ok, it is getting time to do another order of team kit from our good friends at cannibal.

our group rides have attracted quite a few new faces in the last 6 months but none have any spr gear.  so here is your chance to show your club colours and help you feel like you belong to the group.

for those that already have kit we have a couple of new items so go to the SPR TEAM KIT page and have a look.  for those that only got summer kit last order, now is the chance to get warm but keep the spr colours showing.

either send an email through or sign up at the coffee shop on saturdays.

The points classification has all been updated and congratulations to the following on their perfomances over the past few months.

February – 1. Stu   2. Brendan   3. Ben

March – 1. Ryan   2. Mike   3. Stu

April – 1. Mike   2. Ben   3. Darren

May – 1. Mike   2. Julian   3. Ben

My photoshopping skills aren’t that great so no pictures of the winners in their polkadot jerseys are available!

I’ll endeavour to keep it as up to date as possible from now on.

I look forward to seeing more of you in the hills.

Julian

Yes its that time again, toasties, muffins, BROWNIES…. and not forgetting coffee 😉

  The next  SPR breakfast will be on

Saturday 20th June

at Pete’s place immediately following the group ride.

 Lots of yummy food… lots of great fun… and great prizes to be won!

Only $10 a head to be paid on the day

EVERYONE WELCOME! 

Please RSVP by 17/06  either by posting a comment or emailing me to me so that we can have approximate numbers for catering.

lwood@claytonutz.com

See you there…

Lisa

For those of you who already know, Cyclosportif events are fantastic participation events for cyclists of all abilities.

The next Cyclosportif event,  Cicla a Swan Valley,  is on Sunday 28th June starting at the Velodrome  in Midvale and heading out around the picturesque Swan Valley.

There is an opportunity for anyone involved in SPR  to participate as there are 3 different distances to choose from.

Distances:
78kms – 5 x laps
62kms – 4 x laps
31kms – 2 x laps

Each team comprises up to a maximum of 9 and a minimum of 5 riders for each event, with the overall team time (you must stick together) counting as the completed time. 

This is NOT racing – it is about enjoying a challenge with your team mates and ‘participating’ as a team not ‘winning’.

Let’s see how many SPR jerseys we can get out there and show other riders what an enthusiastic and energetic club we have!

Cost is $45 pp for Cyclosportif members/ $60 pp for non-members

If you hold a current Cycling Australia racing license the cost is $45

Recreational and non-license holders will need to buy a “friend

of Cyclosportif” day license to participate – $60 in total

Please indicate in the comments if you are interested and in which distance.

An SPR “base camp” and “feed zone” will be available on the day.

Lorraine

Report by Julian

A very cold start to Sunday morning meant that the 20 or so riders who gathered were all rugged up. Then Stu arrived in a short sleeve top and no arm-warmers, which made everyone forget how cold they were! A quick explanation of the ride route was given by Peter , after which we set off up Mill Point Road, Great Eastern Highway then on to Orrong Road. The first rays of sun hit us in Welshpool but had little impact on the shivering bodies, especially when we went past the small parkland depressions that seemed to be a couple of degrees colder than the surrounding area.

By the time we hit Welshpool Rd hill the group was sufficiently warm to attack the climb. Stu, Hunter and I made an early move but Hunter dropped back when he experienced chain trouble. Jerry and Lorraine were amongst the others making good progress and also passed Hunter, who by this stage couldn’t get his chain off the big front ring. On the last rise to the top of the climb Stu made a decisive break, helped by shedding excess weight in the form of his pump and sunglasses. Only after he claimed the points did he turn around and pick them up and the rest of us followed on to the re-group at the end of Welshpool Rd. Lorraine was very excited about her 6th place – could this be the day she’d breakthrough for here first points?

KOM 1 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Jerry, 4. Peter, 5. Mark

We lost a couple of riders at this point but the main group headed up to Carmel on the way to the top of the observatory hill. The cloud had not lifted here so visibility was low and good ride etiquette was observed with a safe pace being maintained. One advantage of the fog was that the initial steep part of the climb was not visible so the hill did not look as daunting as usual. Despite this, John (I think) still managed a cry of disbelief when he realised we weren’t turning left. As we ascended, Stu and I made a good break and were the first to be greeted by full sun. We turned into Patterson Rd together and again Stu attacked to collect the points. We then turned to watch the others finish and saw Jerry bring home 3rd. Behind him a flash of red hair indicated Lorraine would indeed collect points as she finished with Peter. At the re-group we waited for Hunter before Jerry set off back down the hill to find him. At the same time Hunter phoned in to say he’d broken his chain and he was going to be picked up. We waited until Jerry was just out of earshot before yelling this out, ensuring a bit of extra climbing for him!

KOM 2 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Jerry, 4. Lorraine, 5. Peter

The fog re-appeared into Pickering Brook and in the Bickley valley but had cleared by the time we hit the time-trial climb on Mundaring Weir Road. I sat on Stu and we made good pace up the first hill. When it flattened out I was keen to hang on the Stu and try to set a PB. Behind us, Brendan, Peter and Jerry were pushing Lorraine though and apparently being kept entertained by her loud breathing patterns. At the top, Stu took points and I equalled my PB time of 7.56. Brendan, Jerry and Lorraine rounded out the top 5 and the rest followed in good time. About half the group left for coffee at this point whilst the 10 or so left headed off to the zig-zag and a climb up Kalamunda Rd.

KOM 3 – 1. Stu, 2. Julian, 3. Brendan, 4. Jerry, 5. Lorraine

John and Brendan set a good pace down the hill and were first to Ridge Hill Road. The last turn on the zig-zag was covered in gravel but the advance warning to other riders was excellent and no mishaps occurred. The smooth surface of Ridge Hill Road and the sun finally providing some warmth meant that the last descent was pretty quick. By the time we got to Kalamunda Rd lights we had re-grouped for the final climb. Stu and I set off from the front and were still together as we approached the service station roundabout. Sensing a chance to steal the points I went into the big ring on the last turn and overtook Stu, then was relieved to not see a counter-attack. We all re-grouped at the coffee shop to re-live the dream and to hear exploits of the days climbs. Despite some slow coffee service for some, the enjoyment of the ride was not lost.

KOM 4 – 1. Julian, 2. Stu, 3. Lorraine, 4. Brendan, 5. Peter

There were no dramas on the way down with low 80’s the maximum speed obtained. Gregor’s arm warmers stayed close to him this week, as did the $5 he still had in his tyre. At the first McDonald’s Stu made a comment about how nice and warm he was and noted he didn’t have any arm warmers or the like to remove and carry. Peter and Brendan had a fast final sprint in Berwick St before we gathered at Bunnings and went our separate ways home.

Footnote: I didn’t note any hill climb times at coffee. If anyone set a PB can they please leave a message in the comments so it can be updated on the list.

by Stuart

The State Time Trial Championships are on Saturday afternoon of June 13 at Dardanup – see details here. This event is highly recommended – the start location is good, the course is interesting (if you have the time or inclination to pay attention to the passing scenery) and the profile is not too hilly to make it hard, but not too flat to make it boring. It has a very fast finish if you have the energy to make the most of the gentle decline and smooth road. And, to further encourage South Perth Rouleur participation, it’s a good opportunity to present your credentials for a prestigious place in a SPCC team in the State Team Time Trial Championships in September. It is likely that SPCC can field a few teams in this event so places in teams will be keenly sought – put your hand up now!

And there’s more. In order to make the trip to Dardanup (near Bunbury) even more attractive, a nice recovery ride has been planned for the following day, in partnership with the South West Cycle Club (SWCC). In summary, the route will be from the centre of Bunbury, northward to Australind, east toward Collie climbing Roelands hill, down to Wellington Dam for a coffee stop, then along the lower Collie River before climbing the famed River Road and finishing back at Bunbury Dome café via Dardanup (map to be blogged later). It is planned to join the South West JETS (Junior Emerging Talent Squad) on route back to Dardanup, which provides opportunity to encourage some of the young talent. You never know, they might move to Perth and need to join a club!

SWCC have suggested going out for tea after the time trial (ala Pemberton) so in order to confirm if this idea has legs, we need an indication of your support ASAP, please.

Obviously if you intend to participate in both events you will need to plan (ie chat to your other half, book accommodation, fix your TT bike, etc) NOW. Even if you can only find time or freedom to do one event please give it serious consideration, and respond/comment to this blog.

winter is finally here.  no thunderstorms and lightning this weekend but it will be cold.  damn cold.  they are predicting 4 degrees on both saturday and sunday mornings.  don’t let that deter you though.  that is why they invented armwarmers, legwarmers, thermal gloves and jackets.

for those that do not have any spr kit, we will be doing an order very soon.  i am just trying to work out some more items with cannibal so you can also get knee warmers and a jacket.  the usual kit will still be available and those that skimped on things like armwarmers and vest last time (because it was summer) will have the opportunity to purchase again.  for those new to spr this is a good opportunity to be part of the group.  show off your club colours like any good biker gang.

anyway, saturday will have you nice and warm as you tackle the rolling hills along south street.  the group will split with the main taking bannister while the fast hits nicholson.  pretty standard ride for the old hands, so there should be plenty of leaders to follow.  i will be taking the novice group but we may have to find more hills to make sure we warm up 🙂

sunday.  i was told that we don’t do rides 1 – 7 much anymore.  here is number 6.  nice and tight circuit around kalamunda and the observatory.  lots of opportunities for shortcuts and an early coffee if you need.

layer up and i will see you on the road.

south perth rouleurs saturday ride 13 (canning vale reverse)

south perth rouleurs sunday ride 06 (welshpool & observatory & kalamunda rd)