The WA State Fondo Series York Canola Classic is being held on Sunday 27 August 2023. Set in the picturesque Shire of Your, 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.
Racing this weekend – If you want to race, or get in on the action watching others race, read on.
1. TBA – EntryBoss is down 🙂
2. TBA
Juniors Ride (Saturday 22 July) — Juniors rides will resume on September 2nd, 2023, and we look forward to continuing our cycling adventures.
From the Ride Coordinator — According the BOM this weekend is not going to be the perfect riding weather we had last weekend – so once again expect fewer riders, and a more mixed makeup in the group. It helps a lot to drop your tyre pressure by about 10-15psi when the roads are wet. Softer tyres mean more rubber in contact with the road which means more grip! It’s still pretty dark out there too, so front and rear lights are a must for all early rides, and highly recommended for getting to the 7am rides.
Thanks to everyone for taking on board the tips about staying in the lane through roundabouts – I had some good feedback from ride leaders and noticed the same myself. Keep it up, and stay safe in the wet (or jump on Zwift).
Saturday 29th July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
Call for Sponsors — SPR Tour of Margaret River 2023. The Tour of Margaret River three day cycling event has been a key success of the South Perth Rouleurs through the Clubs commitment to providing a well organised, safe and social ride experience. The hard work and dedication of each and every cyclist in the months leading up to the event and its race volunteers ensure a quality experience for all.
We are proud of the the opportunities we have provided for our members to participate in what is arguably the best event of its kind in Australia. This year we are looking at around 15 teams, which means a sea of SPR green 💚
And here in lies an opportunity… sponsorship enables us a club to enhance the experience for members of our teams — through event-specific club kit and the like — providing a sense camaraderie and identity, whilst at the same time promoting local businesses through involvement with the sport of cycling.
A real win-win.
If this is you or your business we would love to hear from you!
We will provide preference to any club members who would like to sponsor, but also consider sharing this opportunity with any businesses that you know of that might be interested.
WA Tandem Cycling Advisory Council Ride. Last Saturday saw the first of our rides, where our Transitional group was joined by a number of WATCAC riders. Thank you for coming. Check out the photos!
Racing this weekend – If you want to race, or get in on the action watching others race, read on.
Juniors Ride (Saturday 22 July) — After a few exercise sessions focused on improving our young riders’ bike skills through engaging games, it’s time to take things up a notch and build up their endurance by tackling a proper course! You can check out the course here:
Spanning approximately 12 kilometers, this ride will challenge our young riders and provide them with a rewarding experience. We have planned a delightful stop at Dome (Deep Water Point), where the kids can enjoy a well-deserved treat of ice cream, serving as a delicious reward for their efforts.
The meeting point for this adventure will be at the Holy Family Church car park in Como, conveniently located at https://goo.gl/maps/pzQcsdXYFXi19Vtw7. We kindly request all participants to gather there at 10:30 AM sharp. The estimated return time home is around 12:30 PM, allowing for a satisfying morning of cycling and fun.
Furthermore, we would like to inform you that this upcoming ride will be the last one for the next four weeks. Our junior ride leader, Giovanni, will be temporarily away visiting his family in Italy. Therefore, we will be taking a break from organised rides during this period.
Please note that our rides will resume on September 2nd, 2023, and we look forward to continuing our cycling adventures.
During this break, we encourage everyone to continue practicing and enjoying their own rides with their parents.
From the Ride Coordinator — Perfect winter riding weather this weekend – but the roads could still be a little slippery after all the rain this week so please go easy on corners and roundabouts. Saturday Main route is Collier Dianella, a newish route that had a recent safety improvement following rider feedback. We now cross the railway line in Guilford just after crossing Tonkin Hwy and then dog-leg right into Railway Pde before turning left into Collier Rd.
Sunday Long Hills is also one a newer one – with familiar roads, but Repatriation loop counter-clockwise. Remember to slow down and turn right into Forest Rd before the T-junction at the bottom of the descent of Patterson.
Saturday 22nd July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
It has been a big week, with both light and shade.
The Tour is proceeding apace, and making for some excellent viewing. In my opinion anyway. Seeing Jai in yellow was amazing. And having watched Pogacar and Vingegaard battle it out with some serious attacks, I remain very impressed with Jai’s +2:40 third place in the General Classification.
SPR’s Tour de France dinner was Tuesday just gone, and as ever, the cuisine and company at Chez Pierre were sublime. Select photos below.
I also wish to offer a tribute and our deepest condolences on behalf of the club to Connor Lambert’s family and friends. Many in the club will have known and raced with Connor as part of the local cycling and racing community, and it is a confronting to hear news of a young life cut tragically short. I know that it must be infinitely worse for Connor’s family and friends in dealing with this shocking news.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected by this loss.
For those who may not be aware, we heard the news of Connor’s death of in Belgium whilst on a training ride earlier this week.
Daniel
Look out for the tandem riders from WATCAC, WA Tandem Cycling Advisory Council, who will be joining this Saturdays Transition ride for the first time.
Juniors Ride (Saturday 15 July) — The weather forecast for this weekend is looking fantastic, ensuring another delightful day with the kids. As we continue to evolve this type of ride and explore new possibilities, this time we have decided to gather at the beautiful Wireless Hill Park (https://goo.gl/maps/avubzSpDya2JnGaC8) at 11am. Our plan is to enjoy some invigorating laps around the museum and engage in exciting games.
For those who are interested in cycling to the park, covering a distance of approximately 9.5km, we will be meeting at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Como at 10.20am. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some exercise before joining the rest of the group.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the event!
From the Ride Coordinator — According to the BOM it’t going to be nippy this weekend, but no rain, so dress for the conditions. A reminder about extra precautions required at roundabouts – they are a major contributor to accidents according to our stats. “Hold your line” doesn’t mean keep going straight, and short cutting across the roundabout. It means KEEP LEFT, stay in your lane, and follow the curve of the road through the roundabout or corner, so that the riders and cars adjacent to you can do the same.
Polite constructive feedback to riders who don’t do this can be helpful. Think of the group you’re in as a team. We need to have each other’s backs all the time – whether it’s calling out obstacles in the road loud and early, communicating when riders are struggling, or letting the group know there’s a split at a traffic light. This builds trust among the riders in the group, which leads to a safer culture – one of SPR’s key values.
Sunday’s long hills ride is a tester with some steep sections – and maybe not ideal for less experienced riders but great for those wanting to stretch their climbing legs after watching le Tour. There is always the short hills option…
Saturday 15th July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
If you did not have enough of a reason to stay up and watch the Tour de France… you do now.
This year was already exciting with twelve Australians riding in the Tour, including locals Jai Hindley and Ben O’Connor. And now, after a big day in the mountains, we have Jai Hindley in yellow and with a decisive stage win under the belt yesterday. Impressive.
If you have not see the seen the result, check out the win and the post-race interview. Not to mention that local photographer Zac Williams is there capturing the moment.
For me, in addition to the racing, I am appreciating the inclusion of “mate” in the lexicon of Tour de France post-race interviews.
“… then the opportunity for the stage presented itself, and I was all in on the last climb and just happened to take the yellow jersey as well, which isn’t too shabby so I can’t complain mate.”
From the Ride Coordinator — Another week of ordinary weather, and more iffy stuff this weekend. There should be some breaks in the weather, so don’t miss out when they appear. Recent SPR safety stats are showing promising signs – so keep up the good work, and politely remind people if you see any unsafe behavior.
JUNIOR RIDE: There will be another junior ride this Saturday at 11am – meeting at the same place – Kuljak Island – which has plenty of parking at the meeting point. There is also the option of a 13km ride to the start from the meeting point at Holy Family Catholic Church in Como. Thanks to all who attended and helped last Saturday – the kids and adults had a blast. Remember to check your kids bikes, and wear a helmet if you’re planning to join.
Saturday 8th July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
The South Perth Rouleurs Cycling Club is committed to its’ shared values, Safe, Social, Organised and Inclusive through important decisions and ongoing activities. In support of these values, in particular Inclusive and Safe, SPR is very pleased to welcome tandem cyclists from WATCAC to a monthly Saturday transition ride. WA Tandem Cycling Advisory Council (WATCAC) are a tandem cycling group of visioned and blind or vision impaired cyclists who wish to bring their current group rides into mainstream cycling; they currently have separate monthly group rides.
The pilots (lead rider) and the stoker (second rider, vision impaired) have extensive experience, some riding together for 20 years. Tandems from WATCAC have participated for many years in the on-road Canteen ride from Perth to Busselton, rolling through with the regular cyclists and other events such as MSWA. We look forward to welcoming some of these cyclists on Saturday 15 July at Coode St car park.
To learn more about tandem riding in WA please visit https://watcac.org.
U11 Juniors Ride — Tour de France will start on the 1st of July and the best way to celebrate it is to go out for a nice ride! The weather forecast looks great although it is going to be a bit cold.
In this occasion I planned to catch up a little bit later at 11 am in order to get the benefit of the warmer hours. We will meet at the Kuljak Island. You can find the exact google coordinates at this link. Please note that there is a car park, so you can reach the place by driving.
The island is fantastic because it is completely closed to the traffic and we can ride around it without any problem. The full loop is ~1.6 km.
The plan is to do 4 or 5 laps to warm up and then play some games:
The Tour de France is arguably the most famous epic road race so come along to celebrate the event in style at Chez Pierre in Nedlands on Tuesday 11 July.
This event has always been an excellent night with Chez Pierre putting on amazing food. It is after all something for which the French are renowned. Bring your own wine to make it an extra special night as corkage is included in the price. See menu.
From the Ride Coordinator — At last we have a great weekend for riding – albeit on the cool side. Saturday takes Main and Transitional groups to Abernathy Rd, which should give everyone a friendly tail wind all the way home. If you didn’t know, we try and select our main routes for Saturday so that the home run is down wind.
It’s not always possible, as Easterly winds prevail in the morning for most of the year, and we have some excellent routes coming back via Dalkeith and Mounts Bay Rd – so its a balancing act. On Sunday both long and short hills rides start with the Zig-Zag. Long hills goes up the “Chookenberg”. It’s a beast of a short climb with over 20% gradient, but there is a detour if you’re not up to that. You can continue up Lawnbrook and meet the group about 1km up the road at the intersection of Palmateer Rd. Whichever you choose, stay safe and enjoy the nippy sunny conditions.
And do read about our recently introduced U11 Juniors ride – see all the details above.
Saturday 1st July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
It is Grand Tour season and we are about to watch 4 West Australians go around in the biggest and most famous bike race on the planet – the Tour de France. While we all dream of lining the route at Le Tour the reality is that you can experience something very similar right here in Australia at the Tour Down Under. The photo at the top of this post was taken by David Menarry on this year’s final stage – winner Jay Vine and runner up Simon Yates duking it out on Mt Lofty. Dates for the 2024 edition have just been announced – 12-21 January 2024.
Quite simply, if you love cycling and you have not been to the TDU you are missing out! In the edition just gone we got to see the strongest field ever for the race – 4 Grand Tour winners, all of the top Aussies and many emerging stars. The riding in Adelaide and surrounds is fabulous and the city is taken over by bikes while the tour is on. You can ride as much or as little as you like while taking in this epic festival of cycling.
SPR on Mt Lofty
Every year there is a large group from SPR over at the TDU, not to mention a big chunk of the Perth cycling community, so if you haven’t been before there is plenty of support and plenty of people to answer your questions or provide advice. We even have a Facebook group which we use to coordinate SPR activities while we are there (and to build our excitement in the lead up!).
Each day of the tour we will have a plan, but there is so much more than just the riding and watching the pros smash each other. The eating and drinking is as much a part of the fun! The Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide hills wineries are generally worth a visit. And there is local club racing during the week if you are keen on that too…
Tony cleared his plate before riding back to Adelaide from Hahndorf #australiasbiggeststeaksandwich
Amanda driving the peleton at Victoria Park with World Tour and NRS riders trying to hold her wheel!
Accommodation books up pretty quickly so it’s a good idea to be planning now. If you are thinking about going and want to know more send me an email vp@southperthrouleurs.com.au or message me here or on Facebook.
First off, those of you who are club members through AusCycling will have received an email yesterday regarding the rise in membership fees come 1 July, and in particular the introduction of an “insurance levy” which calls out the primary source of the rise being the cost of insurance. AusCycling flagged this issue several months ago, and are trying to mitigate the effects (cutting back other spending) and looking at other ways to manage the problem. Cycling is not the only organisation to face challenges with insurance, but it is not good news. We will keep you posted as the updates come through.
Secondly, if you put in an Expression of Interest for the Tour of Margaret River, you will have received a “TOMR Launch” email several weeks back. Please make sure you read through. A reminder that the first payment (of three) is due this weekend – see this link on the SPR shop. If you want to pay the whole amount up front, that is an option.
There are a few tickets (just a few) for the SPR Tour de France Dinner at Chez Pierre – link below. And also the Alliance Française de Perth event – get them while you can.
Daniel
📸 Photo credits for the drone footage of the start of the ride last Saturday go to Peter Mah. Nice one – if you not seen them, check them out on our FB group. Now to convince Peter to film an entire ride…
George Burnett Park Cycling Needs Assessment — Whether you cycle for fun, fitness or the daily commute, the City of South Perth wants to hear your thoughts on cycling facilities and infrastructure at George Burnett Park in Karawara.
As part of the City’s Cycling Needs Assessment, complete the online survey where your feedback will help inform the City’s future cycling infrastructure for the community.
Following a number of recommendations over recent years, the City is proposing to build a pump track at George Burnett Park (subject to funding), but we’d like to know what else you would like to see there.
The City of South Perth is keen to hear from residents, bike riders, park users and the wider community so to get involved, please visit Your Say South Perth to complete the online survey.
The survey closes at 4pm, Monday 3 July 2023
The Tour de France is arguably the most famous epic road race so come along to celebrate the event in style at Chez Pierre in Nedlands on Tuesday 11 July.
This event has always been an excellent night with Chez Pierre putting on amazing food. It is after all something for which the French are renowned. Bring your own wine to make it an extra special night as corkage is included in the price. See menu.
Alliance Française de Perth is organising an event to celebrate the Tour de France at their centre in Nedlands on the 1st of July.
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will bring together the cycling lovers and food & wine enthusiasts from the Perth area!
We invite you to share a lunch composed of the finest food prepared by our French Chef while listening to our prestigious speakers including pro cyclist Jessica Allen, cycling commentator Jethro Nagle, former pro cyclist Bob Addy and more to come!
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will be a unique time around this iconic moment of French culture, and we would be glad to share it with the major actors of Perth vibrant cycling life. That’s why the Alliance team would be delighted to welcome members of SPR at the event.
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will take place between 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM and is open to adults and teenagers over 13. The Entry price is $90 for general admissions and $35 for people under 18. Age will be asked for registration as alcohol will be served.
From the Ride Coordinator — Kudos to all those that have continued training and commuting through the weather – you are braver and more dedicated than many of us. It looks like more of the same this weekend so we can expect smaller groups with a wider range of abilities. Please factor this in when setting the pace and discuss it at the start.
I’ll probably be on Zwift, and sneak out for a quickie if I see a gap in the clouds. We’ve got shorter routes, for both Sunday hills rides, to maximise the chances of a dry outing. Take extra care at roundabouts, keep your lights on and dress for the conditions.
Saturday 24th June
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
So this year we are spoiled for choice with this year’s Tour de France. Not only are we continuing the club tradition with the SPR Tour de France Dinner at Chez Pierre (Stage 10), but Alliance Française de Perth is putting together a lunch to celebrate the start of the Tour… all the details below.
IMPORTANT: For a number of years, the club has been working and advocating toward an inner city crit track. We see this an an important facility for putting on racing and training without closing roads, but perhaps more importantly, as a facility for enabling juniors and new cyclists to gain experience cycling in the safety of a circuit that is off the road.
Perth is currently the only capital city in mainland Australia not to have a stand-alone Criterium Circuit.
We are keen to see this changed. To this end we encourage all SPR members to contribute to the survey being conducted by the City of South Perth (details below).
Fingers crossed for this weekend’s riding.
Daniel
George Burnett Park Cycling Needs Assessment — Whether you cycle for fun, fitness or the daily commute, the City of South Perth wants to hear your thoughts on cycling facilities and infrastructure at George Burnett Park in Karawara.
As part of the City’s Cycling Needs Assessment, complete the online survey where your feedback will help inform the City’s future cycling infrastructure for the community.
Following a number of recommendations over recent years, the City is proposing to build a pump track at George Burnett Park (subject to funding), but we’d like to know what else you would like to see there.
The City of South Perth is keen to hear from residents, bike riders, park users and the wider community so to get involved, please visit Your Say South Perth to complete the online survey.
The survey closes at 4pm, Monday 3 July 2023
The Tour de France is arguably the most famous epic road race so come along to celebrate the event in style at Chez Pierre in Nedlands on Tuesday 11 July.
This event has always been an excellent night with Chez Pierre putting on amazing food. It is after all something for which the French are renowned. Bring your own wine to make it an extra special night as corkage is included in the price. See menu.
Alliance Française de Perth is organising an event to celebrate the Tour de France at their centre in Nedlands on the 1st of July.
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will bring together the cycling lovers and food & wine enthusiasts from the Perth area!
We invite you to share a lunch composed of the finest food prepared by our French Chef while listening to our prestigious speakers including pro cyclist Jessica Allen, cycling commentator Jethro Nagle, former pro cyclist Bob Addy and more to come!
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will be a unique time around this iconic moment of French culture, and we would be glad to share it with the major actors of Perth vibrant cycling life. That’s why the Alliance team would be delighted to welcome members of SPR at the event.
The ‘Tour de France Lunch’ will take place between 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM and is open to adults and teenagers over 13. The Entry price is $90 for general admissions and $35 for people under 18. Age will be asked for registration as alcohol will be served.
From the Ride Coordinator — As the rains continue, and the roads get all sorts of debris washed over them, the likelihood of punctures increases. Make sure you carry whatever spares you need – tubes, levers, plugs, pump, CO2 canister etc, and practice using them!
Rain also means fewer riders on both Saturday and Sunday group rides, and a wider range of ability in any group. Lets keep that in mind when setting the pace of the group. It may mean having an easier day out than you’d planned, but it makes for a safer and more inclusive experience for all. It’s good to communicate early and often group dynamics. Speak up at the start if you’re riding with a group you don’t know well and let others know during the ride if you’d prefer to drop back to another group, or to ride slower alone or with a friend.
Sunday Short hills is one of our newer routes – with an interesting transition from Lawnbrook to Mundaring Weir Rd via Grove & Stanhope Rds, and a return via Maidevale instead of welshpool Rd. It looks like we’re going to have a well timed break in the weather this weekend; Sunny rides in Winter are awesome – enjoy!
Saturday 17th June
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
The Tour de France is arguably the most famous epic road race so come along to celebrate the event in style at Chez Pierre in Nedlands on Tuesday 11 July.
This event has always been an excellent night with Chez Pierre putting on amazing food. It is after all something for which the French are renowned. Bring your own wine to make it an extra special night as corkage is included in the price. See menu.
SPR TOMR 2023 EOI Open — SPR is pleased to formally launch the ToMR 2023 campaign, and call for Expressions of Interest from riders, volunteers, and/or sponsors, who are considering joining the SPR team for this year’s event.
This is not a locked in commitment rather a starting point for contact in the future and further information.
Please use the “I’m interested” link and answer the few brief questions. This will enable the Race Subcommittee to gather information for everything from accommodation to team composition.
We want to ensure that we enable everyone that wants to participate to do so.
From the Ride Coordinator — After a lot of Zwifting by a lot of people, there are glimmers of hope for some road riding this weekend, particularly on Sunday Arvo. For those that do brave the weather, remember to take extra care before, during and after the rides.
Check your brake pads, discs/rims and lights before heading out, and always give the bike a hose down after riding in wet conditions. Washing out the mud and crud extends the life of your drive train and brakes, and makes them work better when you need them.
Sundays Short Hills is one of our new routes that covers familiar ground, but doesn’t stop at the Kalamunda Servo for refilling bottles. You may be able just look up and smile if you get thirsty .
Saturday 10th June
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
Being the 3rd of June, this Saturday is World Bicycle Day. Since its establishment in 2018, it seems everyone is getting on board. The United Nations is responsible for starting it (there is apparently a formal UN General Assembly resolution 💚). The UCI is onboard as part of its Cycling for All program. Strava has a Challenge (of course – the goal is 20 million miles in June – not sure about measuring it in miles, but get involved anyway).
We don’t see any of that as a bad thing.
And we’re on board. In honour of the occasion, we are officially encouraging everyone to wear a jersey representative of their homeland this Saturday to the group ride. You may even get some social media glory if the Committee (led by the intrepid Amy) is suitably impressed.
#worldbicycleday #spr #southperthrouleurs
StravaUCIUnited NationsSPR
Kit Order — Another reminder is that the Kit Shop is open now for the next order, closing until 4 June.
This includes National Kit – particularly pertinent for recent Gran Fondo and Gravel Worlds qualifiers. Nice one.
SPR TOMR 2023 EOI Open — SPR is pleased to formally launch the ToMR 2023 campaign, and call for Expressions of Interest from riders, volunteers, and/or sponsors, who are considering joining the SPR team for this year’s event.
This is not a locked in commitment rather a starting point for contact in the future and further information.
Please use the “I’m interested” link and answer the few brief questions. This will enable the Race Subcommittee to gather information for everything from accommodation to team composition.
We want to ensure that we enable everyone that wants to participate to do so.
From the Ride Coordinator — Something to celebrate for those of us who use the freeway bike path between the Canning and Narrows bridges – no more detour! This Saturday we dust off another old route we haven’t seen for a while – Murdoch & Freo, which has a familiar first half for those who do the Monday rides. Sunday’s short hills route does not have the usual water refill stop in Kalamunda, so please carry enough for the full ride.
ROADWORKS: There is an unsealed gravel surface on The Strand in Applecross, just after the steep descent down Majestic hill (Fraser Rd). This will affect most 5.30am rides including Saturday EBR. Please take extra care and warn fellow riders on the approach.
Saturday 3rd June
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
