SPR’s training rides set us apart as a cycling Club; we are one of the few clubs in Australia that is not affiliated with a bike shop facilitating a broad range of opportunities for people to cycle in a group every day. Since its inception in 2009, a key feature of the feedback the Club receives is the need to improve the way our group rides are led. With more consistent, trained and visible ride leaders, the result will be safer, more enjoyable ride experiences for all.
To this end, the Club developed a ride leader development program, with the objectives of:
developing SPR ride leaders’ knowledge and skills of both ride leadership and core cycling skills
building the confidence of ride leaders to ensure ride consistency and enhanced decision making during group rides
growing the pool of capable, confident ride leaders
We are now seeking Expressions of Interest from SPR members who would like to be part of our second public Ride Leader Development Program. The Program consists of three separate but related components:
Theory: covers the core knowledge and skills required to be an effective ride leader for group rides across the Main, Transition and Development rides conducted by SPR (+/- 2hrs personal time)
Skills Sessions: out on the bike, learning all about what it takes to be a good ride leader as well as having the opportunity to practice your skills and ideas in a “safe” environment. (3 x 2.5 hours sessions)
Ride Leader Observations: This will involve you being the ride leader for up to three (3) separate SPR training rides with an observer to determine how you go about deploying your skills and knowledge in the “real world” environment. (2 – 3 ‘normal’ training rides, weekdays or weekends as required)
As a participant, you will get:
New Skills: You will learn new skills and knowledge about cycling as well as ride leadership.
Kudos: Be part of the “qualified” ride leader team out on the road.
Stuff.Upon successful completion, Program participants will receive a custom SPR Ride Leader jersey to be worn whenever you are leading a SPR ride (new style out soon!!).
On Going Development: Access to private discussion groups; coaching and skills development; ride-leader only events.
In return, once you have completed the Program, we will expect your commitment to the following:
Lead a minimum of 2 rides* per month throughout the year
Be a role model for ride behaviour on ALL rides you participate in
Assist in the recruitment and mentorship of future ride leaders
Assist in training/observing people for their readiness to take on the role of Ride Leader.
*All prospective ride leaders should note that, from time to time, they will need be called on to lead rides of a lower skill &/or fitness level than their own. This means putting the interests of the Club and other riders before their own.
We are now seeking expressions of interest from SPR members who regularly ride with the Main 2, 3 & 4 as well as Transition groups. We currently have a good number of riders from the Main 1 cohort; we really need to boost our numbers further down the line. While the ability to ride at or above the level of the group you are leading is important, just as critical is the constructive attitude and sound communication skills that are brought to the role. Empathy, care and the ability to encourage others is essential to the success of the ride leader.
In the event we are over-subscribed, the T&D sub-committee will use the quality & content of the EOI’s as well as the need to balance the mix of ride leaders to select the required number of participants. Anyone who is not selected shouldn’t be discouraged; it’s a numbers thing (us) rather than a capability thing (you).
As part of your EOI, we’d like you to outline:
what you hope to get out of being a SPR ride leader
why you feel you will make a good contributor to ride leader team
which SPR group you usually ride with (M2, M3, M4, T), and
your statement of commitment to the role of ride leader in terms of time to complete the Program and to lead the requisite number of rides per month
We anticipate kicking the Program off on the 24th of October and completing it by mid-December.
Great news is that the bulk of SPR order #1 has arrived and is sorted and ready to distribute. This includes all of the short sleeve jerseys, bib shorts, base layers, arm warmers and gilets.
Inexplicably, the long sleeve jerseys, jackets & skinsuits decided they’d take a more scenic route to Perth, so they won’t be available until next week.
We regret that our delivery time was compromised, and we appreciate everyone’s patience during this challenging time.
We know that people are keen to get hold of the “new green” so we’re adding a couple of options for collection in an attempt to catch the most people as quickly as possible.
The plan for distribution is as follows: 1. We will bring the orders to Dome on Thursday night from 4:30-6pm. 2. We will bring the orders to Dome on Saturday morning after the regular rides. After that it will be available to collect from R&D speedshop.
The orders are packaged up in a MAYEUR musette, so you can ride away with them. We hope these are a handy extra for racing & commuting.
For those that prepaid postage, if it is more convenient to collect on Thursday, please let us know ASAP and we can refund your postage, otherwise we will express post them on Thursday.
We sincerely hope you enjoy the new kit and the new look for the club. We’re proud of it, and hope you find it as comfortable as we do.
Numbers are certainly growing now that the weather is getting warmer and the mornings lighter for the earlybird rides. The Thursday ride, in particular, boasts at least four groups and probably should be more. The ride leaders try to split the groups up for safety as larger groups struggle with smooth roll-throughs and risk being split at traffic lights. This in turn promotes unsafe behaviours where people may overlap wheels or try to make it through red lights. If you think you are fast, stand near the front. Please don’t jump ahead into another group after we have split the numbers. We are trying to make sure you all finish safely, we are not trying to say that you are a slow rider. The last thing anyone wants to do is be responsible for causing an accident that brings others down.
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change. Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.
The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).
The Beverley Race – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.
The Beverley Heroic – The Heroic involves many aspects of cycling spanning the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. On top of the aforementioned team time trial, there is a cyclo-cross race, gravel race and heroic ride.
Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October. If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do. The WaterTower Challenge requires the following volunteers – 2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, Mandy McEvoy 3 x Feedzone 1 – Fiona Williams, ?, Debbie Bertolatti 2 x Feedzone 2 – Greg Murray, ? 1 x SAG wagon – Adrian Emilsen
The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers – Positions announced soon – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams.
Thursday morning street sweeper – As some of you may be aware the Thursday earlybird group has had a few altercations with the street sweeper along Marine Parade in Cottesloe. We sent a letter to the Town of Cottesloe expressing our concern that these incidents could result in some very serious injuries. We received a letter from the Executive Manager Engineering Services and have been told that the contractor that runs the street sweeper has had the matter discussed with them. They raised our concerns and have been told that the drivers have been briefed. Please continue to observe caution when interacting with the street sweepers as they don’t always have good field of vision, but at the same time, if there are any more altercations, please report them through to the club.
Thursday detour – Claremont Cres westbound in Swanbourne will be closed for quite a few months. Our Thursday ride will start to follow the detour by going up Shenton Rd, but will continue on until the end of the road and then head left to the traffic lights. You now get the added bonus of a longer harder hill.
Kit orders reopen – The club kit shop is now open again, primarily to allow those doing the Tour of Margaret River to purchase any additional kit that they might need. If you missed out in the first run get in and order now! https://www.mayeur.cc/collections/south-perth-rouleurs Update – 2 new garments have been added to the shop. A women’s 3/4 length bibs and a Premium jersey. The fit of the Premium jersey is between the slim and aero and made from a premium fabric. Update 2 – This order will close now close on the 7th September 2020 to allow enough time for kit to arrive pre-ToMR.
Saturday Hills Ride Option Survey Results – As you may remember the club received some feedback recently from a few members enquiring about an option to hold a Hills ride on a Saturday morning. We then put out a simple survey on this blog to gain an understanding of where members sat on the issue. Some key stats from this survey:- There were 78 responses On the question of are you interested, nearly 90% said yes On the question of how frequent; 34% said once a month, 22% said twice monthly, which was the same response as “occasionally” and every week. On the question of what distance, 47% said short hills, 18% said long Hills and 35% suggested either
From the results above, the SPR Committee has endorsed a 2-month trial of a Saturday Short Hills Ride on the first Saturday’s in September and October. We will be allocating a Ride Leader to the ride in the same way we do with all Saturday rides; this is an important part of SPR’s goal of providing safe group rides, but also means that we will need to review carefully after the trial as our volunteer Ride Leader’s time is precious! So, the first of these will kick off on Saturday 5th September, leaving from Coode Street at 7am. We will be reminding people next week that it will be on and again in early October via posts and Facebook so if you were one of the 70 that said yes, please support the trial. A decision to extend the trial beyond October will be made pending the popularity of the ride and any issues that may arise from riding in the hills on a Saturday not a Sunday.Given it is estimated that most respondents would have had some experience with Hills riding, it is suggested that the speed and fitness required for these first 2 rides will be that riders can keep up at a minimum Main 2 riding pace / fitness level. If we get feedback that there is a call for a slower Hills ride on Saturday, we can review that when we review the success of the trial.
Smart active transportation survey – A PhD candidate at the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University is researching active transportation (walking/cycling) and its relationship with technology, and how technology can improve and assist walking/cycling. As part of the study, there is a survey to understand peoples idea about the active mode of transportation. Please help out and spend a few minutes to fill in the survey here.
Club Van – We are currently looking for a new location for the club van to reside. After a few years at Laurensia’s (which we are very appreciative about), it is looking for a new home. If anyone has any spare garage space and would be willing to have our club van sit quietly, then please contact the club and let us know. Either residential or commercial properties are okay, as long as we can access it for events.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – So, here we are looking at all the cyclists ahead in the peloton about to climb some hills. Where am I?! If you answered “in the couch peloton watching Le Tour” then if it’s 8pm you would be right but I’ll give you another clue. It’s after 7am this coming Saturday. You get the gold star if you answered “I’ll be on the Saturday Short Hills trial ride with SPR”. Yes it’s on this Saturday. Just a few things to note in preparation for the ride:
It will be lead by Dean and Laurensia so keep an eye out for them in the carpark. Assembly is expected to be in the current vacant middle lane.
Expected pace/fitness level will be ability to ride M2 or above. Idea behind this is to trial with more experienced riders to understand things like traffic and specific hazards etc that might be unique to Saturday not Sunday morning.
If you haven’t done many hills rides before but are OK with the pace, please make sure you have adequate water and nutrition to get you through.
Ride will leave from the carpark after the last M1 group but before M2. Reason for this is the main ride also initially heads off on the same roads before it turns into Hale Rd whilst you will go straight ahead along Welshpool Rd. So you need to be at Coode Street carpark like normal by 7am.
It looks like it’s going to be a nice morning for you. Chapeaux to all those giving it a go.
Saturday 5th September
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
Every year the month of July is usually full of suffering. The Tour de France has normally started and a bunch of riders are cutting a big lap of the hexagon. Although over in France the riders are suffering, I find that it is usually work and home that suffer here in Perth. Trying to catch all the action of a stage finish at midnight as well as still get training rides in at 5:30am does make for a grumpy demeanor. Something has to give and it is usually at teh expense of being pleasant to be around. :). This year, however, has been anything but “the usual”. The Tour starts this weekend with the Giro starting a couple of weeks after the Tour finishes and the Vuelta actually overlapping with the Giro’s last week. This will be an action packed few months whilst the organisors scramble to fit races into the rest of the year. Is this the year for another upset as a number of new names appear in the contenders list? You’ll just have to stay up late for the next three weeks to find out.
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change. Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.
The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).
The Beverley Race – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.
The Beverley Heroic – The Heroic involves many aspects of cycling spanning the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. On top of the aforementioned team time trial, there is a cyclo-cross race, gravel race and heroic ride.
Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October. If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do. The WaterTower Challenge requires the following volunteers – 2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, Mandy McEvoy 3 x Feedzone 1 – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams, Debbie Bertolatti 2 x Feedzone 2 – Greg Murray, ? 1 x SAG wagon – ? The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers – Positions announced soon – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams.
Kit orders reopen – The club kit shop is now open again, primarily to allow those doing the Tour of Margaret River to purchase any additional kit that they might need. If you missed out in the first run get in and order now! https://www.mayeur.cc/collections/south-perth-rouleurs Update – 2 new garments have been added to the shop. A women’s 3/4 length bibs and a Premium jersey. The fit of the Premium jersey is between the slim and aero and made from a premium fabric. This order will close on 1 September 2020 to allow enough time for kit to arrive pre-ToMR.
Saturday Hills Ride Option Survey Results – As you may remember the club received some feedback recently from a few members enquiring about an option to hold a Hills ride on a Saturday morning. We then put out a simple survey on this blog to gain an understanding of where members sat on the issue. Some key stats from this survey:- There were 78 responses On the question of are you interested, nearly 90% said yes On the question of how frequent; 34% said once a month, 22% said twice monthly, which was the same response as “occasionally” and every week. On the question of what distance, 47% said short hills, 18% said long Hills and 35% suggested either
From the results above, the SPR Committee has endorsed a 2-month trial of a Saturday Short Hills Ride on the first Saturday’s in September and October. We will be allocating a Ride Leader to the ride in the same way we do with all Saturday rides; this is an important part of SPR’s goal of providing safe group rides, but also means that we will need to review carefully after the trial as our volunteer Ride Leader’s time is precious! So, the first of these will kick off on Saturday 5th September, leaving from Coode Street at 7am. We will be reminding people next week that it will be on and again in early October via posts and Facebook so if you were one of the 70 that said yes, please support the trial. A decision to extend the trial beyond October will be made pending the popularity of the ride and any issues that may arise from riding in the hills on a Saturday not a Sunday.Given it is estimated that most respondents would have had some experience with Hills riding, it is suggested that the speed and fitness required for these first 2 rides will be that riders can keep up at a minimum Main 2 riding pace / fitness level. If we get feedback that there is a call for a slower Hills ride on Saturday, we can review that when we review the success of the trial.
Smart active transportation survey – A PhD candidate at the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University is researching active transportation (walking/cycling) and its relationship with technology, and how technology can improve and assist walking/cycling. As part of the study, there is a survey to understand peoples idea about the active mode of transportation. Please help out and spend a few minutes to fill in the survey here.
Club Van – We are currently looking for a new location for the club van to reside. After a few years at Laurensia’s (which we are very appreciative about), it is looking for a new home. If anyone has any spare garage space and would be willing to have our club van sit quietly, then please contact the club and let us know. Either residential or commercial properties are okay, as long as we can access it for events.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – As predicted last week, our numbers for the Saturday ride swelled with the fine weather. It was great to see more people heading out after their long winter’s hibernation and this week it’s also looking good. But of course, with extra numbers, comes extra responsibility on all riders to be aware of their surroundings and the safety of their fellow riders as group sizes tend to be bigger. So I’ve decided to post a weekly “spotlight/focus” on things to be aware of when riding in groups. This week it’s on “Calling UP and DOWN the group” relating to riding instructions and hazards. We picked up some feedback last week that one of our pelotons got a little messy moving to single file when the road transitioned from double lane to single lane. Whilst it was called from the back, it wasn’t passed up through the group so a number of riders remained double breasted along the single lane road and caused some frustrations with the motorists behind. Likewise, it’s very important to be calling ALL the way down the line when hazards or traffic appears ahead. One of the most dangerous incidents we have is coming up to roundabouts when traffic is not called down to the back riders. So, please do yourself a favour and make sure a call is passed on to the next person, up or down! It may just be the difference between enjoying a coffee afterwards or getting an ambulance to hospital.
Saturday 29th August
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
The WaterTower Challenge, Beverley Race and Tour of Margaret River. September, October, November. From a pandemic stand point we are lucky that they are all coming later in the year. From an organisation standpoint, we have a lot to get through over these three months and the months leading up to it. Volunteers. We need you for all three events. In some cases you don’t have to do that much, but take peoples numbers as they come past, in others it may be a slow drive behind a bunch of riders. Either way the club needs you to help out. We also need you to enter these events. The WaterTower Challenge is one of the few recreational events in Perth at the moment and is not linked to any charity. It is just about challenging yourself. If you are not interested in racing, then how about navigating your way around Perth with two other friends. Marvel at the wonder of mid-20th century concrete architecture asking “how could such a primitive culture create such futuristic structures without the help of aliens?”
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change. Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.
The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).
The Beverley Race – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.
The Beverley Heroic – The Heroic involves many aspects of cycling spanning the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. On top of the aforementioned team time trial, there is a cyclo-cross race, gravel race and heroic ride.
Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October. If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do. The WaterTower Challenge requires the following volunteers – 2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, ? 3 x Feedzone 1 – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams, ? 2 x Feedzone 2 – ?, ? 1 x SAG wagon – ? The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers – Positions announced soon – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams.
Kit orders reopen – The club kit shop is now open again, primarily to allow those doing the Tour of Margaret River to purchase any additional kit that they might need. If you missed out in the first run get in and order now! https://www.mayeur.cc/collections/south-perth-rouleurs This order will close on 1 September 2020 to allow enough time for kit to arrive pre-ToMR…it’s mid-August already so don’t delay!
Club Van – We are currently looking for a new location for the club van to reside. After a few years at Laurensia’s (which we are very appreciative about), it is looking for a new home. If anyone has any spare garage space and would be willing to have our club van sit quietly, then please contact the club and let us know. Either residential or commercial properties are okay, as long as we can access it for events.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – Whilst last week wasn’t as windy as we thought it might have been we’ve finally cracked it for some forecast lightish winds for our Main Ride this week. So with some sunny weather forecast and Spring just around the corner, expect our ride numbers might be good this Saturday. This weekend it’s TV Stations but please stay tuned (bad Dad humour) for next week’s post when we publish the outcomes from our Saturday Hills ride survey. Until then enjoy your riding!
Saturday 22nd August
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
It was a dark and stormy night, but we have had a few of them lately, so another one won’t be much of a surprise. What was a surprise was that our club reporter Claire Tyrrell has recently returned from not-so-sunny England. Like most well laid plans, the coronavirus has made her cut her trip short and head back to Perth. However, since Clive Palmer hasn’t stuffed it all up for us yet, she is on a 14 day non-parole lock down in a city hotel. If you know Claire, drop her a message, as she has nothing but 4 walls and a crap view for another 12 days, so will enjoy the distraction. Its always good to see some familiar faces return to our peloton, and even better that fact that we can ride and enjoy a relatively free existence. The UK, however, did not fair as well, so it will be good to get a different perspective on what is happening across the world.
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change. Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.
The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
Collie to Donnybrook – Good luck to all the riders heading down to Collie this Saturday for the 95th running of the Collie-Bonnybrook return handicap race. As you can see from the photo, it doesn’t always come down to the scratch riders dominating the finish. Stu was narrowly pipped at the line by Gary a couple of years ago when they managed to stay clear of the main bunch.
Gravel Ride – Looking for an easy Sunday ride but getting bored of doing river loop? or you want to do something different? SPR are very excited to bring you the Inaugural SPR Sunday Gravel on August 16th. This will be an easy-paced ride, leaving from Bellevue RSL, pub lunch at Parkerville, and an easy roll back down the hill. See the event details on the SPR Facebook page and please RSVP asap so a table can be booked for lunch.
Looking fresh on the start-line
SPR ToMR Teams – We now registering 4 men’s teams and 1 women’s team. We have a number of men on the reserve list and as previous history has shown us, they will be required closer to the event. We are still short a couple of women’s riders, so if you are interested, please email the club race address. We also have enough volunteers for this event as this year does not require multiple car shuffling for those stages that start and finish in different spots. Those riders that have indicated that they want to race, but have not yet paid their deposit, please do so as soon as possible, or you may lose your spot.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).
The Beverley Race – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.
The Beverley Heroic – The Heroic involves many aspects of cycling spanning the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October. On top of the aforementioned team time trial, there is a cyclo-cross race, gravel race and heroic ride.
Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October. If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do. The WaterTower Challenge requires the following volunteers – 2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, ? 3 x Feedzone 1 – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams, ? 2 x Feedzone 2 – ?, ? 1 x SAG wagon – ? The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers – Positions announced soon – Fiona Williams, Andrew Williams.
Kit orders reopen – The club kit shop is now open again, primarily to allow those doing the Tour of Margaret River to purchase any additional kit that they might need. If you missed out in the first run get in and order now! https://www.mayeur.cc/collections/south-perth-rouleurs This order will close on 1 September 2020 to allow enough time for kit to arrive pre-ToMR…it’s mid-August already so don’t delay!
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – Well it’s “ground hog” day for the weather forecast this week with fresh north/northeasterly for our main ride and rain/hail forecast scheduled for Sunday. Let’s hope the Sunday weather clears enough for the inaugural gravel ride the club is putting on. Then again, if you know a few of the people who are into CX and/or mountain biking, wet weather is something they relish. Hope it goes well. For those that are road warriors only, this week’s main ride is one of the more challenging gradients we have for Saturday morning. At least by the time you get to West Coast Highway the wind will push you back home. Whatever cycling you do, enjoy !
Saturday 15th August
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
So the picture of Dave and myself was about 5 minutes before i found out what not doing any intensity work for over a year does to your performance in cyclocross. It wasn’t pretty. But, i turned up, rode the course, jumped the jumps, ran the hills and muddled the muddy bits. Didn’t come first but didn’t come last. Like most things in life it is about setting your expectations and making them realistic. However, much like life, if you don’t put the effort in, there is only so much you are going to get out of it. Even a lottery winner still needs to go to the trouble of actually entering. I bought my ticket and got some intensity training for my efforts. Small steps, but important ones for me to understand where to set my expectations for next time.
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
As we progress through WA’s phased approach to reopening, how the club interacts within itself and the wider community will also change. Rightly or wrongly, the lack of community transmission in the state has meant that a lot of the social distancing rules have disappeared. As such we want to streamline what the requirements are from a club perspective. Basically there are 3 main things we want people to keep in mind.
The virus can spread via human contact, so minimise the amount of touching between people and each others bikes/helmets etc.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
Collie to Donnybrook – This iconic WA race has now opened it’s register and is accepting entries for the race on the 15th August. This is a handicap event which means that the slower riders get a headstart on the faster riders, so if things pan out right, it can be anyone’s race. Entries will be capped at 220 riders and close on the 9th August and can be found here.
Gravel Ride – Looking for an easy Sunday ride but getting bored of doing river loop? or you want to do something different? SPR are very excited to bring you the Inaugural SPR Sunday Gravel on August 16th. This will be an easy-paced ride, leaving from Bellevue RSL, pub lunch at Parkerville, and an easy roll back down the hill. See the event details on the SPR Facebook page.
Looking fresh on the start-line
SPR ToMR Teams – We now registering 4 men’s teams and 1 women’s team. We have a number of men on the reserve list and as previous history has shown us, they will be required closer to the event. We are still short a couple of women’s riders, so if you are interested, please email the club race address. We also have enough volunteers for this event as this year does not require multiple car shuffling for those stages that start and finish in different spots. Those riders that have indicated that they want to race, but have not yet paid their deposit, please do so as soon as possible, or you may lose your spot.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (103km) or Imperial (170km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September. Entries are now open via EntryBoss (click here).
The Beverley – The club is again holding this event as part of the Heroic weekend, but this year we have changed the format of the road race. As the perfect preparation for the Tour of Margaret River and it’s 3 team time trials, this years Beverley will be a Team Time Trial of between 4-6 riders. No special TT bikes or fancy helmets allowed, just ride your bike hard. Register your teams today via EntryBoss.
Volunteers – We have two events coming up where the club will need assistance from the members to ensure they run successfully. Firstly is the WaterTower Challenge on the 20th Sept and secondly is the Beverley on the 17th October. If you can assist the club, send an email through to club to let us know what you can do. The WaterTower Challenge requires the following volunteers – 2 x Registration Desk – Jason Gordon, ? 3 x Feedzone 1 – Fiona Williams, ?, ? 2 x Feedzone 2 – ?, ? 1 x SAG wagon – ? The Beverely Race requires the following volunteers – Positions announced soon.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – Thanks to everyone who filled in our survey of members interest in a Saturday Hills ride option. We got over 75 responses in the subject and a lot of different suggestions for organised rides. The plan is to review results amongst the committee over the coming weeks and recommend a course of action going forward. The results will be published when the committee has had a chance to digest. Thanks again and stay tuned.As for this weekend’s routes, it looks like it will be a little windy on Saturday morning so we will go with the route that finishes with a tail wind. As for hills on Sunday, we’ll all I can say is that I hope fortune follows the brave as it’s looking a little wet. Whatever cycling you do, make sure it’s a good one. Be safe!
Saturday 8th August
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
John F. Kennedy
In this mid-pandemic world nothing stays the same for too long. If you can’t change and adapt you are probably going to struggle. Like most good plans, Covid-19 derailed the roll out of our new kit. Delays in manufacturing when factories shut down and our big plans for a launch party were sunk by social distancing. However, change is on the horizon. Not everyone likes change but over the history of the club we have changed kit designs 5 times and suppliers 3 times. Like all change, it may not be for everybody. But for now it is the future and soon to become the present (or presents if you bought some for somebody else).
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
Social distancing still applies. This means no handshakes, hugging, high fives, down low too slow, or general touching is allowed. Please refrain from touching other peoples bikes, and allow space for people to gather before the ride.
The start locations in the carpark for Saturday will change slightly. See below for more detail and a new map, but basically, we need to ensure we don’t exceed the 100 person limit, by separating into two distinct groups.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car the first day back.
No “hand of god”. Like most thing in life, any interaction requires two-way consent between adults. If someone is struggling and you want to push them, you both have to be comfortable with being touched. I’m not going to speculate on the risks involved with hand to jersey contact, but before you push someone, ask them first. If they are not comfortable with any contact, then don’t do it.
The post ride coffee is a long standing tradition with cycling and the hospitality industry is suffering so we need to give our support. However, we also need to moderate our social behaviour to ensure we minimise the risk of spreading infection. This not only includes maintaining appropriate social distancing, but also NOT bringing bottles, helmets and gloves inside and making use of the hand washing/sanitizing stations. Enjoy your coffee and social interaction, but make sure you do it responsibly.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
Looking fresh on the start-line
ToMR EOI – Expressions of interest are still open for the Tour of Margaret River. We are particularly interested in any women wishing to represent the club. If you are interested, have a read of the previous post and register yourself so we can start sorting out teams. We are also interested in anyone that is happy to volunteer for this event. The course this year has no point-to-point stages, so there will be no shuttling of cars. However, volunteers will still be required to setup tents, stock eskies and generally help out the riders however, they can.
Gravel Ride – Looking for an easy Sunday ride but getting bored of doing river loop? or you want to do something different? SPR are very excited to bring you the Inaugural SPR Sunday Gravel on August 16th. This will be an easy-paced ride, leaving from Bellevue RSL, pub lunch at Parkerville, and an easy roll back down the hill. See the event details in SPR Facebook page and the website soon.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (100km) or Imperial (160km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September.
Collie to Donnybrook – This iconic WA race has now opened it’s register and is accepting entries for the race on the 15th August. This is a handicap event which means that the slower riders get a headstart on the faster riders, so if things pan out right, it can be anyone’s race. Entries will be capped at 220 riders and close on the 9th August and can be found here.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – Looks like we are in for a great weekend of riding with some fine weather forecast and some light to moderate winds for both days. The main ride route this week takes us around the southern suburbs where you can power up Stock road, work your way through some lumpy bits, sprint down South Street and Nicholson Road before furnishing with the gentle zephyr behind you all the way to coffee. Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Just a reminder for all that have yet to fill in the survey regarding a hills ride option for Saturday, please do so this weekend as we will close it on Monday and publish the results in the blog next week. So far we have had over 40 responses so it’s generated a lot of interest. Even if you are not interested in riding hills, please consider responding as there is a question regarding “what other recreational ride would you like to see the club adopt” and so far we have some interesting suggestions. You can find the survey here.
Saturday 1st August
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
Mud racing made a comeback last weekend along with mountain biking. So now we have road racing, time trialling, cx, mtb racing and I think that the velodrome has just reopened. Slowly we are climbing our way back to a tentative cycling normality. The response for the SPR ToMR teams has been great for the men’s teams with at least 4 teams and potentially 5, but we are still searching for a couple more women who want to race. If you or someone you know are interested in racing, please let us know ASAP. Things are underway for the planning of the Beverley and it has just been announced that it will be a team time trial format to complement the multiple time trials at this years ToMR. This will give teams a good hit out to see where they need to do some work. Closer, though is the Collie-Donnybrook in about 3 weeks time. A classic for the WA race calendar and one of the “monuments” that everyone wants to win. So get out and support the clubs and organisations that are endeavouring to run things during this strange time.
The Rules – just a reminder that it isn’t business as usual.
Social distancing still applies. This means no handshakes, hugging, high fives, down low too slow, or general touching is allowed. Please refrain from touching other peoples bikes, and allow space for people to gather before the ride.
The start locations in the carpark for Saturday will change slightly. See below for more detail and a new map, but basically, we need to ensure we don’t exceed the 100 person limit, by separating into two distinct groups.
No spitting, snotting or sneezing within the group. If you need to, move to the back of the group, but please look behind you to make sure that it is clear of traffic. That is all traffic, not just bikes. We don’t want some dash-cam footage of someone blowing their nose on a car the first day back.
No “hand of god”. Like most thing in life, any interaction requires two-way consent between adults. If someone is struggling and you want to push them, you both have to be comfortable with being touched. I’m not going to speculate on the risks involved with hand to jersey contact, but before you push someone, ask them first. If they are not comfortable with any contact, then don’t do it.
The post ride coffee is a long standing tradition with cycling and the hospitality industry is suffering so we need to give our support. However, we also need to moderate our social behaviour to ensure we minimise the risk of spreading infection. This not only includes maintaining appropriate social distancing, but also NOT bringing bottles, helmets and gloves inside and making use of the hand washing/sanitizing stations. Enjoy your coffee and social interaction, but make sure you do it responsibly.
Personal hygiene becomes very important in the spread of the virus so make sure that you either wash your hands whenever you can or carry a small container of hand sanitiser. Limit your exposure to common surfaces (chairs, tables) and don’t be sharing items.
Looking fresh on the start-line
ToMR EOI – Expressions of interest are still open for the Tour of Margaret River. We are particularly interested in any women wishing to represent the club. If you are interested, have a read of the previous post and register yourself so we can start sorting out teams. We are also interested in anyone that is happy to volunteer for this event. The course this year has no point-to-point stages, so there will be no shuttling of cars. However, volunteers will still be required to setup tents, stock eskies and generally help out the riders however, they can.
SPR Watertower Challenge – It’s back. The WaterTower Challenge is set to run in September this year after a couple of years hiatus. Choose from the Metric (100km) or Imperial (160km) challenge. Ride against the clock in group of 3 around the suburbs of Perth. Find WaterTowers that you never knew existed and visit suburbs you don’t usually ride through. Check out the event page on Facebook, organise some mates and pencil in the 20th September.
Collie to Donnybrook – This iconic WA race has now opened it’s register and is accepting entries for the race on the 15th August. This is a handicap event which means that the slower riders get a headstart on the faster riders, so if things pan out right, it can be anyone’s race. Entries will be capped at 220 riders and close on the 9th August and can be found here.
Our commitment to Core Values – We are a diverse club that made a point early on of committing to a number of core values to which we have built everything upon. These are – Safe, Inclusive, Organised & Social. It is under these values that we want all club interaction to occur, whether on the road or in cyberspace. Please read the previous post so you understand what we as a club, expect from you as members.
Where do i need to stand again?
Saturday Start Locations – In order to adhere to the new gathering regulations, we need to slightly change the meeting points of the groups. There is a 100 person gathering limit and when all groups are combined, we often exceed that when everyone is waiting for the start. There was a discussion about different start times for different groups, but what we settled on was moving half the groups to different sides of the carpark. This is not ideal as there are usually more cars using the eastern most parks, but we will just have to work around that for now. We understand that the COVID risk isn’t high, but it is more about how the club is viewed from outside. So, please congregate in the assigned locations, so we can continue to hold group rides in the future.
From the Ride Coordinator – As you all know, and as has been reinforced in a recent post, as a club we hold dear our core values of safety, organisation, social and being inclusive. So when a couple of members asked us whether the club would be prepared to organize a Saturday version of our popular Hills rides with a ride leader, we thought “why don’t we ask the membership base to see if that would fly”. So we have put the following simple and easy poll together to hear from you the members on that option. We will keep the poll open for a few weeks (in case people skip this bit and go straight to this week’s ride routes) and I will report the results on this blog in 2 weeks time. You can take the poll here.
Saturday 25th July
Ride starts under the Narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
