saturday 10th january – hale rd (reverse)

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ride report by peter.

 

well summer is here with a vengeance and the plus 30 days we have had all week don’t look like they will stop soon.  however, they do make for nice mornings just as long as you don’t stay out too late.  the pleasant conditions meant that we had about 50 riders turn up this morning.  for some reason the estrogen level was through the roof as we had an influx of girls coming out to play.  all good though as i know that lorraine is keen to get more girls involved in the racing scene, so getting them along on a group ride is always a good start. 

the plan today was to break into two groups to let the fast boys stretch their legs a bit.  we would be nice a sedate out great eastern, through ascot and along guilford before turning onto kalamunda road.  we would then travel down hawtin/hale rd to be deposited back out on welshpool rd.  the plan was then to split into two groups with the fast boys doing an extra 5km to hook around beckenham and back onto albany hwy near the shops at cannington.  the rest of the group would continue along welshpool and onto shepperton rd and into town.  the fast boys would try to catch the main group before the final sprint of the day.  that was the plan.

the initial part of the journey went exactly to plan.  the pace was very easy and it gave a good chance for people to catch up and have a chat.  riders at the front had a decent wind to contend with but nothing that would dampen the spirits too early.  brendan and steve did the majority of the work leading out and although they needed some navigational prompting occasionally, it was more than made up for by the long kilometres of hard slog.

the pace was so sedate for some riders that i was worried that it would be considered too slow.  as we turned onto hale rd i told the front guys to go at ¾ pace along that stretch.  unfortunately, i wasn’t vocal enough to let the rest of the group know and when the guys took off, the group instantly split and began chasing.  this caused it to splinter even more and pretty soon there were three distinct groups stragglers in no-mans land between.  i was off the back trying to help some struggling newby riders that i didn’t want to leave behind.  i corralled them all together with dr wally so that there was safety in numbers and took off to try to make it closer to the front.  i picked up a few riders on the way, but four weeks of inconsistent riding meant that i didn’t have the capacity to bridge a gap like that any more.  luckily the lights at tonkin hwy and another oversize load meant that the group was soon all together.

james was keen to stretch his legs and took off along welshpool rd with a couple of riders in tow.  i expected that they didn’t really know that we would be splitting soon and i was waiting to see how far they would get ahead.  luckily for him, a navigational dilemma meant that they slowed at the lights to get some direction on which way they were to go and the rest of us caught up.  the little “left-right” we normally do to head home via welshpool became the decision point for the group today.  i had already explained that the fast boys would be doing an extra 5kms but i don’t think people realised just what speed we would be doing that at.  i would say that half the group turned right to go straight home, and half turned left for the fast run. 

there was quite a bit of in decision as soon as we turned as most people didn’t really know what to expect.  mike came past and asked if we were just staying on this road, and headed to the front when i confirmed.  he set the pace high and this caused the group to start the chase.  after a short while we started to roll through and the pace was really on.  some of the group didn’t roll through but sat out the back, and this is fine, but what we wanted to try to replicate was a race pace situation and what it does to your body.  soon i was sweating like a pig and was really struggling to hold the pace even with a roll through.  we lost a couple of guys as the wind was not yet in our favour so the ability to hold on at pace while not getting a full draft, due to the crosswind, was not available to everyone.

the group split at an intersection, but came back together for us to turn onto albany highway.  i explained to everyone that if we get split at the lights from now on, we are not to wait and it is up to the group to try to stay as a solid unit.  it didn’t take long and the pace caused little gaps along the line.  as it had also started to line out to single file, the length of the group meant that a break at the lights was inevitable. 

i was running out of puff and i was soon in the back half that was caught at a set of lights around the leach hwy underpass.  we worked hard to try to bridge back on, but my heart wasn’t in it (well cardio really).  by the time we were on shepperton rd i was in the back half of the second group and got split at the lights again.  there was no way we were making up that much ground and i resigned myself to a cruise home.  not the other in the group and soon i was dropped by melvyn as he continued to push the group.  i sat up and rode the rest of the way with holly until we were caught by a few others on the narrows.

all up i think it was about 15kms of hard riding and with the lights and gaps, it turned into a hard interval sessions.  so it must be good for you.  as we have discussed before, we will not be splitting every week, but it at least allows the wide spread of abilities a chance to have a ride that they can enjoy.  whether it is a more relaxed pace or a sadomasochistic pace it at least gives individuals the option.

i had driven into the coffeeshop today to deliver some more christmas present hats to the group and there are still some more to go.  the family also turned up with ben sporting a spr t-shirt and daniel sleeping like a baby.  so a good turn out today and a good fast run back into town.  the main group also held together well so thanks to the guys that stepped up to keep that in order.

ride routes 10th & 11th jan

sorry, sorry, sorry.  i totally forgot what day it was and should have posted the ride routes last night.  i have extended my baby leave for another 3 weeks so i will probably forget again during this period.

anyway, saturday will see us try to get stuck behind slow moving heavy machinery again on hale rd.  we will split into two groups again once we hit welshpool rd with the fast group doing an extra 5kms team time trial to try to catch the rest of the group.  i will endeavour to bring the hats to the coffee shop this weekend, so if you have not collected, or if you want to buy some spares ($10 each) for the family, then see me after the ride.

sunday is predicted to be 38 degrees and as such we will keep the route close to home with lots of options for an early exit.  only three categorised climbs but the trick is being able to ride past the coffee shop twice and keep going.  i think the temperature will be the deciding factor.

south perth rouleurs saturday ride 12 (hale rd reverse)

south perth rouleurs sunday ride 08 (gooseberry & kalamunda & bickley)

christophe’s alps tour 2009

as previously mentioned, christophe is taking another tour to france to ride a few of the “little” hills they have over there.  the highlight being the famed alpe d’huez plus a few others that you may have heard mentioned by phil liggett as you watched the tour de france.  attached is the flyer for the trip and it details dates, routes and costs.  for any further information, christophe’s contact details can be found on the attached document.

Alps Tour Flyer

sunday 4th jan – carradine & peet & observatory

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ride report by peter.

 

hark the herald angels sing i got permission to go on a sunday ride.  with number 2 not even 3 weeks old, i was on the bike with mum at home with the boys.  to paraphrase off some old poem – ‘ask not the reason why’.  just get on the bike and go go go.

so off to the start and there was already a group of familiar and non-familiar faces ready to go.  a lot of surprised looks when i turned up, especially after riding yesterday too, but i think mark was glad that he didn’t have to blog this week.  we were off to mt nasura and roleystone today with the return trip via the observatory.  being the first weekend of january, the slate was clean as far as mountain points was concerned and with five climbs scheduled today, there were maximum points available.

between 20 – 25 riders were out with us today and the gentle breeze made it interesting, but not unpleasant as we made our way down albany hwy.  we picked up a couple more along the way with mike and nev joining in enroute.  as we crossed brookton hwy, however, nev peeled off to do his own thing, while the rest of us climbed up towards carawatha. 

ronny was off the front early trying to get a break, but ryan was having none of it and must have been looking to recover the polka dot jersey that he has neglected for a couple of months.  i chased hard to get his wheel as i thought that i may be able to hold on if i get far enough ahead on the shallower part of the climb.  once the road really kicked up, ryan showed a clean pair of heels and i was left to see how much fitness i have lost.  ronny came past me and was pushing hard on the very heavy borrowed bike to stay ahead of the pack.  pretty soon ben, gregor and stu also picked me up and maybe even a couple of others.  by then it didn’t matter as we were all out of the points.

ryan – 10, ronny – 7, ben – 5, gregor – 3, stu – 1.

 

a quick regroup and we headed down the hill and onto the next climb of carradine.  nowhere near as steep but much longer and with a road surface that could only be described as crap, this is one of my favourite climbs.  i think that it is because the gradient allows most people a chance to stay on, so you have to do a bunch of attacks to get away or to break some people off.  a new rider (to me anyway) andrew, who is a friend of gregor, headed out to set the pace early.  the rest of the group lined up behind as we tackled the early slopes of the climb.  john came to the front as well and paced it with andrew, but no real attacks as yet.  once the road turned rough, it was more a matter of finding the right line, and people hunted for that elusive smooth patch.  i looked back and saw that the majority of the group was still together so i thought i should shake things up a bit.  a bit of an attack with ryan in tow and we had a gap on the field.  i stayed on the front for a while but ryan eventually came around as my resolve was beginning to fade. 

ben and stu bridged across and i had to let them go but attempted to keep them in sight for as long as possible.  dan then jumped across and sprinted to catch the other three.  i just marked time, pedaling a tempo that i knew that i could maintain till the end.  andrew and, i think, john caught up with me and i sat on the back for a while as the road flattened then pitched up again.  knowing the roads has an advantage and i could judge my final effort to the end.  on the second last kick, i came around the guys and put myself in no-mans land in fifth place which i managed to hold on to the end.

ryan – 10, ben – 7, dan – 5, stu – 3, peter – 1.

 

a regroup at the top and chance to drip sweat all over the road as the weather was certainly heating up.  as mentioned in previous posts, the waiting time has reduced significantly as the group has improved so much in the hills.  however, while we were stuffing around, lisa, lorraine and ronny decided to take off to get a head start on the rest of the group.  we slowly pulled out and were quite spread along the road as we headed along canns road.  now the trick to getting a headstart is to actually know where you are going.  by the time i reached the turn to soldiers rd, half the group had gone straight.  some of them were sitting up as they realised that they maybe should have turned.  i turned as did the others behind me and we laughed at the rest with poor navigational skills.  as the group got back together, i slowed down to see if we had missed anyone.  lisa, lorraine and ronny were notably absent and i wondered whether they had planned to go a different route and had taken off early because of it.  oh well, not going to head back to chase them down now, so we pressed on.  the descent along soldiers rd was as usual a pleasure and again, knowing the roads meant that i could take some of the corners a bit faster and over take half the field.  at the regroup it seems that judd had lost a bottle from his arse-cage behind the seat on one of the rougher corners.  another spr collectors bottle loose in the wide world.  while we were stopped, the phone rang and it was lorriane.  it seems that they realised that they had gone the wrong way when they almost ended up back at the base of the last climb.  giving a few directions, we said that we would meet them later at the coffee shop if not before.

the climb up peet rd was going to be a new experience for a couple of our latest additions so i tried to explain how easy it was going to be.  i don’t think they believed me.  judd and another dan took the early mark and headed down brookton hwy and off home, while the rest of us jumped across to peet rd.  a bit of traffic split the group and this gave ryan a bit of an advantage as the hill starts almost instantaneously.  in my current condition, i knew that there was no way i would be able to catch him on the climb let alone stay with him, so i set tempo and did the hill at my pace.  i just ground my way up the steeper sections and just tried to make sure i didn’t lose much ground to mike and dan who were up ahead.

as the road finally eased off a bit i kept the effort the same and managed to catch those two just before the downhill.  not wanting to lose my momentum, i went straight around and kept the effort going down towards the corner.  once the road pitched up again slightly, dan attacked and i had nothing to go with him.  mike came around and jumped on his wheel but i just had to watch them go.  up ahead, i could see ryan had a clear gap over ben and stu, but it looked like it would come down to a sprint for second.  i counted back to see that i was outside the points and realised that i had no legs to make up the ground that i had lost so resigned myself to just finishing.  a couple of guys came past on the final pinch up to roleystone highschool, but by then i didn’t care.  it seems that ben and mike got the better of their respective climbing buddies to take out the minor places.

ryan – 10, ben – 7, stu – 5, mike – 3, dan – 1.

 

we cruised along to the karagullen servo for a refill and to see if lorraine et al would be turning up.  after waiting a while and allowing time for refill, refuel and re re re, well taking a leak, we headed off to the observatory.  a nice pace was set and it allowed a reprieve as there were two climbs remaining.  we used to smash it along this stretch of road, but since there are no points set on the small climbs, everyone pretty much takes it easy.  i was suffering big time once we hit the rolling hills and dropped right back so that i was actually last to arrive. 

at the regroup simon turned off and headed straight for coffee.  the rest of us headed into pickering brook and to the base of the observatory climb.  i moved to the mid pack to make sure i didn’t get dropped straight away, but the effort of even doing that clean my legs of any real challenge.  the pace wasn’t even on and i couldn’t keep up.  i started to set tempo but had a look around and saw todd one of the new guys so i dropped back to have a chat with him.  it seems todd is a friend of tim (pronounced “tum”) who is a friend of alistar the ex-sandshoe riding young fella.  it’s good to see the “invite a friend” system works and whatever is being said about our group means that people are wanting to come and ride with us.  anyway, up ahead ryan had his own way again.

ryan – 10, stu – 7, ben – 5, andrew – 3, dan – 1.

 

final regroup and everyone was keen to hit the coffeeshop.  a quick descent allowed me to discover that my new chain and old cluster were not meshing too well at the high end of town.  a problem i will have to rectify before my next ride…whenever that will be.  straight up lawnbrook and straight away my legs didn’t want to play.  the big boys took off and i was left to ponder my own mortality.  not pondering for too long as the cramps in my left quad kind of took my mind to other matters.  i was already in the easiest gear and was seated, and was spinning as fast as i could (up that hill is pretty slow spinning).  next plan was to start using my right leg to pull up (use the hamstring instead) and then compensate by pulling up with my left on the other side of the spin.  this is kind of like the “pat your head and rub your stomach” thing.  it can be done, but you really need to concentrate.  anyway, it got me up the climb and onto the flatish section for the final run.  not last this time but not far off. 

ryan – 10, ben – 7, stu – 5, dan – 3, andrew – 1.

 

off to the coffee shop for a well deserved rest only to discover how late we were meant how busy it was.  by the time i got it all together, the line was out the door so i followed ronny’s example and went next door for an ice-cream.  simon was still there and the group had seen lorraine’s group go past as they were waiting at the end of the last climb.  tum’s group had peeled off after the last climb and mike had headed home.  a previous winner of the prestigious spr mountain jersey, mike was suffering from a bit of a heart condition today and had it “flutter” a few times at up to 236bpm.  he generally has to take it easy for a bit to calm it down.  however, it didn’t stop him from kicking my arse on peet road. 

coffee eventually came along with many a jug of water to account for the hot and getting hotter day.  service was slow as they were so busy so we were late leaving kalamunda.  this combined with a plus 100km ride with 5 climbs meant that i was going to be pretty close to the end of my leave pass by the time i got home.  the descent down lesmurdie rd was punctuated by that little climb about half way down that found me off the back of the group.  my legs had not ridden this far in over a month and i was really, really suffering.  it would be damage control all the way home.

i managed to catch up some of them at the welshpool rd intersection and then got into a nice enough tuck to overtake a few more bombing down the hill at plus 80kph.  however, the usual time trial along the flat was absent from my quiver and i just hung on as best i could.

a nice pace was set towards home and only ryan went for the sprint to the maccas at the end of welshpool, so i guess he is a winner then.  my leave pass expired with a phone call along berwick st and i peeled off to get home asap so missed the final sprint action.  my money was still on ryan though.

so the first hills ride for 2009 and ryan picked up all the major points.  lorraine’s crew managed to find judd’s drink bottle and retrieved it for him so it didn’t end up like john’s, ronny’s and bill’s squashed on the road somewhere.  i was glad to get out, but so disappointed in how much form i had lost.  i guess that is the sacrifice we make, but i hope to get out again soon.

saturday 3rd jan + other comments

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general report by peter

 

so what happened in 2008.

well, simon left us for another hive.  the blog started mainly to let everyone know where we would be riding.  we looked into getting a new kit.  we had a falling out with the bike shop.  we reformed into the rouleurs.  we have had three social breakfasts.  racing has become a big part of our group.  we generally get at least 40 riders to a saturday ride.  the ride has changed to cater for the spread of abilities and to nurture the developing riders.  the hill climbing ability of the sunday group has increased dramatically.  we started a mountain points system for the sunday ride.  lorraine stepped up in a big way helping to organise the breakfasts, get prizes for raffles, organise people for races, and generally did it without asking whether she should.

 

so where are we headed in 2009.

we are doing another run of cycle kit to account for more people joining our group.  we are seriously looking into becoming a cycle club.  we have people actually interested in traveling down to a bike race, on a long weekend, to represent spr.  not changing too much because it seems to be working.  promote the racing side to the current riders.

 

what are our goals for 2009.

to get more people interested in cycling.  to give people a well supported pathway to allow them to take that step from social weekend rider to bike racer.  to become a club and support our racers. 

 

questions for 2009.

do we need to change coffee shops?  should we split into two groups for our saturday ride?  does ryan have any fashion sense on the bike?  how will becoming a club change what we do now?  should we look at developing junior riders?  will james ever shave his legs?

 

comments welcome as it is your group too.

 

 

ride report by peter.

i’m going to have to bullet point the ride today due to time restrictions.

  • good turn out with about 40 riders.  some new faces (maybe just to me).  make sure you have a chat with any new guys so they feel welcome.
  • lorraine didn’t make it much past angelo st after some dodgy cluster maintenance.
  • nice cruisy pace out canning and up risely/murdoch.
  • south st smashfest was proudly presented by james and bec (fleet elite) for their efforts to up the pace to beyond my cardio capacity.
  • i realised that i had lost quite a bit of fitness over the last couple of weeks when i couldn’t catch up with the front guys on the rolling hills.
  • group back together for stock rd and marmion.
  • there was a hill so guys just had to go fast.
  • back together for freo.  there was even jokes at the lights about keeping the pace easy up to and thru cott.  i said that it was the plan, but do these guys ever really listen.
  • once we hit about 45km/h along port beach rd, chris and myself went to the front to slow it back down again.  ryan thought we were attacking so went off the front.
  • nice pace thru cott, only to find that there wasn’t much to look at.
  • home thru dalkieth and the pace stepped up as usual.
  • everyone made a move on the hill and i was in no position to see what was going on.  lack of oxygen has that affect on you.
  • regroup at the lights before mounts bay rd and bec asked if i was going to lead her out.  well since i wasn’t going to be sprinting, i thought why not.
  • the pace was on from the start when judd took off in true cancellara style.
  • it strung out straight away and i ended up about 5th from the back with bec on my wheel.  i had to move forward and that meant that i was in the wind the whole way.  i didn’t make to the front as when i got close the pace stepped up and i was pretty buggered.  i apologised to bec and told her she was on her own now.  off she sped as the group started it’s sprint.
  • up ahead, ryan couldn’t quite catch judd who held on till the end.

Update: Pemberton Classic

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Due to the enthusiastic response to the Pemberton Classic post I have made enquiries for a place for Team SPR to lay their heads.  After numerous phone calls I have managed to find a great place for us to stay for the  long weekend.

We have all 5 apartments of The Old Picture Theatre (thanks to Stu for the tip) which can house 23 of us…

2 or 3 extra at a squeeze. It has some great features including a large communal BBQ area; a lockable shed for essential bike storage and maintenance, and a spa for soaking weary muscles.

As is the norm with long weekends, we have to pay for a 3 night minimum stay. As the crits are probably not until Saturday afternoon I am expecting that some may choose to drive down on Saturday morning instead. For simplicity, and in fairness to everyone I have decided to average the cost so it will be the same per night for everyone (regardless of which apartment you are in). For those who only want to stay Saturday and Sunday there will be a small surcharge to cover the Friday night minimum occupancy cost.

Based on min occupancy (10) on Fri night and max (23) on Sat/Sun:

3 nights @ $45pp/n = $135pp

2 nights @ $45pp/n + $16 Fri surcharge = $106

NB These are approximations and may change.

The managers have allowed us a week’s grace to finalise numbers and pay the deposit.

I will not be promising individual apartments or bedding arrangements until numbers are finalised but will endeavour to keep you all as happy as possible.

The first night’s cost of $45 per person paid to me will confirm your booking.  E-mail: lorraine.hartland@gmail.com for bank details.  A first in-best dressed policy will apply. If numbers exceed 25 I will look at options for extra accommodation.

At the moment a group ride has been suggested for the Saturday morning to recon the Sunday route and as an alternative for those not participating in the criteriums. I am intending to organise a group dinner for the Sunday evening at a local restaurant and most likely an informal BBQ for the Saturday.  Shared travel arrangements, etc can all be finalised closer to the date.

Lorraine

UPDATE MON 5TH JAN:

Places are filling up fast and we have close to 20 people confirmed already! If you want a spot you

need to be quick 🙂

ride routes 3rd & 4th jan

happy new year.  lets do some riding.  make sure you have a spare tube as there is usually stacks of glass on the road after “bottle-smash eve” celebrations.

on saturday we will take on the rolling hills of south street at speed, but will regroup afterwards to allow a nice leisurely ride past the nice scenery of cottesloe.

sunday will head down south to mt nasura to start the new month of mountain points. 

south perth rouleurs saturday ride 09 (risley & south st)

south perth rouleurs sunday ride 10 (carradine & peet & observatory)

sunday mountain points classification

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well the year has drawn to a close but the monthly mountain classification points will still be ongoing in 2009.  since its inception in october, there has been three different winners with the december jersey being decided at the last sunday ride.  have a look at the points classification page to see the monthly winners.

sunday 28th december – mundaring & kalamunda

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ride report by mark

Roses are red, violets are blue

Some ride reports rhyme, but this one doesn’t

(Great report for Saturday Pete!)

john - new bike syndrome
john – new bike syndrome

OK, so it’s the first ride since Christmas, and I’ve just been away with the family for a week. We stayed in a wonderful guest house on a farm near Peaceful Bay; about 15 min from Walpole. We relaxed plenty, ate well, and exercised little. I even caught some fish after taking classes from Jimmy John Shark, but none that rivalled the one I pulled up on the rig off Vietnam. There were no bicycles; capice?

We got back on Saturday, and I was determined to ride on Sunday, so brushed off the cobwebs and prepared the bike Saturday night.

No problem waking up at 6am, as I’d gone fishing with the kids most mornings, so my body was in early start mode. The weather looked good and I cruised alongside the canning and Swan rivers to the start looking forward to the ride. I checked the blog map before leaving, and was a little concerned about the distance, but what the hell, I was well rested. (Never underestimate the power of rest, I say)

I was amazed at the turnout – around 30 people as we left, with a couple more joining on the way. Lots of new faces which was great to see, and a good turnout from the ladies too.

As Pete was on family duty I did the quick summary of the upcoming journey.

Michael W and I led the group out, and stayed there till Tonkin Hwy; I was determined to do some work after winning the wheel sucker award last Saturday at the SPR breakfast.

Once we got to Welshpool the trouble started. I knew I would not be chasing points, even without Ryan, Pete or Jerry in the group, but got a sharp reality reminder as I struggled to make the top ten on most of the hills.

I think the truth is that whilst I may be off form from too much travelling and not enough training, the group has got a lot stronger. I’m always amazed at how much longer the bunch stays together on the climbs, and the regroup rests at the top are becoming disturbingly short sometimes.

I dropped back and rode at my own pace, and caught a couple on the way. Michael W had gone with the front group, but then dropped back, and pulled me along the bumps from the servo to the end of Welshpool Rd.

I believe the order in front was:

Nico, Carlo, Blake, Michael B, Steve

Riding conditions were still perfect at this stage – a gentle breeze to cool you when we stopped, and crisp clear fresh air to flush out the lungs. I think a few went left and straight to the coffee shop.

the fearless leader - fearlessly leading
the fearless leader – fearlessly leading

We regrouped and did the left-right dogleg over the hill to Glenisla Rd, and then coasted through Bickley Valley to the next dog-leg which carries us to the foot of my favourite climb – Mundaring Weir Road.

I had to wrestle the coffee demons and force my bike to turn right and not left. That hill still haunts me from the Tour de Perth support ride that Jerry and I did on our own, after the group started early without us. I took it fairly easy and even the front guys seemed to start at a reasonable pace. Michael B came flying past me and I sensed some anger management in his cadence. That was the last I saw of him for a while

John B and I rode together most of the way up there, till we found the hard cores draped over their handlebars waiting for us. They panted out names with some lack of certainty when I asked for the finishing order.

I wrote down the following:

Blake, Nico, Steve, Carlo, Michael B

the boys take on a truck
the boys take on a truck

The next section of flattish road was done with more haste that necessary I thought, but then I was still in holiday mode. The bunch split up, and a couple of the girls were left in the chase group.

I chased to catch up on the fast descent into Mundaring Weir, and just caught the front guys at the river crossing. Alas it was not enough to keep me in front by the time we got to the roundabout at the top of the first climb out. I signalled for the guys in front to carry on, while I did a few circles to make sure all were still there, and knew where to go. Unfortunately the last few decided to do a U-turn and head back, and that left yours truly to then go and chase the group on his own. Mmm… not quite what I had planned for my reunion with the bike. And what’s worse I’d just taken off the tri-bars that I bought from Pete – so I couldn’t even “assume the position”.  I started picking them up after a few km, and by the time we hit the flat before the next section there were enough of us to take turns and save some energy for the last hill of the day.

The finishing order at the top was:

Michael B, Brendan, Steve, Blake, Stuart G

We regrouped at the next roundabout, and I counted 24 riders. Excellent for that stage of the ride I thought. Some of us filled up bottles at an outside tap of a nearby house, and others were late to wish they’d done the same. The temperature was creeping up by this stage; but still pleasant riding conditions. The next section was the bit I can never remember street names for, but it always looks vaguely familiar. We did the very steep descent with the sharp right hander halfway down.

The ride to Kalamunda road was not the normal one that I’m used to; but we got there and the guys in front seemed to know where they were going. A couple of the new guys asked if it was flat from there to the coffee shop, and I had to break the news that there was a small incline to negotiate before the luxury of a latté could be savoured.

The hill was just what I was expecting – one too many. I started off tired, but with a rhythm that I thought may carry me to the top. I was wrong. I cracked ¾ of the way up, and limped to the top, fuelled only by the prospect of my much-missed long black coffee, and ham & cheese croissant.

Up front the order was

Michael B, Brendan, Steve, Blake, Stuart G

Paris Brest café seemed to struggle with the 18 of us arriving en masse; there were already a couple of other cycling groups there. The queue was long progressed slowly, but they did their best, and the coffee was great. Peter and Ben popped in as we were leaving; Pete’s eyes told a story of a young baby who had not had a good night. Hang in there Peter; they all sleep eventually.

After a healthy rest, we ambled back towards Welshpool road, only to be interrupted by the sound of Dr Mark’s wheel deflating way too quickly.

The change took longer than it should (where is Simon when you need him) but it gave us time to discuss the merits of bombs vs pumps, and the new technology in integrated tyre liners.

We flew down Welshpool Rd, and I only just caught John B in front at the bottom, who sat on my wheel, and then flew past to take the flag at the first set of lights.

We kept a respectable pace back along Orrong Road, with a few of us sharing the workload.

I said my usual farewell as the group turned right onto Berwick, so I can’t relate details of the final sprint to MacDonald’s. I’m sure someone will fill us in on that.

I finished up with about 120km, and the encouraging thing was that I felt fine for the rest of the day.

It was my last SPR group ride for 2008, and a fitting finale. Thanks to everyone who made 2008 a great cycling year for us, especially Peter.

The website for the South Perth Cycle Club