Menzies to Kalgoorlie
Race report by Brendan

After originally looking forward to this awesome event some weeks prior my world was turned around in the last few weeks with a back/leg injury that just refuses to go away, My dear old Gran passing away resulting in another week off the bike while back in Victoria and with the leg finally showing signs of getting better I caught the flu Thankfully no swine flu but still coughing and flem like no tomorrow I boarded my flight to Kal with Jody.

Upon arriving in kal we dropped our gear at our Hotel and thankfully being picked up by Jody’s sis and huge Thanks to Daryl Benson (WAIS) taking my bike up in his van made the flight up so much better. While I went off for my Chiro appointment to hopefully settle the back issue even more, jody went off with sis to visit the kids but as I had a lil time to kill I went for pancakes at Dome and joined Daryl and partner, WAIS girls with Sarah Jean for a few laughs and stories prior to Saturdays race start. Once I was sorted by my old Chiro I was meant to have a nice relaxing massage at another place I frequented whilst living in Kal, it was a nice 20min walk up there which helped to cough up as much flem as possible as I was really dreading the whole thought of racing 2 days. Once there they politely told me they couldn’t fit me in (even though I was booked) as the masseuse was sick, spewing that I was now not only sick but couldn’t have my massage I was rather p!ssed off to say the least so off I walked to a mates place instead and then we headed down to start to register. Once registered Jody had come up to join me we went off for some lunch in town where I made my decision that I would skip the Saturday’s criterium stage. So after lunch checked into our room and had a nice spa to clear the chest and head and then headed back to the main street to watch the days racing.

As many people will tell you I can’t sit still at the best of times so watching this while coughing what felt like my lungs up just didn’t sit well with me and was making me grumpy but we were entertained by some great racing, strange tactics and few crashes. After that we grabbed my bike from Daryl and headed back to the Motel to place Mr Hedley’s Zipp 404’s on as we had a nice tail wind by all reports for Sunday’s race. At 18.30 every rider had a compulsory briefing lasting for 30odd mins covering all things related to Sunday’s race from rules and requirements to general info. Once completed we headed off with friends for an awesome meal at a local restaurant before retiring for the night with enough tablets in my body to make me rattle.

I woke up early and had a hot shower to clear my chest and head and felt surprisingly better so did the usual breaky pre race thing, was picked up by friends, grabbed some drive through coffees and hot chocolates and headed up to Menzies. Trip there was full of stirring and stories between us boys about what we were and were not going to do. Once there we set the bikes up, got ready and went off for warm ups. A grade were off 6 mins behind us and C grade were 6 minutes in front so we were abit worried but committed to get the ball rolling and see what happens. As we only had 12 odd riders and the way I felt I was really in self doubt mode by was determined to have a crack. We were rolling turns averaging 50kmphr leading up to the first challenge the sprint at 30km mark, I so wanted to have a go but knew I was asking for trouble as I coughed and spat mucus like no tomorrow but safely through the sprint we re-grouped and were straight back into formation and surprisingly I was coming better and better, heart rate was sitting where it should be, no leg/back issues and I started to enjoy myself. We got the call A grade had only made 1 minute on us by the 50km mark in as they were attacking each other and refusing to work so that made us focus some more and try for the fastest time honors 2 years in a row (B grade won fastest in 2008). Some of the guys were starting to miss turns but about 8 remained strong and worked strongly for a majority of the way. We talked about things and made a call to smash the speed up for 10 mins to see if we could gain some of the 1 minute back from A grade and to get rid of some hangers on.

It pretty much worked and we were back as the core group again with each of us missing a turn here and there to get some feed in. With 20km to go we got time gaps and knew we had no hope of catching the 2 front groups and A still hovering around 1 minute behind we decided to keep pressing for time honors. With a few big turns we shelled a few remaining to be only 6 of us left with 3 Brooks/Mcmurdo riders I knew coming up to the end the numbers were swinging in their favour.
With 10km to go the attacks started and the Brooks guys took it in turns shelling out some punishment at full speed, personally I was feeling ok but knew deep down my lack of miles of late were bound to catch up with me but I pushed with the attacks for approx 5 km until it was whittled down to still 3 Brooks guys, Paul Lamond and myself. With each attack my zing was slowly going so tried to let others chase the initial surge but the legs were fading fast and knew on the last rise was going to be the spot and sure enough I pre empted it but to no avail as the legs just didn’t have the speed so the 4 of them got a gap of 30meters and I rode my tempo that my legs allowed and looking behind making sure I wasn’t caught I soloed in to lose about a minute but happy to finish reasonably high in B grade knowing that I gave my best and considering all my bad luck of late happy to be able to finish my 8th(from memory) Menzies Classic.

On finishing we waited to see who had the legs in A and with an awesome ride solo Luke Durbridge rode in approx 90seconds faster than us to claim fastest time and first A grader home. Dean Emslie won the race from C grade and from knowing Dean and knowing how honest he is a much deserving winner. He even shed his winnings around the core group of guys in C grade to show his appreciation as without them he couldn’t have won. Congratulations Dean! Sarah Jean came in the front group for 6th overall and first lady.

Over the weekend there were lots of team tactics and actions resulting in a few raised eyebrows just to show passion and politics in cycling remain 
Onto the dinner and presentation over many a drink and some great food we enjoyed some great stories from the 1950 winner who won while half of the course was still gravel! Now that is hardcore! Luke Hardy made us laugh with his impersonations of Russel Brooks, Matt Deck and Mark Petterson while collecting there prizes for them. After that we headed to the pubs and after Jody went home about 10pm I partied on with the boys to well into the morning to try and make sure my flu was well and truly drowned .
The event ran extremely well and coupled with great weather made for a great weekend of racing was had by all, what was a little disappointing was the lack of support from the Perth riders as we only had a total of 90 and compared to a few years ago we were nudging 200 and SBS were talking of televising it! So I am telling you guys now, try your best to be on the start line for 2010 Menzies to Kalgoorlie Classic and they have some great plans to make this event the Premier Western Australian road race it once was, as after all to win it you have to be in it.

Be safe and see you on the road soon (hopefully I will be back to normal by then)…. so I can get ready for my next goal “The Grafton to Inverel”.

Report by Julian

I was a tad unsure of whether I’d make it on Sunday. The thought of a 120 km round trip after the punishing Saturday ride and my neighbour’s 50th birthday that evening wasn’t inspiring me, but the “coffee shop pact” I’d made with Lorraine after the Gooseberry Hill ride meant that a sleep in wasn’t an option. Arriving at the car park I was surprised to see over 20 riders ready to tackle the day. Confidence reigned supreme as a poll indicated only Shun had brought a rain jacket. The wind was non-existent and the temperature not too cold so conditions were ideal.

The Manning Road /Albany Highway sections were unremarkable with the lead changing regularly to allow everyone to do some work on the front. The pace was maintained in the low 30s as we prepared for the Kahuna. At the start of the climb Gregor had a puncture, which he tended to with a little help, whilst the rest of us forged on. Rob made the early pace but the young group, including Sam in his shocking tights, and Adrian plus Mike, Ben and I soon put a gap between us and the rest of the field. Mike held his form to the top keeping out Ben. I made a last effort to catch Sam but was stalled by being in fits of laughter as Sam’s tights had half fallen down leaving his knicks hanging over the top. It was quite a sight. In the end, the first climb points were as follows:

KOM 1 – 1. Mike, 2. Ben, 3. Sam, 4. Julian, 5. Adrian

We then made pace down Urch Road, with John leading the way towards Peet Rd and the Roleystone High School finish. We came across a Cyclobuzz group on Peet Rd so I was unsure of actual positions but know I was holding 6th or 7th – i.e. no points. Peter and I worked together towards the roundabout and Nick came flying past thinking he was a chance for 5th. We yelled out the position and this slowed Nick up and we finished behind the front group, who shared the points:

KOM 2 – 1. Mike, 2. Craig, 3. Ben, 4. Rob, 5. Adrian

The re-group was longer than expected as we’d heard Gregor had suffered another flat. However, he bravely soldiered on, complete with a $5 note inside his tyre to protect the tube. We started off again and turned into Brookton Highway with Sam (I think – apologies if not you Sam.  Feel free to name and shame) doing his best to kill himself by ignoring the calls of ‘car right’. We need to be careful on these roads and I would encourage everyone to read the etiquette page on the web site to understand our responsibilities when we’re on the roads.

Everyone held position on the descent and by the time we hits Soldiers Rd we were all ready for the climb. A group of 6 set the pace up the hill and we started breaking up towards the top. Sam outlasted Mike to the top, followed by Ben and Craig and I passed Adrian near the end to take the 5th spot.

KOM 3 – 1. Sam, 2. Mike, 3. Ben, 4. Craig, 5. Julian

At the re-group we were all reminded that this was the last short cut point of the ride. Judd and Rachel took the option and the remaining riders headed off to Albany Highway and the next KOM at the Canning Dam turn off. This hill is the flattest on the ride so it turned into a sprint finish between about 8 riders. Nick again tried hard to get points but the placings were already filled.

KOM 4 – 1. Craig, 2. Sam, 3. Mike, 4. Adrian, 5. Rob

It was another long re-group as Ben changed a flat. Time was starting to get away so we made haste down towards the dam. This lasted all of 1 km before Lorraine had a flat, courtesy of someone who dumped a load of bricks in the middle of the road! Once the tyre was changed off we went again and made good pace again until Peter started free wheeling and his wheel hubs started screeching, which caused general alarm. However, the problem was not serious so we continued down the valley until the wooden bridge, where there was no need to answer three questions to cross it (I can’t remember who made this classic Monty Python reference at the re-group before the bridge but all the way down to it I was thinking of was my name, my quest and my favourite colour – Brilliant). The long climb up to Karragullen was hard and I generally find this climb particularly tough. I could see Ben fading a little in front of me but couldn’t catch him.

KOM 5 – 1. Mike, 2. Craig, 3. Rob, 4. Ben, 5. Julian

At the service station re-group we decided to forego coffee in Kalamunda, as a few of us had to back home. We planned to head to Pickering Brook and then directly to Welshpool Road and back for coffee at Atomic for those who could. Nick decided to breakaway just before Welshpool Road to get up the last of the hills. Although there were no points on offer he bravely stayed in front for the first hill. We then got the pack organised to haul him in until Mike mentioned that it was his birthday so we let him take the final hill, and in recognition of this made a special KOM stage for him.

KOM 6 – 1 Nick (happy birthday for Saturday)

On the Welshpool Road descent Lorraine got to Tonkin Highway first and Gregor lost an arm-warmer. We picked up solo rider near Roe Highway and Peter went into recruit mode and hopefully she will join us next weekend. The next bit of excitement was a clash of wheels in East Vic Park, which brought one rider down but no damage was done. There were more moments of madness in the final sprint down Berwick Street (again refer to etiquette web page) before the regroup in the Bunnings car park. A group of about 10 then headed to Atomic along the bike path, stopping only to assist a little kid who had a head on crash with Nick!!  It really capped off an eventful day but luckily no damage was done.

As a footnote the final points for May will be posted soon (I need to get the May 10 results) but Mike looks to have won the polkadot jersey. We’ll aim to update the KOM points more regularly now.

Also, SBS will be launching their new channel SBS2 tonight and from what I can gather from their press release they will be showing ALL of the Tour de France this year.

My first time as a blogger, Brett you may regret making me do this!!

The day started out perfectly with a gorgeous red sunrise and little wind, as I happily rode down to the meeting point.  It has become easier each week as a ‘newbie’ as I have come to realise that the guys and gals at SPR are really not all that scary ! 

I chatted to and waited and hoped I wouldn’t be the only ‘novice’ to turn up today, knowing I am so NOT ready yet for the main group.  Thankfully Carols smiling face appeared across the carpark and as I turned around I saw the gorgeous pink kit that Tanya was wearing.   After being told Brett was taking us today, the day started out with introductions and the welcome of a new addition Scott who has some VERY impressive tatoos 🙂 

Brett asked where we going and we told him and he promptly led us the wrong way as us girls had a giggle and made comments about selective deafness.  We bravely rode up the hill behind our fearless leader only to get to the lights and have to back track to the narrows or we would have ended up the highway… not where any of us wanted to go! 

Fearless B’s true colours started to show as he quickly put us into formation and told us to keep tight and keep up the pace.  Flying along the side of the river we saw an ambulance ahead and slowly rode around it, sending positive thoughts to the two guys who were down.  Once past that obstacle we flew along the Cannning Bridge and into Applecross and with fear and trepidation once again tackled the ‘hill’.  Which actually isn’t that bad only in our minds! As we turned a group of about 3o cyclists were zooming down, and all I could think was please don’t get in my way, if I lose my momentum I am a goner… I stuck with Carol who has only ever ridden the hill once before and she was like a pro barrelling up to the top.. fantastic. 

We travelled down the hill , ( thank god) and down some road ( sorry still new to Perth don’t know where I am half the time)  and under the Canning Bridge and headed to Shelley.  This is where Brett really came into his own.. telling me to lead off at 30 kms so I took off, but my computer wasn’t working and I was worried I wasnt’ going fast enough.. suddenly Rob appeared beside me telling me to slow down I was going to fast!  Thank goodness for that as I wasn’t sure I could go much longer 🙂 

It was hard work but we practiced our roll throughs or roll unders or whatever the heck you call them and merrily rode along at a rate of knots rolling around a roundabout and heading back to Canning Bridge.  Brett had a great idea of interval training so off we went, boy we were awesome.. well at least in our own minds… Tanya took off and looked like a real pro with Scott and Carol not far behind.  After 3 PT sessions this week and workouts every day in my PT course I was not sure I was going to last the distance but Brett encourages and pushes us to the bridge and down the side of the river we flew.  Scott going out strong so us girls could sit behind his wheel. A glistening river, no wind, with coffee in sight we fair flew to the Bell Tower.  42 kms, average speed of 28kms, not bad for a bunch of novices.. thanks heaps Brett you were awesome .. all hail the leader…

well, not really a contest, but add your comments below and the best ones will be featured.

at no point during the final laps of the race were we all riding together, so some very dodgy photo manipulation was needed.

well apparently it is a public holiday this weekend.  didn’t see that one coming so i was hoping to take advantage of it, but unfortunately there is a list of jobs that need completing.

so to make up for my loss we will be gaining some kilometres.

saturday will see the pack split at the foothills of kalamunda with the main group shortcutting across to ridgehill rd and the fast group doing gooseberry hill.  what fun.  luckily we get to come home via guilford rd where there should be a nice tailwind to blow you home.

sunday and we get to put in some extra kms as well.  taking in some of the more scenic hills and valleys around roleystone bedfordale and kalamunda.  make sure you bring plenty of food and drink.  there will be shortcuts for those that need it.  however there are six climbs for those chasing mountain points.

monday will follow the standard public holiday route with and extended trip around the river.  chance of a shower predicted, but it is the first day of winter so it should not be a surprise.

south perth rouleurs saturday ride 15 (gooseberry hill)

south perth rouleurs sunday ride 17 (kahuna & soldiers rd & canning mills)

south perth rouleurs public holiday ride

NOTE: there is always a novice ride on the saturday morning.  i just don’t mention it as the route stays the same.

thanks to rob for these great photos.  cycling is often about suffering and as you can see from the pictures there was much to be had this day.

Report by Julian

The wake up call on Sunday was much more pleasant than Saturday as the rain had cleared and I looked forward to the hill ride along one of my favourite courses through John Forrest and Mundaring. My shoes hadn’t completely dried from the Saturday ride and, even with covers, the toes were tingling on the way to the car park. On arrival I certainly wasn’t the only one feeling the cold with an assortment of long gloves, leg warmers and jackets being donned – but happily not a raincoat was in sight.

Following a quick discussion of the route and short cuts (and waiting for Ryan) we headed out along Great Eastern Highway in the cold morning air with the sun in our faces. By the time we’d reached the bottom of Greenmount my fingers and toes had warmed sufficiently to make riding comfortable and the extra effort up the hill got the blood pumping even further. Ryan and Ben got out to an early lead and maintained it until the finish, with the rest of us following.

KOM 1 – 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Julian, 4. Jerry, 5. Danny

At the re-group point the gate into the national park was locked so we carried the bikes around the gate and set off again. The storms from the previous days had resulted in a large amount of honky nuts being dropped on the road and as such we maintained a pace in the high 20’s to avoid any incidents. We had to climb over another gate and once we were on the main park road, the surface cleared and the pace picked up. Once on Oxley Road and onto the second climb Ben took off and got an early lead before he dropped his chain and was passed by the field. Ryan got ahead and Nick and Danny followed, with Nick especially keen to get some points to prove he had ridden. I waited behind them and pounced about 200 m before the crest to claim second with Oliver coming in fifth. Both Danny and Oliver found out about the rides through the web site and it was good to see the new faces doing well. Danny was over on holiday from Melbourne and was keen to hear about the organization of the rides and the club in general. I think he was impressed.

KOM 2 – 1. Ryan, 2. Julian, 3. Nick, 4. Danny, 5. Oliver

We cruised toward Parkerville, and stopped at the local shop so Ryan could get some jubes, then turned left towards Stoneville (the new way to avoid Gt. Eastern Hwy). This was a great diversion as the road was smooth and there was no traffic, although the hill towards Mundaring was unexpected. After crossing the highway the pace quickened as we headed down to the weir and back up towards Asher Road. Ryan and Ben set the pace out of the valley but Ben soon dropped back to the bunch of 5 behind. This climb just goes on and on and the group worked well until the final push to the line. Ben made a break for second and Jerry held on for third. On the last couple of rides we’ve stopped and re-grouped here and today was no exception. So with the group refreshed we headed for the final climb of the morning.

KOM 3– 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Jerry, 4. Julian, 5. Danny

At the start of the climb I took off trying to set a fast time on the bottom of the hill but soon realised the Saturday ride had taken a bit out of me. I slowed back and Ben and Ryan came past to fight it out. I don’t think anyone set a PB today (correct me if I’m wrong) and we were all glad to get to the café.

KOM 4 – 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Julian, 4. Jerry, 5. Danny

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay today but spent more time than expected there due to a flat tyre. The group witnessed a precision change and wheel re-fit before I bade farewell.  If anything excited on the way down, then please add them to the comments section.

Report by Julian

My alarm went off at 6 am but was of no use – I’d been awake and listening to the rain on the roof since 4.30. Peter’s motivational message about working out what to wear inspired me to rise and face the day, although this was sorely tested by another downpour at home at 6.30. Undeterred I headed down to the car-park to find about 12 other hardy souls all asking the same question – what are we doing here? Just before 7, Peter turned up resplendent in tracksuit pants, windcheater and running shoes. His new bike had magically grown two extra wheels, abolished the Baum name and re-branded itself as “Toyota”. He mentioned an on-going cold, gave a stirring speech about the ride route then headed home to mind the kids. The rest of us headed out on the ride.

We had about 2 km of comfortable dry riding along Mill Point Road and Canning Highway but once we turned onto Riverside Drive the westerly wind found an extra 10 knots and down came the rain. We struggled to hold 25 km/h past the coffee shop and Lorraine and I seriously debated pulling up stumps and indeed there were a couple of withdrawals here. The rest of us struggled on and by the time we hit Winthrop Ave everyone was thoroughly drenched. By the time we hit Leederville, Lorraine had had enough and pulled out (a wise move!) to keep fresh for the race on Sunday.

The most dangerous part of the ride was negotiating roadworks in Mt Hawthorn during another downpour, with many pot holes on the road and an impatient driver in a crimson Mercedes. The rain cleared by the time we did the re-group at West Coat Highway and traveling down towards Swanbourne was uneventful apart from watching black clouds building towards Freo. Along the river section through Claremont and Dalkeith the road was strewn with debris so the pace was not on. To cap things off we were then hit with the strongest downpour of the day, which kept up almost until Mounts Bay Road.

I can’t recall a lot about the final sprint apart from we had to ride about 2 m out from the kerb to avoid all the water and that if you weren’t on the front, visibility was near zero. I think Greg managed to take the sprint. We then split to various coffee houses (and me to Netball) to discuss the ride and no doubt the words ‘character building’ ‘mental toughness’ and ‘why did we do that’ were used many times. Still, after the weeks of fine weather it was a good reminder that winter in on the way.

Masters Race report by Stuart

Sometimes, I don’t know why I race. Actually, most of the time I don’t know why I race. I guess everybody has their own and differing reasons for putting up with the pain, preparation, expense, nerves, pain, inconvenience, danger, selfishness and pain – did I mention pain? But there are rewards, even for non winners – which means most of us.

The alarmed arrival of race day brought the usual wakening of nervousness and questioning of “why do I do this?” However, once the pre-race routine of breakfast (porridge and fruit bread plus coffee and Sustagen sips), clothing/gear collection and checking was underway the nerves settled. Fortunately the weather was as different from last year’s event as is possible to get, so the wet weather gear was not required, but it was a bit chilly. Perhaps winter really is coming!

Arrival at the race headquarters at Roleystone High School was without drama. The new SPCC tent was already set up near the finish line by Pete and helpers and looked ‘a treat’, even though its full effectiveness of shelter from the rain or blazing sun was not to be tested on this day.

Most of the SPR crew were involved in either the Womens Open race (112km), or the Masters Mens race for which the 35-54yrs category and 55+ category where combined because of 4 starters only in the latter group. Feel pity then for John Phillips who had prepared for a 50km race, only to find he had to endure 112km with the younger group! Also in the Masters race were Peter, Michael B, Stuart, Julian A, Brett, Bruce and Matt which meant we had a strong presence. Bolstering our moral from the sidelines Rob, Kim and Darryl gave support – thanks guys.

The race course itself was fairly unremarkable, starting with a 50km out and back hot-dog section and finishing with almost 3 full laps around the Roleystone High School hill. It’s easier to describe the hot-dog section as undulating rather than hilly, which suggests that the course is not hard. But that would be misleading because the total ‘ascent’ of 1135m over the course of the race indicates that it’s not really that easy at all – especially the last 3 laps.

Anyway, the ‘out’ part of the hot-dog was relatively subdued although as usual it feels difficult for the first few kilometres when you’re not warmed-up properly. The ‘almost mandatory’ early breaks and surges created little panic in the peloton. Even when 2 riders surged away from the group 2/3 of the journey to the turnaround, there seemed to be no great concern. Matt, Michael and I spent our fair share of time near the front of the bunch, not doing anything in particular, just enjoying the day and its racing activity. After the turn the pace quickened markedly with the GP boys making most of the action. I was unsure of their tactic, whether it was to try to tire us out, reel in the breakaway pair, or make a genuine break. Julian and Mike in particular were prominent at the front during this section, and it certainly was tiring trying to cover the GP boys’ moves which were having no other impact, so I decided to rest for a while at the back of the bunch. John and Brett were looking to be traveling pretty well at this stage. Mike continued to drive the peloton at a high steady pace, consistently at or near the front while the rest of us cruised for a while. Pete patrolled up and down a few times to lend a hand at the front and strengthen the SPR presence there.

At around the 85km mark, I wandered back up to the front to have another look at the pointy end of the race and to ensure I didn’t miss any opportunities which might arise now that the finish was becoming a more significant part of my thought process. I don’t recall exactly how it happened but Mike had eased himself 50m up the road, and I sort of just got up there to join him and nobody else came – I don’t really know why! A mini-break to 2 guys in green should have been ringing alarm bells in the collective mind of the bunch. Maybe we were just lucky to have made the break after all the tiring damage of surges and hills since the turnaround and just before another series of inclines. Well, I was lucky, but Mike had deservedly worked himself into that position, and I just was in the right place at the right time. We worked pretty hard though to stay away and were ‘rewarded’ when the ‘spares’ vehicle tagged us, slotting in between us and the trailing bunch.

Arrival back at Roleystone area really brought to the fore the pain of trying to stay away as we commenced our laps. I wan’t really sure how close the chasing bunch was, and now that we were mixed in with all the other categories doing laps, each backward sight of riders caused the heart and legs to pump harder and harder in fear that our race bunch was closing in on us. When would the pain stop? Mike moved ahead on the penultimate lap (I’m not sure if he knew there was still another lap to go) but I was able to catch him on the last lap and cross the line in third place, just ahead. Joy of joys – it was over, finished, done! Whatever the placing, I was so happy to finish.

Well done to everybody who turned out to ride or support, and congratulations to the breakaway duo who really deserved their top 2 placings.

The day was great, the riding conditions were perfect, the group pace was solid, the race ‘tactics’ were interesting, the SPR presence was significant, and finishing was such a joyful satisfying relief. That’s why I race!