New record this morning boys. Well a new Strava record anyway. 56:54 min. Well done.
All posts by toby
SPR Easter Camp 2011
I just wanted to put up a post thanking everyone for coming down to Margs for the SPR Easter Camp. Overall, I think the camp was a success as there has already been a fair bit of positive feedback received. This camp, being the first one we have held, was always going to be a bit of a ‘tester’ and I think there are a few tweaks we can make next time to make it more enjoyable for everyone.
Here are a few highlights from my perspective.
1 – The rides
It was sensational to be riding down south amongst the trees and the vineyards. Being guided by the SWCC guys made it more enjoyable as they were able to advise us on a few different road choices which offered better surfaces, scenery, hills etc.
We became familiar with a few different sections of the weekend including the Ellen Brook Rd ‘Trench’ which was a super little narrow road which was great fun to blast along on the way back to Caves Rd.
We also had a variety of different companions joining us along the routes including riders, but also the local horses which galloped along the fence lines with us. Very TDF pro – actually we also a helicopter follow us for a while on Monday morning. P.R.O.
The traffic was not heavy and we made a concerted effort not to be on any of the main roads for too long. Having Paul in the follow car each day also made the riding so much more relaxed. A follow car is luxury we don’t often have – but I miss it already. Thanks Paul so much for your time and patience.
One puncture. Thats rights – Mark H had a puncture on the way back to camp on the Monday morning, and that was the only mechanical of the whole trip. Smooth sailing indeed.
2 – The Shed
The Shed is no 5 Star facility, but it does make a camping trip a complete breeze. Showers, kitchen, pool tables, table tennis, TV and heaps of room and bunks. May not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I thought it was pretty cool.
3 – The Stag
If you weren’t there – you won’t know. But if you hear some strange sounds in the bunch over the next few weeks you might just work it out.
4 – The Easter Egg Hunt
Kudos to Kate and the other parents for putting on a super Easter Egg hunt. The kids were as decorated as the eggs and all had their own handmade baskets for egg collecting. I have a video of the hunt which I will try and post here.
5 – The People
It was fantastic to get to know a whole load of people in the club that I haven’t had the chance to meet before.
6 – The Coffee
Jordan bought the coffee love with his posh Isomac and high quality beanage. Very nice – I think The Shed had the best coffee in the South West over the long weekend. Thanks Jordan.
Overall I think we did a pretty good job. Experiences like this are just another example of why our club is different from all the others, and why we stand head and shoulders above the rest.
I guess the only remaining question is … do you want to do it again next year?
Jamie Needs a Ride
Hey everyone,
young Jamie needs a ride to the Easter Camp. Anyone got a spare seat and space for another bike?
Let us know in the comments below!
Cool Video from Paris-Roubaix
Dutch video clip from Paris-Roubaix. Shot with a Weisscam, a German-made high speed digital camera capable of 4,000 frames per second, it captures surprising details in slow motion. You can see tubs deform on the cobbles and specks of dirt flying off the wheels.
It’s so detailed that some moments almost look as if they’d been shot in a studio, they’ve been staged, but then you soon come across a recognisable rider. It’s real.
*Borrowed from The Inner Ring – http://inrng.com **
The kettle may be black – but the proof is in the pudding!
This morning was the fastest Thursday ride that I’ve clocked so far. Good rolling team!
SPR Thursday (Gairloch) in 57:22.
Volunteers for Sunday
Last Crit this Sunday. We need people to help set up and be traffic marshals. This is the last one guys – if you haven’t helped out this is your time to shine!
Set up – 7am
Traffic Marshalls – 7:30 through till the end.
Names in the comments sections of you can help out….
Easter Camp Itinerary
The Easter Camp is now only a few weeks away.
Below is a outline of some planned rides and activities. The routes are based roughly on what Brendan from The Shed has suggested. They are still being fine tuned, so if you have any suggestions please let us know.
So this is what you’re in for!
Friday
2pm: Short afternoon ride
Saturday
6am: Long morning ride
1pm: Lunch at Duckstein
Sunday
6am: Easter Egg Hunt
6:30am: Long morning ride
106km Witchcliffe and State Forrest
Evening – Roller Derby!
Monday
6am: Long morning ride
If anyone would like to suggest somewhere for dinner on Sunday night or perhaps a wine tasting nearby – we could try and organise something. You can of course go wherever/whenever for food and drinks – but all ideas are welcome.
We are currently organising flashing lights and a ‘Caution Cyclists’ sign for the follow vehicle. We will still need volunteers to drive the follow car each day for safety of the bunch. (If it rains I will drive… haha).
Comments welcome!!
What happened to the Roll Through?
I”ve noticed our Thursday morning roll though has gone to crap a bit lately. Any ideas why?
Below is a great post from Wade at Cycling Tips on the subject that is worth a read. We”ve posted it before, but it might be time for a refresher….
Rolling Through
Whether you’re racing or just in a bunchride, have you ever been a part of a nice smooth paceline and all of a sudden you’re stuck on the front and no one else is rolling-through? You’re stuck there in the wind and for some unknown reason the riders who were nicely rolling turns with you are now just sitting on. Why is this?
There are a few possible reasons:
1. You’re leaving gaps and surging. When you get to the back and it’s your turn to jump in the fast lane you might not be doing it smoothly or possibly not be paying enough attention that it’s your turn. If you need to jump hard to get on the wheel ahead of you this is extremely annoying for the guy behind you. It only takes a few of these before the rider behind you says “forget it” and waits for another wheel. That means you’ll be the last wheel in the fast lane and when you pull off you’ll be left on the front with no one rolling through from behind.
Example: Cadel (BMC Red) is leaving gaps in the fast lane and Renshaw (HTC yellow/black) behind is getting fed up with Cadel’s surging to get on Schleck’s (yellow) wheel. Sooner or later Renshaw will say “f#$@ it…I’m getting off this wheel and waiting for a better one”.
Remedy? Pay attention and make sure you change into the fast lane when it’s your turn and get on the wheel in front smoothly. Don’t let any gaps open so you don’t need to surge.
2. The other mistake that people often make in a paceline is rolling through too hard. You’ll roll past the front rider at a much faster speed than he’s travelling, leave a gap, then force him to close it. This is probably the biggest mistake that people make. This is not the time to flex your muscle. If you do this more than a couple times you’ll find that the riders behind will quit mobile casino following and hang you out to dry on the front.
Example: Cadel rolls-through hard on Schleck and Renshaw says “f@#$ this”, and pulls off in-between Schleck and Cadel. Cadel is hung out to dry.
Remedy? Rolling through in the fast lane should be smooth and only marginally faster than the slow lane. You then start pulling over ahead of the lead rider just after your back wheel is slightly ahead of his front wheel. Then you slow down about 1km/hr and let the fast lane come through.
3. To add to the point above, if you don’t slow down after you switch into the slow lane it makes it extremely hard for the rider on the front of the fast lane to roll through ahead of you. If you keep doing this, the riders will eventually just pull over and sit behind.
Example: Cadel rolls-through nicely but keeps the gas on while in front of Schleck. Renshaw needs to do a 1500watt Cav-style lead-out in order to get past Cadel. Reshaw eventually backs off after a couple times of this and says “f#$% this…” and again Cadel is left at the front.
Remedy? When you make your way to the front be sure you slow down so that guy on the front of the fast lane can easily make their way past you. Only about 1km/hr slower is all it takes. Sometimes I’ll even shift down a gear when I get to the front.
Now, if you’ve made any of these mistakes and you’re now caught at the front and no one is rolling through, whose responsibility is it to get the paceline running smoothly again? Answer: The rider either on second or third wheel behind you.
Example:
Let’s pretend in the photo above that Cadel (BMC red) is messing up the paceline again. He’s having a bad day and is leaving gaps in the fast lane and is now left on the front.
Matty Lloyd on second wheel (in polka dot jersey) is getting yelled at by the guys behind to “Roll Through!”. Even though it wasn’t Lloydy’s fault that Cadel is messing up his turns, it’s up to Lloydy to roll another turn since it’s the least amount of effort out of the bunch for him to do so. Gerro is on 3rd wheel (Sky blue). In order for the bunch to start the paceline again it’s up to Gerro to get on Lloydy’s wheel and others will follow suit. If Lloydy hadn’t pick up the extra turn, it would have been up to Gerro to roll past Lloydy to get the paceline moving again. Knowing Gerro, as soon as he gets to the front he’ll blow the group to smithereens up the next climb. Nothing wrong with that. Respect.
Now Lloydy will roll to the front, smoothly pull off in front of Cadel, Gerro will do the same, and so on. The paceline has been kickstarted again.
Of course the fact that Cadel was always left at the front in these examples could be nothing more than a lazy guy in behind (perhaps a sprinter like Renshaw) and refused to roll-through!
State Criterium Championships on Sunday
The Western Australia Criterium Championships are on this Sunday! And guess what? SPR and RCCC are hosting the event!
The race categories are:
Under 19’s Men and Women: 8.00am 30 mins + 3 laps
Support Men (non championship event): 8.35am 30 mins + 3 laps
Masters Men: 9.10am 40 mins + 3 laps
Open Women: 9.55am 30 mins + 3 laps
Open Men: 10.30am 60 mins + 3 laps
Registrations close tonight so you need to get in quick to be part of the action. This is your chance to get a WA Champ jersey which you can wear in crits all year long!
Go here to register: Register Here
As usual we need to recruit some volunteers for traffic duties. Traffic marshals shall be provided with a sexy fluro hi-vis vest, a hugh red lollipop and a radio! Please put your name in the comments below to indicate if you can help out on the day. We need at least 6 marshals for the morning.
For those that want to race but aren’t quite up to the Championship level you can opt for the Support Race. This is primarily for b+c grade riders and while it isnt a championship race it still promises to be of a good standard.
Remember – names below if you can help out on the day for the whole event, or just part thereof. Cheers.
SPR EASTER CAMP
The inaugural SPR Easter Camp is on!! and getting pretty close actually 🙂
When: Easter this year is Friday the 22nd of April to Monday the 25th of April. Thats the weekend after the UCI event thats coming up.
Where: The Shed in Margaret River
The Shed is used as accommodation for the Tour of Margaret River which a number of our member did this year. The Shed has all of the facilities we need for the camp including kitchen, dorms, lounge area, heaps of room for bike storage, table tennis etc.
There is also 300 acres for people to pitch tents on for those who would prefer a tent paradise to the dorm beds.
Here is the link to The Shed’s information page and photos.
Cost: Still working out the cost, but it will probably be around $20 – $25 per head per night (depending on hot tub!)
Rides: Each day there will be a ride on offer of about 100km. I have asked Brendon to try and route the rides in loops so people have the option of doing shorter days if they prefer.
The rides will have a follow car for safety, spares and drinks etc. Who’s driving the follow car? Dunno – will rotate between the good people of the club 🙂 Im thinking it would be nice if riders would chip in $5 per ride to pay for the car petrol and esky ice etc. This will be decided down there.
South West Cycle Club will also be joining us for some rides so we will have some good number to share the wind at the front.
If you don’t want to ride everyday then dont stress – this is a chilled out, social fun camp – do as many kms as you want.
People are also encouraged to bring their MTB, BMX, tandoms and Unicycles – MTB rides will be organised on ad-hoc dirt craving basis.
Non-Rider Activities: Being based in Margs there is a host of activities for people to do. Beach, Chocolate Factory, Wineries etc. I will put some more effort into organsing family and kid friendly activities but I would appreciate some help in this area as I’m lacking in experience. But there is some good kids info here.
Easter Egg Hunt: Yes.
Easter Services: information here
Beer & Wine: Yes. Definitely.
As usual please register your intent to come in the comments below. We also welcome any ideas for activities, supplies or anything you would like to have as part of our inaugural camp!! Get involved people!!
