success of last weeks saturday hills ride, we are going to see if it was just an artifact of mother’s day being on sunday.  if the numbers are still good, then we will continue to run a hills ride on saturday leaving after the last main group.

saturday 19th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.98km (benara rd)

saturday hills – spr sunday 85.76km (gooseberry & kalamunda & bickley)

sunday 20th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry)

long – spr sunday 95.04km (greenmount & parkerville & mundaring weir)

ride routes 12th & 13th may

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carlos (the ironman) is around at my place at the moment with his posse (the avengers) painting the inside of my house.  as such, the kids are in the lounge room, the kitchen is in the store room and the computer is packed away.  lucky i have a computer at work…

spr kit – the order has been sent off so i really need to clarify something here.  once we have the kit, the distribution will be at the coffee shop after the saturday ride for a number of weekends.  i recently received an email from a very unhappy camper who was asking where his kit was and how come i haven;’t contacted him after i took his money.  and now he doesn’t want the kit as it has taken so long that he has bought other kit.  so anyway, it was obvious that he didn;t ride with us regularly or even read the website, so not sure why he bought the kit.  the point is, keep your eye on the website for information as to when the kit will be ready for collection.  i did reply back to this guy and offered him a refund, but it has been a week and an half and he still hasn’t responded.

saturday hills ride – there has been a request for a saturday hills ride this week as it is mothers day on sunday and a lot of people are not allowed out of the house…or should i say, a lot of people have to stay to supervise young ones attempt to make breakfast in bed for mum.  as such there will be a hills ride planned that will leave at 7am just after the rest of the rides.  there has been some talk for a while about offering a ride on saturday, so we will see how this week goes to determine whether we can run this on a regular basis.

you tube – check out the link below.  nice quite road, good conditions, easy downhill, too damn fast.  watch it all the way to the end to see how luck he was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3FvSq2xNU8

ride routes – i got many requests about the ride routes this week.  can we have this…can we go there…can we mount lennie hill road again…etc.  i have tried to please everyone…tried.

saturday 12th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.09km (abernathy rd)

saturday hills – spr sunday 87.99km (welshpool & observatory & camelberg & gooseberry)

sunday 13th may (mothers day)

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 97.99km (carradine & peet & observatory)

tour de kalamunda – volunteers

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this year josh camp is organising the tour de kalamunda on sunday 27th may.  it involves a 2 stage event with a time trial up the zig-zag in the morning followed by a road race around the observatory in the afternoon.  this event is being held in conjunction with bwa as a cyclo-sportif event will also be held in between the two stages.

most of the organisation is in place, but josh is after a few volunteers to help out.  primarily he is after people to drive lead/support vehicles during the road race, but there will be other duties during the time trial.  what he is offering is, if you provide a volunteer (spouse, etc) he will give you a free entry to that stage. so if you have a better half that always complains that you are spending too much money on racing and you never take them anywhere, well you can kill two birds with one stone.

josh’s number is on the flyer below, so get in contact with him if you have a volunteer to give.

zig-zag prologue

  • all grades 7.2km

pickering brook road race

  • a grade – 104km
  • b grade – 60km
  • c grade – 45km
  • women’s – 45km
  • master’s – 45km
  • junior’s – 45km

ride routes 5th & 6th may

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someone at work sent me a link to the velominati or “the rules” as it has been known.  i have seen them numerous times before and i know that they are meant to be a bit “tongue in cheek” but some people seem to take them serious.  then today, in the online paper there is an article about how much you should spend on a bike.  in both cases, regardless of the humor involved, there seems to be this elitism involved if you want to be a cyclist.  some people won’t be seen riding shimano because it is not european, some just scoff if you mention certain brands.  the newspaper article seems to think that you need to spend at least $10,000 to get a seat at the special cyclist table.  as a club that is meant to be open and welcoming i hope that we don’t invoke the same prejudices to any new comers.  i have heard some people remark that on some group rides in perth, you will be lucky to even get a conversation started with someone as you are riding along.  having the right gear is essential to riding but sometimes people just need a little advice.  don’t dismiss the guy that turns up to a hills ride wearing running shorts as he might be the next ryan. (note: ryan turned up to his first hills ride wearing running shorts)

ride etiquette – it is unfortunate that this needed to be brought up again but there have been quite a few issues arising lately.  interestingly enough, the tues, wed & thurs rides that i went on had people stop at the lights when they had to.  i expect that we will get complacent again, but it is up to individuals to actually use their voice and take that stand.

focus group – this saturday after coffee we will be taking the kids with disabilities for a ride.  i will be gang-pressing people at the coffee shop for you to help out with this.  it is a no stress ride (with no traffic lights, so you won’t get dropped) and all you have to do is be very positive and encouraging.  not sure how the weather will affect the ride, but we will play it by ear.  do your bit for the wider community and help out here.

busso half-ironman – there are some people in our club that like to swim before a ride and then go for a nice brisk run afterwards.  their pinnacle (or half-pinnacle) is this saturday with the half-ironman being held down in busso.  good luck to those competing (or in brendan’s case, seeing who comes first, the half ironman or the baby).  on a different note, way back in 1986, the half was held on rotto and the course record for bike and run was held by our very own stuart gee.  i think he might have even won it outright that year.

tom lowry – a few people heading down to race this weekend in collie.  my man-flu has gotten the better of me so i have unfortunately had to withdraw.  it is unfortunate as this is a race i really enjoy.  it has a bit of everything and usually get a good turnout.  all the best to those racing.

ride routes – since you all loved holmes road last week, we will head out that way again.  this time up hale road but will take on ridgehill (also known as “lennie hill road”) to make sure you get a climb in.  actually, i am planning rides that avoid great eastern hwy as much as possible at the moment while the road works are going on.  sunday is all about the kahuna.  you know you love it.

saturday 5th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.72km (mosman park)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.04km (hale & ridge hill)

sunday 6th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 87.72km (kahuna & peet & patterson)

rules are made for…

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well rules are made for keeping you safe.  not trying to be a nanny state, or telling you how to ride a bike, but the reason we do particular things is not to make it harder for you, but mainly so we don’t have to pull the mobile phone out of your crumpled body and call your next of kin.

there have been a number of incidents over the last couple of months that have shown a deterioration of what i thought was a pretty safe group ride.  we have always prided ourselves on the fact that we did have a ride etiquette guide and that riders were chastised if they did stupid things.  however, lately i feel that we are beginning to let things go a bit as we get more complacent.  for some of our members it is probably quite a while since they have actually looked at the ride etiquette guide.  it is sitting on the website and any new person that contacts the club is always sent a link to it and asked to have a look before they come out. 

i am not going to just list it out again, but there are a number of people that probably need a refresher.  here is the link.

https://southperthrouleurs.com.au/club-training/ride-etiquette/

there are a number of points in the guide that people need reminding of, but to me that most important one is that you are riding as a group.  this means that you do need to be concerned about the other people that are riding with you.  the ride leaders give up their time to make sure that the groups are kept together, but sometimes people seem to ignore them and keep riding.  one of the reasons why our groups are growing so much is that the rides are organised.  people know the route before hand and expect that there will be some management of the group if it is needed.  this should not have to fall to the ride leader but everyone looking out for each other.  if you are strong and want a work hard, instead of smashing the group apart on the front, go to the back and help the weaker riders.

the other point that seems to be lost on riders lately is obeying the road rules.  these are not an optional extra.  our groups DO NOT go through red lights, DO NOT go the wrong way through round abouts and traffic islands, DO NOT slide down between cars stopped at an intersection, we DO NOT cross over double white lines.  These things are not a minor infraction, they can get you killed.  as a rider and a driver, you know that as you approach an intersection, if the lights turn green, you just keep driving.  you won’t even be looking for the stupid cyclist that will risk their own life to stay with the group.  well guess what?  there are no championship points, there are no podium girls.  if you are at the back of the group and you have time to stop, then you stop.

the absolute worse case scenario happened during the main 1 ride last saturday when people went around a stopped rider to go through the red light.  now the excuse that it was unsafe to stop is crap.  the lights cycle through green to amber to red over a certain time.  you would not have been in the intersection when you got your first warning of a imminent change.  if someone in front of you has time to stop, then you have time to stop.  no excuses.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8456090/video-shows-near-misses-at-sydney-intersection

we have enough problems with cars trying to kill us when we are doing things legally.  i don’t want to be the one to let your family know that you died on one of our rides.

 

ride routes 28th & 29th april

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easter is over and there seemed to be lots of kms ridden, possibly to get rid of some chocolate indulgence.  the year is flying by and soon we will get a few “unpleasant days” to contend with.  we are lucky with our weather and having 30 degree days in april makes for an extended period of good riding.  this is especially apparent when the east coast is getting battered by driving rain and gale force winds.  however, the rain and cold mornings will soon be upon us.  i have a saying, though – “don”t look at the weather report to see if you are riding, look at the weather report to see what you are going the wear while riding.”  see you out there.

peter clark classic – there are a few riders that will be racing this weekend in the northern districts classic.  good luck to those competing and julian has volunteered to take the tent up so you will have a focal point in which to meet.

the focus group – a month or so ago a bunch of us met online casino with a group of disabled kids that wanted to have a go at cycling.  we rode from the coode st carpark, along the path towards the causeway and back again.  there were a number of kids (with their parents) and a number of spr riders to chaperone the group.  we would like to make this a regular occurrence on a monthly basis.  our next ride with the kids is on the 5th of may and starts at 9:30am.  this gives you all time to do your earlybird plus main ride, have a coffee and still be able to volunteer a bit of time to the cause.  i will put another post up closer to the ride, but give it some thought as we would appreciate as much help as we can get.  the kids really enjoyed it and the parents were rapt that so many of our riders gave up our time to spend time with their kids.

ride routes – they are predicting rain on saturday so the groups may end up being combined if numbers are low.  lets see who is a fair weather rider.  last sunday i was reminded during the ride about the chookenberg.  well reminded was actually a question when someone was hoping we weren”t doing the chook.  this week, we are doing the chook and the goose.

saturday 28th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.69km (holmes rd)

sunday 29th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 94.36km (chookenberg & observatory & gooseberry)

spr agm minutes and new committee

the minutes and notes from the recent agm have been posted to the updated committee members page that can be found here or through the tabs at the top.  we had over 60 people sign in to attend so i thank you for your time and also to those that have been voted into the committee positions.  over the coming weeks we will define the sub-committee roles and will be calling for more volunteers to fill those positions.  it is a great opportunity for you to be involved in the running of the club and to help it remain successful.

ride routes – anzac day

sorry i was supposed to put this out over the weekend.

there will be a number of rides happening this wednesday being a public holiday.  on top of that there will be a special dawn service ride for those wishing to head up to kings park for the dawn service.

there is also a race on at midland that you may still be able to enter if you ring up cycling wa.  more info here.

ride routes – the earlybird ride will be the standard wednesday ride and as such will be a little quicker than the usual public holiday one.  the 7:00am ride may leave a little bit later to make sure that the people from the dawn service have made it down in time.

wednesday 25th april

ride starts at ciao italia cafe cnr douglas and mill point rd at 5:30am

early lap – spr wednesday 41.63km (ciao ride)

dawn service – meet at the base of mount st at 5:30am to head up to kings park.

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

main group – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

ride routes 21st & 22nd april

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not much happening this week.  work is work.  home is home.  riding is going well.  i didn’t win lotto though, so i guess i will just have to do it all again next week.

spr club kit – final orders will be taken this weekend.  the jersey sizing kit will be available at the DOME coffee shop after the ride to help you choose the correct fit.  more info here. 

anzac day – there will be some earlybird rides, public holiday rides and a dawn service ride.  i will post a separate blog about what will happen on wednesday.

dams ride – congratulations to all those from spr that participated (it wasn’t a race…apparently).  a great effort especially by some people that i can remember were in the transitional group not so long ago.

road races – there are a number of road races coming up soon.  if you want to give road racing a go, we generally have a bunch of other members at these events so you won’t feel like you are on your own.  especially if you order some kit so you look like you are part of the club.  if you want to ask questions about any of the races, or just races in general, post a question to the forum and people will be more than happy to answer you.  this also applies to mountain bike races.

club agm & breakfast – i would just like to again thank toby and leo at the DOME for catering for the club breakfast.  it certainly makes it a lot easier than holding it at my place.  i would also like the thank all those that volunteered to be on the club committee for this year.  i will post the minutes on the blog soon so those that were absent can see what was discussed.

ride/race reports – feel free if you want to write up your experiences on the bike.  people like to hear about others perspective of the rides and it is a good way for new people to see what goes on during the rides.  race reports are also a good way to get people involved with racing as a lot of people just need a little prompt to get them to have a go.  let me know if you want to post something and i can give you authorship rights.

ride routes – the saturday main ride is one that we don’t do very often.  the majority of the course is very familiar, but where we usually take the bus lane to turn onto albany hwy, we will cross over and head up towards welshpool road.  make sure you know the ride routes.

saturday 21st april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 42.94km (freo & cott)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.01km (canning vale & welshpool)

sunday 22nd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 101.29km (roleystone & observatory)

spr kit orders closing soon

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the current orders for the kit will be closing after this weekend.  it has effectively given everyone almost 3 weeks to get their orders in and the sizing kits have been available at the coffee shop the past 2 weeks.  there will be one last chance to try on the jerseys this saturday, then we will close off orders on monday morning and process the order through to cannibal.  we also received some samples of gloves (summer, winter, spring) that you can have a look and we will order these after the kit order.  more info about ordering can be found here or under the team kit tab at the top.