All posts by peter

ride routes 25th & 26th feb

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so i have been spending my free time sorting through a couple of hours worth of video footage from renae’s race.  i must say that those girls really gave it their all.  it was good to see the spr chicks bunch giving it a go and it was great to see how far they have come.  thanks to liz leydon in the a grade race and meg in the b grade race for “manning” the cameras.  hopefully i will finish it soon.

state crit champs – as mentioned previously, we are holding the state crit champs this weekend with the rccc.  we really need a bunch of volunteers to make the day successful.  more info here.

pemberton – the long weekend in march means two things.  pemberton classic for the roadies and the karri cup for the dirt boys.  really what it means is no accommodation left in pemberton next weekend.  good luck to those that are heading down.

ride routes – remember, the second main 1 is the same as the first main 1.  no hills ride this week.  the club needs you to come down and help out at the crit champs.

saturday 25th february

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 50.47km (south st)

sunday 26th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

NO ride at 7:00am as we are running the state crit champs.  come and help out.

state crit champs

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we are running the state crit champs again this weekend and while i know that this does not appeal to everyone (due to no support races) we are going to need a bunch of volunteers to make the day a success.  as you can see below, we are running a full program so will need people there from 7:00 setup through to after 13:00 for the packup.  the usual jobs are required – traffic management, timers, line judging, refreshments table.  however, as the day is so long we really need more people overall to volunteer for an early or late shift.  if you want to spend the whole day with me, then no problem, but i understand if you can’t be there for the whole race.
 
Please add to the comments so that we know that you are coming to help out.
more details below.
 
RCCC and SPR are proud to present the 2012 WA State Junior and Senior Criterium Championships:

When: Sunday February 26th 2012 from 8am
Where: Technology Park Bentley

… Program (All races plus 2 laps):

JM/W13: 8.00am (15 minutes)
JW15: 8.20am (20 minutes)
JM15: 8.20am (25 minutes)
JW17: 8.50am (25 minutes)
JM17: 8.50am (30 minutes)
JW19: 9.30am (30 minutes)
JM19: 9.30am (35 minutes)

Masters: 10.20am (40 minutes)
Open Women: 11.10am (35 minutes)
Open Men: 12.00pm (50 minutes)

For a state jersey to be up for grabs a minimum of five riders need to enter an individual event.

Very important:

No license no ride (please don’t leave it at home)
Must be in an approved kit (check the CWA website. If the kit you wear isn’t approved get your team manager / club to register it with CWA)
Riders must have an approved helmet

Nominations:

Juniors: $15
Seniors: $25

Registrations close Tuesday 21st of February at midnight. Please click on the link to register, you will need your CA log in and password:

https://eventdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=90&OrgID=8519

saturday 18th feb – main 1

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i have an issue with main 1 at the moment.  they all think that they are better than they are.  yep you.  you that thinks that when i arbitrarily split the group in two, you still think that the first group is the faster one.  no way would i be seen in the slower group, i am too good for that. 

well, here is the explanation. 

i split the group so that the size of the group on the road is reduced and easier to manage.  the “first” main group was separated at the lights before they even got onto canning hwy.  once the “second” main 1 group got underway, we only had about 15 riders in it.  the “first” group had about 40.  if it had evenly split, then the groups would have made it through the lights in their entirety.  it is not really that hard.  you all want to ride in the main 1 group.  the group is too big, i split it, but you still ride with the first group.  logic, thy name is stupid.

i have tried splitting on birthdates, house numbers, months of the year, but it doesn’t seem to matter.  an arbitrary split based on the size of the group seemed the most logical choice as it would allow the group to still contain a good spread of abilities.  it is simple really, i draw a line through the group and that determines the first and second group.  they are both main 1.  stand next to the people you want to ride with. 

another issue with main 1 is when fast group riders decide that they want to have an easy day.  this one is also simple.  if you want to ride fast, go in the fast group.  do not drop into main 1 and start to dictate the pace.  there is nothing wrong with having an easy day, but just don’t get on the front and smash the rest of the group.  these are group rides, so be aware what the rest of the group is doing.  got some extra energy to burn???  well head to the back and help those that are struggling.  main 2 still needs a leader.  donate some of your time to look after them.

here are some photo’s from today.  the bracket on the camera snapped on the rough roads behind guilford.  luckily the car coming the other way avoided it.

city of south perth recreation survey

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for all the members that are residents of the city of south perth, i have scanned in the survey that deals with the recreational areas.  as mentioned before, we can use this survey to start to get the council to think about cycling facilities.  there is a section for “suggestions for improvements” and under that i would like you to suggest that george burnett park have it’s bike circuit widened to provide a facility for the safe racing and training of cyclists. 

the surveyy needs to be posted today (friday 17th) and needs to go to the following address –

City of South Perth Recreation Survey
Curtin University
Reply Paid 1987
PERTH WA 6845

 

the survey can be found here – City of SP survey

you can even win prizes if you write your full details down.

ride routes 18th & 19th feb

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Linsanity, greedy banks and crit racing.  these are the things that have dominated news in my life for the last week. 

if you don’t follow NBA basketball, then Linsanity will mean nothing to you, but it is worth a google.  a true underdog story of hollywood proportions.  a undrafted, unheralded, asian-american player that was sleeping on his brother’s couch has suddenly become the hottest player in the NBA. 

so the RBA decides not to raise interest rates but all the banks do.  nice.  they are claiming that loans are no longer profitable but are posting 1/2 yearly profits of billions of dollars.  can somebody say “super-tax”. 

perth crits were another good event with good spectator turn outs at each race.  good to see racing being brought into the city.

renae’s race – the premier race for women in wa is on this sunday, so get down to support it.  apparently they are now taking enteries on the day with no late fees.  we have a number of spr women racing so come along to watch or enter the men’s support races.  we will have a tent, etc set up down there so it would be good to see you there.

tuesday night ride – a new ride to add into your weekly repertoire or one for those looking for extra kms.  toby will be running a “sprint skills” training session around kings park.  this will involve doing intervals and skill sets that are needed to make you a better sprinter.  the session will start at 6:00pm at the DOME and run for an hour.  for those that ride to work, this will allow a session after work before you head home.  if you have a backpack with your work gear, you can leave it at the cafe while you are training.  come down a bit early for your pre-training coffee.

state criterium championships – next sunday at the tech park circuit we will be running the state crit champs in conjunction with the rccc.  i will be putting up a separate post later to call for volunteers, but we will need quite a few as we will be running a number of races from juniors through to the open championships.  if you are not racing, we would like to see you done there to help us out.

political pressure – one of the projects that we are looking at this year is to get a dedicated crit circuit built to get us away from the traffic.  within the city of south perth there is already has a half-assed attempt at a circuit at george burnett park in manning (look on google maps).  it is way too skinny and if no way acceptable as a race circuit.  in order to get any changes made, we need to get the residents within the club to put some pressure on the city.  last week, any city of south perth residents would have received a survey about the recreation and open space in the city of south perth.  it is due in tomorrow, so this is real late notice, but if you are a resident then i need you to fill in the survey and send it in.  there is a section for “suggestions for improvements” and under that i would like you to suggest that george burnett park have it’s bike circuit widened to allow a facility for the safe racing and training of cyclists.  the results of this survey are supposed to be incorporated into the open space strategy for the city.

ride routes – make sure you know the ride routes.  don’t forget about the little kink on the saturday main ride when it gets close to kalamunda.  i have tried to put in a “shorter” long hills ride this week so you can get down to renae’s race afterwards to support our riders.

saturday 18th february

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 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.47km (hale rd reverse)

sunday 19th february

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 90.23km (welshpool & observatory & kalamunda rd)

renae’s race – 19th feb

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this weekend, the sdcc will be holding renae’s race at the technology park circuit.  this is a race that is dedicated to the memory of renae baker and aims to promote women’s cycling and racing.  as such, the main event is the women’s race, with the men’s races being held in support.  this is a great opportunity for anyone that wants to give racing a go and there will be a women’s “b” grade for those that want to get a start.  the circuit is familiar to most of you and it is short enough that you will not feel left in the middle of nowhere if you get dropped.

the club will be there in support and we will provide a tent and drinks to all that are racing that day.

entries close at midnight tuesday (tonight) so get involved.  without support, women’s racing cannot expect to flourish and without the numbers, organisers will not cater specifically for women.

flyer can be found here.  registration can be found here.

registration is through the new IMG system and requires your username and password that cycling australia sent you when you joined.  if you cannot remember them, let me know and i can find them for you.  if you are racing under a day licence, then select the “non-member” category under each race.

saturday 11th feb – main 1

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a few pics from today’s ride.  for some reason i unwittingly volunteered for the leadout on mounts bay road.  i would have pulled out earlier, but toby was behind me egging me on.  something along the lines of “just the next corner, keep going…”  but alas, there was a popping noise as i pulled some heart-ledge.

for those of you that were wondering what was going on with the photographer at the coffee shop today, the sunday times is doing a piece on cyclists and coffee shops.  we were volunteered to get some pics done so we went for the shameless self promotion.

 

ride routes 11th & 12th feb

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sorry, no photoshop pictures this week.  i didn’t hear of anything post worthy to warrant a couple of hours of picture manipulation.  but just remember to be careful if i do have a picture of your head…  lots on this weekend and the next couple of weeks.  starting this week, there will be a race at tech park for the next 3 weeks.  great if you like that circuit…or aren’t actually organising stuff….or aren’t still looking for that elusive fitness…or still looking for excuses.  there are a number of opportunities for those wanting to try racing, one for just the girls and one for the potential state champions.

sportsexpo – on this weekend at the convention & exhibition centre there will be all different sports showing what they have to offer.  cycling wa will be there and i will be spending a few hours on the stall handing out flyers.  more info here.

perth crits – also on this weekend will be the perth crit series.  held over 4 days at 4 locations we do have a few spr members riding in this series.  locations include, stirling, vic park, vincent and freo.  head down to see the action.  more info here.

rccc/spr criterium race 03 – also on this weekend, and of course the most important of all, is race 03 of our crit series with the rccc.  as the perth crits will take up most of the “a” grade talent, we will be running a combined a/b race as we expect lower numbers.  come along to race but more importantly to volunteer to help out.  more info here.

renae’s race – this is the premier race for women in the state and we are trying to get as many of the girls out to race as possible.  next weekend on sunday the 19th at the tech park circuit if you want to have a go.  there are other support races and juniors as well, but the primary race is the women’s which will also have a women’s support race.  the last women’s race that was held at the end of 2011, spr members made up almost the entire field.  lets show them that the club supports and promotes women’s racing.  more info here.  registration here.

state criterium championships – the following weekend (26th feb) we will be combining with the rccc to hold the state criterium championships, also at the tech park circuit.  we will be running both juniors and seniors which will make for a long day.  we will definitely need a lot of volunteers for this event so we can easily change out traffic management positions between races.  mark it in your calendar, and if you are not racing, please come down to help.

ride routes – no sunday hills ride on this week due to the criterium racing.  come along and race or help out as a volunteer.

saturday 11th february

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 49.38km (tv stations)

sunday 12th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

no rides at 7:00am due to criterium racing on at tech park

RCCC/SPR Criterium Race 03 – sunday 12th feb

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yes we are racing at tech park this sunday!

for all those not participating in the perth criterium series (being run by our friends at tri events) RCCC and SPR are putting on the following program:

  • 8.00am: D & E grade – 20 minutes plus two laps
  • 8.30am: C grade – 30 minutes plus two laps
  • 9.10am: A & B grade – 40 minutes plus two laps

$15 nominations, enter on the day as per usual.

so on the day we will need the usual volunteers.  this has been pretty easy for us the last few races as people seem to know what to do and have been available to swap out.  so i encourage you all to come down, firstly to race, but also to help us run a successful day.  even if you have never helped out before, we can easily find a job for you.  setup is at 7:00am so i hope to see a few of you down there.