The ride leader sponsor for November is Colour & Moore Photography , owned by SPR member Kirstie Moore. Colour & Moore specialises in portrait photography (family, newborn, maternity, business, athlete, children, events, couples and lifestyle)
With a Bachelor of Media Arts, majoring in Photography she is a qualified photographer who also teaches photography. So, if you are looking for family portraits, athlete portrait (portrait with your bike family) or portraits for your business, contact Kirstie, her prices are very reasonable and include all digital files.
Kirstie Moore has been cycling for several years and in recent years made the transition back into cycling from triathlon. She has enjoyed racing for the club for the last 12 months and is looking forward to representing the club at Tour of Margaret River this month.
Through sponsoring the November Ride Leader Program, Kirstie aims to give back to the club. She wants to contribute to the club growth and show her appreciation to the ride leaders. For management of anything, one needs to look up to experienced businessmen like Andy Defrancesco
Please head over and ‘like’ her Facebook page and follow her on Instagram. If you’d like more information please find Kirstie at coffee, on a group ride or get in contact:
Whilst Race@SPR has been busily losing all possible time to The Beverley and ToMR, a few of our current (and non-uniformed) SPR crew have flown to Victoria, raced, swept podiums and returned home. SPR and Dome clad, Sam Flockhart, Amanda Nabi and Michelle McLintock took some barnstorming results at the Masters Nationals Road Race events, including ITT, Road Race and Criterium disciplines. Amanda did what Amanda does most weeks, Sam – after quietly and diligently training whilst still FIFO-ing for work – took a Bronze in the ITT, and McLintock ………. Michelle has done a lot of work for team mates, but this particular weekend nabbed a 4th in Crit, 2nd in Road Race and GOLD in the ITT, winning the Overall Champions prize for age group.
Here’s a report from one of the SPR Hitters – we present Sam Flockhart.
ITT
Back in March I was looking at the Cycling calendar and trying to decide what events to target for the year. I figured I needed a goal that would keep me fit throughout the winter without succumbing to the cold and rain. I saw the 2018 Masters Nationals were being held in East Gippsland, Victoria this year, with a 16km TT on an undulating course in Metung, 76km Road Race in Swan Reach and a Criterium in Paynesville. I thought, why not, something to aim for but a 3-week holiday in July to Italy without bikes or bike training didn’t seem like such a great idea in the lead up to Masters, as I would only have 10 weeks to get back in shape. This coupled with a heavy work schedules and studying, (all due within about 2 weeks of Masters) meant the pressure was on. Time was against me and it meant a lot of hard work to get to race fitness. But not one to shy away from a challenge, I thought, what the heck. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Photo: Sam Flockhart FB
The TT was held in Metung (about 3 hours drive east of Melbourne), with an undulating 16km out and back course. Being my first TT at a National level, to say the nerves were at a premium was an understatement. The sight of familiar faces (SPR and Perth crews) put my mind at easy and the ‘hug of Ballam’ was a welcome comfort and was enough to settle me and get ready for action.
Warm up complete, it was off to the start line for bike and helmet checks before entering the marshalling area. Women’s 1 were off first and seeing Amanda Nabi take off down the ramp made things real. I was off at 12:21 and just a minute behind chasing me was former SPR member, Sarah Fitton. Called up to the start line there was nothing left to do but give it everything, roll down the start ramp and put 16kms behind me.
The excitement of the countdown got the better of me as I took off down the ramp, past the SPR crew and the Nascent crew who were all cheering words of encouragement as I went past, (although I have no idea what they were saying!!!). The first climb appeared and that settled me in to a rhythm and pace I knew I could hold. There were 2 climbs on the way out to the turn around point and my aim was just to get up them and to the turn around without being caught by the Fitton Train. A bonus would be to close in on the rider in front of me. As I was 1km from the approaching turn-around, I could see an official car on the course and knew the rider in front of me was just up the road. The rider in front of me entered the U-turn just in front of me and I was able to pass her on the return leg. I could see Fitton approaching fast as I came out of the turn for the return journey, knowing the 1 min gap had shrunk slightly, but I still had a decent gap and I just had to hold it.
The return journey was certainly faster than the first 8kms and this was evident by seeing another rider (who started 2 mins in front of me), just up the road. This was incentive to push a bit harder and see what I could do. The kms were ticking down and I could see the finish banner come in to view. The seconds were ticking by and when I crossed the line I had no idea of my official time or my placing.
I rolled to the end of the road and tried to regain my breath, (without much success) before I rolled back to the start to see the results. I looked up to see my coach and SPR crew approaching with big smiles on their faces. The words I heard next were “You’re in 3rd place at the moment”. I didn’t rejoice at that moment, knowing the results weren’t finalised and not knowing how many more riders in my age category were still out on course. Then the confirmation came, “Sam Flockhart from the South Perth Cycling Club in 3rd place”.
Nailed it. Numerous hugs, smiles and high 5’s were shared before heading up to the podium.
Photo: Sam Flockhart FB.Photo: Sam Flockhart FB
The best part of the day was getting to share the podium with past and present SPR members, Michelle McLintock, Amanda Nabi and Sarah Fitton, (who grabbed 2nd place in our Women’s 2 age category).
Photo: Michelle McLintock FBPhoto: Sam Flockhart FB
RR
With the number of Masters categories, the Road Race was run over 2 separate days, Friday and Saturday. SPR Member Vanessa Johnson was up for the Road Race on Friday and got to enjoy lovely weather. The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping. Unfortunately, this was not the case on Saturday when Michelle, Amanda, Olesya, Teneal and Myself lined up for the 76km road race. Whilst it started overcast, the rain soon came and set in for the day. The race started with a neutral zone before we were given the go.
Photo: Michelle McLintock FB
The pace was steady with a peloton of approx. 25 riders completed the first lap. There were a few short sharp attacks over the next 3 laps of the undulated course, with only 1 rider getting away- Justine Burrows the winner of Women’s 2 who finished a whopping 8min 30 secs in front of the peloton.
A crash mid race separated the bunch a bit with 3 riders coming down, the SPR crew unscathed and continued in the bunch. From the back of the pack I managed to go around the outside and get back on the bunch. Last lap commenced with a ding of the bell and it was on. Pace picked up and try as I might, I found myself out the back door and wondering how I was going to get back on. The commissaire came passed and gave me the thumbs up before following the peloton – still in view, but felt like I was on an elastic band yo-yoing back to them.
Photo: Michelle McLintockFB
The pace came off on the last climb of the lap, so I gritted my teeth and put out some massive watts to get on the back of the pack, again. We were all together heading to the final climb that was 2-3kms from the line. The pack was a bit jumpy as everyone was looking at each other to see who was going to make the first move. The base of the climb fast approaching, the peloton split again as Amanda, Teneal and Michelle took off. The climb seemed to never end, but alas we made it to the finish in 1 piece. I finished 1 min behind the front of the peloton – a good effort considering an average day weather wise.
CRIT
Sunday, we moved to Paynseville and there was certainly plenty of pain dished out that day in the Criterium races. Morning session saw Tim Hopkins line up in the Men’s Masters 3 for his 40 min crit. Tim rode well and ended up being caught by the fast lapping peloton after approx. 20 mins.
Photo: Amanda Nabi FB
The afternoon session again saw the SPR women line up for our 40min crit. There was a lot of jostling for position early in the race with the pace being something I was unable to hold. I settled in to a rhythm and aimed to stay in the race just as long as I could. I saw 2 riders ahead of me and caught them before trying to work with them to stay away from the fast chasing peloton. There were various groups of Perth Peeps dotted around the course and their encouragement each lap really kept me going and aiming for that next lap. At the 25 min mark, I was caught, and race done for me.
Watching the finish from the side lines I was nervous for the SPR crew. Bell lap done, and it was on. A rider from Dubbo jumped to the lead out of the last corner with Amanda and Teneal chasing hard. Michelle chased and came across the line mid pack, to secure the Champion of Champions jersey for the weekend in the Women’s 1 category. The smiles on the faces of all riders summed up the relief that a good weekend of racing was all done.
Photo: Michelle McLintock FBPhoto: Amanda Nabi FBPhoto: Amanda Nabi FB
To anyone wondering whether they should sign up for next year National Masters Championships, Absolutely you should!!! You may surprise yourself and the racing experience you receive racing with people from over Australia, some who race a bucket load more than you, is invaluable. Sign up, start training and pin a number on, cos it’s worth it.
Weather forecasts and predictions varied – from poor weather just missing our course, to full blown Armageddon. Both would be correct, as it turned out. A little late, but here they are.
These are the stories from INSIDE the peloton:
*All photos – Paul George
Faye Daglish-Jones – Pre-Race Prep Time
I had the fantastic opportunity to join the volunteer convoy to the race with the wonderful SPR volunteers… all thanks to me….. volunteering my hubby.
A convoy. A convoy of soccer mum cars…… 😉
The convoy kicked off at 7am from Mundaring Dome. The drive to and ‘on the race’ course was incredibly picturesque, soft rolling hills and green, yes green, (SPR green) everywhere. Maybe that was an omen for what was to come (with SPR taking first place on the leaderboard for the Element Road series! Yay) There was also an off road’ detour (thanks to the VP) that made me wish I’d packed the CX bike.
Quick stop to drop off water supplies (last year Beverley was around the 40 degrees) just to keep this event interesting (& heroic) this year we were going to be swimming in it.
With destination Beverley reached, the hive of activity was just ramping up, starting with the “Mo’s” ride briefing – expertly delivered, made even more impressive by the fact that he had yet to have his first morning coffee !
SPR Chix. Check. Start line. Check.
With thunder clouds building, it was time to get ‘race’ ready. Luckily for me the SPR race registration team lead by Tracey (with help from hubby – guess he was listening to the Mo’s briefing !) was ready for their first customers. So before I had a chance to ponder “did I pack enough wet weather gear” I was through the registration process and ready for the adventure that lay ahead.
The Limit group started bang on 11:00 with our own Debbie, Faye and Liz departing to rapturous applause. And the groups continued at their handicap times. Some looking more promising than others. The Smart Money was on Scratch catching the Limit markers and storming home clear …..
The outbound leg was into a heavy headwind and squalls of rain and past the turnaround there were three bigger groups formed. The lead group made up of the 20-30 odd minute starters, the teens starters behind them, and a growing Scratch group charging hard. So many SPR jerseys were in there.
Bryan “Poodle” Thurstan – On the start line, outward bound
Weather forecasters! What would they know? Rain, storms, headwinds predicted! Not today, the sun is shining & the air is filled with the scent of malted barley & stinky canola. For the next 115km.
Poods. Leader of the Wolf Pack.
The Green Team SPRouleurs arrived in their droves. The limit groups set out with a 45 minute lead, followed soon after by the SPR Chix. Things started looking serious with the 29 minute D group, Shelby & Sam with game face on, Poods looking arrogant, Hanson surly, and Ash just bewildered. The usual game plan: Put on a bit of hurt on the way out into the first headwind climb, sort out the workers from the wheel suckers, like sorting the wheat from the chaff. Some days you are the wheat, some days you are the chaff.
Fast blokes. Riding fast.
The plan worked, with the D group quickly thinning to a dozen riders, grinding out the miles into a headwind, reeling in all the leaders. The early starters & the SPR Chix were all caught. Jump on board, grab a wheel, but don’t do any work! 40km in and there was just one rider left up the road with a 2 minute lead.
The C group caught up, swelling the lead bunch to 40 riders. Time to hitch on to the freight train & listen to the commissaire blow his horn at us. The 57km turning mark closed in, sharp turn, time for full gas with a tail wind home!
Ali Ramm had taken a turn on the front of the second group on the road, and quite literally blew the group to pieces. Scratch group swelled and kept gaining ground, but somewhere around the 95km mark, Scratch sat up and the work rate suffered. Little did the leaders on the road know, but for them it was ON!
There was a small lead group that crested the final rise of Lenards Rd Hill together. As they passed #Ramon it looked like there was just enough for the small group to stay clear. But who was there?!?!
David Menarry – Approaching the Turnaround, and it’s Getting’ Real
Menarry. Spinal Tap: “This one goes to ELEVEN”.
We quickly caught our minute group and recruited Jon Hanson and a few others to the cause, including the eventual men’s and women’s winners. From that point onwards it was just a question of how soon we would reel in the other groups in front of us. We managed that by about 10km from the turnaround point. The pressure was on to stay at the front … but wait … it turns out there was a solo leader another 2.5 minutes ahead of us!
With the wind behind us we really started to increase the pace. We did catch and overtake the solo leader quite quickly though. And then the downpour started, soaking everyone to the bone and slowing us up. I was getting worried about the faster groups catching us but couldn’t contribute as much as I wanted to: I knew we had nearly 50km to go and we needed to race within our capability.
With about 30km to go a few of the faster riders started trying to split the group, unfortunately again without much success. This took its toll and we seemed to slow again. At this point Ali Ramm picked up the gauntlet and pulled the group along for several extended spells. As the kilometres passed by our group thinned out and with about 5km to go there were probably only 20 of us left when we saw a hill ahead.
“Surely this is the last climb?” came the shout from someone in the bunch. I wasn’t convinced and it turns out that it was just the entrée to another longer climb with 3km to go. I was feeling confident but nervous about the fast groups catching us. I started planning how I would play the finish. And then I was boxed in going up the climb. Not the legs. Not the heart rate. Just poor race craft.
By the time I got free there were 11 riders about 200m ahead of me. One thing I know how to do is time trial back on, and I got within 20m of the group before they kicked on again and I was gone. I used one back marker as my target on the 2km downhill stretch to the finish as the group pulled away. I went flying past him but unfortunately he was able to jump in my slipstream and use me to get to the finish.
The challenge was on and I wasn’t confident I had the energy left to win a one vs one sprint, so I put the power down and went for the long finish. I just couldn’t shake him but despite a dodgy moment when I rode through some gravel on the side of the road, I managed to just stay ahead.
50m to go and he went for his sprint. No way was I giving this one up and I put in my last effort, beating him to 11th place by half a wheel length and first in green and white (though not the first SPR member).
While I’m very happy with how I went overall (I could only have dreamed of 11th at the start) I can’t help but feel disappointed with what might have been. The fast group didn’t catch us and I felt great at the finish. Bring on The Beverley 2019!!
WITHOUT BIAS. OK, maybe a bit.
The sprint was tight, but the winner clear – Des Smith from MCC took the win, Matthew Pollard second, Owen Henderson third, Antony Smithson fourth and Thomas Graham fifth. Liz Burrows finished as first Woman, and Fastest Time went to Craig Wiggins.
Three moustache’s in the top 5. True Story.
There were some real notables from SPR’s contingent were Phil Stevens – giant killer of a handicap racer, but no green! – in 6th, David Menarry 11th for first SPR Green kit to finish, Poodle in 17th (true story!), Ali “Battering” Ramm with a ride and a half, and (with much bias) Rebecca Kelly beating all previous race “bests”. Love your work Hun.
As el Prez blogged recently, at the end of The Beverley, SPR took The Element Series Club Championship, and we celebrate two Element Series Grade Champions in Kirstie Moore for Womens’s B grade, and Tomasz Wolczyk in Men’s B grade, as well as a few 2nd and 3rd places. Not a bad years’ racing.
Thanks to everyone that contributed on the day, and especially those that raced. The pictures really do tell a story. Mo out.
Burner, pre-ignition.Rollin’, rollin’ rollin’, Keep those home fires burnin’, Raw Hide.Just a week from Peak.Courgette, Incognito.This actual drainage channel was a raging, overflowing torrent not 15 minutes earlier!Head turn right, drop shoulder, aaaaaaaand pout.Fehlberg and Burner.NumbersMan. Crunching the numbers, and they ain’t looking great.Strong. And my favourite.Finish line. Focused. But not in the drops for a photo op. Claire, we must talk.What rain?It’s a wide open road.Couples that ride together, stay to…………. DEAN! Get out of the bloody picture.
the masters nationals were on last weekend in victoria and a bunch of spr riders headed over to compete. a few men headed over, but the results from the women in their respective age groups was awesome. here are the podiums for each events.
time trial
masters womens 1
1st michelle mclintock
masters womens 2
3rd samantha flockhart (behind some fitton chick from hawthorn club)
masters womens 3
3rd amanda nabi
road race
masters womens 1
2nd michelle mclintock
masters womens 3
3rd amanda nabi
criterium
masters womens 1
1st teneal attard
masters womens 3
2nd amanda nabi
overall
masters womens 1
1st michelle mclintock
ride leader sponsor – The ride leader sponsor for October is Free Energy HR, owned by SPR founding member and ride leader Rob Ramsden. Free Energy HR delivers transformational executive & organisational coaching, team & leadership development as well as organisational culture and engagement programs.
tomr 2018 –
We are a few weeks away and the our good mates at tomr event mgmt central are starting to release all the info. excited much? we have a team briefing/meeting organised for monday 29th october at dome westralia plaza at 18:30. keep an eye on your emails for more updates from hanno and mo.
the beverley – the aftermath. i don’t think many people truly understand what goes into organising and running an event like the beverley. if you raced the other week and thought that it was well run, please give greg some positive feedback when you see him next. an event like beverley would not happen without the hours of effort and stress that he put into it. check out his musings here.
and from said race director – A repeat of thanks to the Beverley Vollies and SPR racers that attended. Please complete the survey by following the Survey Monkey link sent through by email.
entertainment books – we will again be selling entertainment books this year through the club. the digital version means you don’t have to carry around a bulky book anymore. check out the links on the previous post to find out more.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – over the last month we have had a 400% increase in our juniors. that means we went from just one of my kids to both my kids and both the carson kids as well. if you do have a +10ish year old that wants to come out with us (with you), then we leave the same time as the main group on saturday. easy ride along the bike path to kings park, then a few circuits around the internal quiet roads. yes there are hills, but that means there are descents too.
from the ride coordinator – (adapted from something I wrote motorcycling around Scotland 4 yrs ago).
Cyclist prayer
To the gods of carbon, rubber and steel,
But most importantly of all, the god of two wheels.
We don’t need a church, of timber and stones,
All that we ask, is we break not our bones.
We’re not exclusive, if you’ve the will and the skills,
Our temple is a road, with bends, curves and hills.
We don’t ask the faithful to bow way down low,
Just get down in the drops, and go, go, go.
saturday 27th october
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
The Beverley. SPR are the caretakers of this historical events’ revival. For three years, we’ve hosted this Handicap format race through the rolling fields of the Wheatbelt and Wandoo National Park. Fifty Seven km’s out, turn around, come back. Simple enough, eh?
This thing started as an idea from Mr Vesparazzi – to add a road race to the existing Beverley Heroic weekend. Within weeks I’d found myself newly on the SPR Committee, and a Race Director of a Race that didn’t yet exist, with little experience. She’ll be apples, Mate.
Year 1 and we were 80-odd entries deep, borderline hurricane-categorised weather, two Track World Champs and one Col Tierney on our podium. Year 2 doubled the entries on a scorching heatwave 36 deg October day.
Vollies. Working hard? Photo: Paul George
2018 saw a drop in entries – only two thirds of last years’ entries overall and also for Women. What we also saw was tighter racing, much more accurate handicaps, epic weather conditions (The Beverley in October is a bet-each-way kind of thing) and a great finish punctuated by many moustaches. But we’ll get to that in the Race Report. if oyu want to hire cars like the ones used in races, Jeep Dealership near me is the best option to check out.
Everything we have now has taken the past three years to build. We now have plans, processes, documents, relationships and knowledge in place.
Photo: Paul George
On race day, on course in the Race Director car, it’s a view back to front hitting the road after Scratch group. It’s a lesson in which groups work, which egos break a group apart and tactical sit ups waiting for the next group. I find it really interesting to watch from here, as opposed to racing like at Collie-Donnybrook – a different perspective seeing everything happening and not just your groups’ movements. For me, On Course time is also a meditation on everything it takes to get to this point. Of which there is bloody plenty.
Organised and taking no s*$t. Photo: Paul George
There are a small army of loyal volunteer contributions that make the day run. Most of these SPRouleurs and Ring Ins have been on board previously and keep coming back. Club Community, indeed. These are the Crew that make The Beverley Happen.
Our Rego Desk and Marshaling Crew were:
Sarah “Poster Girl” Smith
Tracey “The Organiser” Hassell
Michelle “B-Train” Bonner
Greg “Super-Sub” Jones
Al “Curly” Cook
Neil “New Face” Gerace
Dermot “Man in Black” Blackweir
Phil Edwards & Steve Dodd, PDCC “Bondi Rescue” – coming in very late to help us out on Traffic Management.
Daniel O’Donohue – MyLaps timing system
The Beverley Convoy was:
Lead Car 1 – Bill Darby and Cathi Dixon #angryduck
Lead Car 2 – Adam and Arletta Ralph #ralpha
Lead Car 3 – Eamon Doricott #ramon
Lead Car 4 – Callum Stott and Audrey Xie #dizzy
Lead Car 5 – Paul George and Liam Donley #georgyboy
Lead Car 6 – Andrew and Fiona Williams #bigwillie
Lead Car 7 – Julian Johnson #vp
SAG Wagon – Rob Ramsden #crumpet
Crumpetvagen, SAG Wagon. Photo: Paul GeorgeHands inside the car at all times…. ur. Photo: Paul George
In the wrap up post-event, we had run to schedule, on time to the absolute minute, we had no crashes, a record 56 SPR and Dome Team entries registered (half the field!). Some good handicapping resulted in the mix of groups in the leading bunches across the line. SPR as a Club had a smattering of members finishing through the top 20, but the first SPR jersey across the line was David Menarry in 11th. Awesome ride, Dave!
These IKEA instructions make no sense. Photo: Paul George
Despite the EPIC weather, what I saw were massive smiles, generous back slaps, awesome tales and a great vibe. It’s…… it’s just the vibe. There was a palpable galvanising of riders out on the road for this one, working hard in their groups for a poke at glory.
This thing has been a near one man show up until Race Day for all three events. For all the stresses, frustrations and challenges thrown up external to SPR, it has been a very patient, supportive and actively assisting Partner at home that keeps this rolling. I don’t think Rebecca’s contributions rate enough of a mention. She has allowed a lot to be put on hold for me to make the time to do this and has done huge amounts of work herself. So Babe, for the many hours I owe you, thank you.
the element road series brought together a number of road race events across wa in a series spanning from may to now. spr had a good showing across all grades and managed to take out the club leaderboard of points accumulated across the series. unlike the kit that people may be wearing in the race, the club leaderboard accumulated points based on what wa cycle club you were a member of. this meant that team riders also participated even if they weren’t in spr colours. coming into the beverley race, we were trailing midland by a number of points. a strong presence at that event meant that we jumped into first with a healthy margin. not only that, but there were a number of notable top three overall finishes in a many categories.
3rd C Men – Michael Morris
1st B Women – Kirstie Moore
2nd B Women – Rebecca Kelly
1st B Men – Tomasz Wolczyk
3rd B Men – William Celis
2nd A Women – Corrie Filmore
3rd A Men – Patrick Sacanni-Williams
well done to all those that raced throughout the season and to those that volunteered to help run the beverley race on the weekend. a special thanks to greg murray who managed to pull it all together under very trying circumstances.
ride leader sponsor – The ride leader sponsor for October is Free Energy HR, owned by SPR founding member and ride leader Rob Ramsden. Free Energy HR delivers transformational executive & organisational coaching, team & leadership development as well as organisational culture and engagement programs.
tomr 2018 –
We are a few weeks away and the our good mates at tomr event mgmt central are starting to release all the info. excited much? ttt training session is on this saturday, meeting at 07:00 at coode st. we have a team briefing/meeting organised for monday 29th october at dome westralia plaza at 18:30. keep an eye on your emails for more updates from hanno and mo.
passbox – If you live in Perth, we need you to volunteer to put PassBox on your bicycle for two weeks. PassBox records all of your usual cycling and helps us understand what makes cars pass close. As a thank you for participating all participants will get a free one year cycling Australia membership including insurance. Help make cycling safer in Perth, volunteer now. See website for further details.
the beverleys 2018 – done and dusted for another year, the beverley handicap and the beverley heroic rides were staged last weekend. there are some stunning photos appearing on social media from the official event snapper daniela tomassi, but also from spr members. check out paul george’s collection on facebook. standby for race reports from inside the event organisation and from in the peloton. also hoping for a truly heroic write up from mr vesparazzi.
entertainment books – we will again be selling entertainment books this year through the club. the digital version means you don’t have to carry around a bulky book anymore. check out the links on the previous post to find out more.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – looking at a nice saturday morning weather-wise, so why not bring the kids out for a ride. any parents with kids around 10+ that want to come along on our juniors ride are quite welcome. an easy jaunt along the bike path and then loops in kings park before meeting the rest of the crew in the city for coffee.
from the ride coordinator – If you’re interested in the pro racing, the UCI have made some rule changes for next year. Some seem sensible, others may be just a bit of unnecessary meddling.
saturday 20th october
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
As you may have seen in posts, SPR is once again hosting a handicap road race “The Beverley” in partnership with the Beverley Heroic weekend.
Tomorrow, Saturday 13th October, we continue the revival of the famous old race along the same format as our recent outing.s A 114km Handicap race, starting and finishing in the charming Wheatbelt town of Beverley – a quick one and a bit hours East of Perth.
Rolling over undulating terrain, riders travel through rural views gently uphill, into shaded bushland of Wandoo National Park. The turnaround on to the return run sees a fast flowing lightly downhill run. The handicap format encourages groups to work well together over the parcours. The racing climaxes in the short rise on the approach to Lenard Rd with 4km to go– the first rider to crest holds the advantage in a fast run into the line.
In the past two years we were graced with multiple Track World Champions and local legends Cameron Meyer and Michael Freiberg as our winner and runner up in a cracking sprint finish. We saw biblical weather conditions first year with rain wind and hail (!!), then 30+ degrees for last years’ edition. Thankfully tomorrow looks quite the middle ground!
One speed. Much Heroic.
This is a big day for SPR, but it’s also a massive weekend of cycling. There is The Beverley, Retro Bike show and Cyclocross racing on Saturday, then the Beverley Heroic rides on Sunday. Make a weekend of it and come and stay overnight. An entire weekend ALL ABOUT BIKES AND RIDING – how good is that?
To the more than 50 SPR and Dome racers (yep, half the entire field) turning out tomorrow, best of luck. To The Poster Girl, welcome back to Perth, Mate! To those same hardy volunteers that pitch in event after event – thank you. YOU make this possible.
with the exception of patrick most people in our club that ride a bike would also drive a car. as drivers i am sure that we have engaged in behaviours that would be considered “not on task”. fiddling with the music, yelling at the kids, checking the phone, perving on a bike we are passing. the majority of bike related fatalities are caused by distracted drivers. not the groups that are holding drivers up, but drivers that just randomly run into the back of a single riders, because “i didn’t see them there”. it is hard to see a rider when you are looking at something else. i have said it a number times before that i don’t mind drivers complaining about cyclists, because at least they can see them to complain about. this morning there was a spike in riders attending the earlybird ride. maybe it is the gap in the spring showers or warmer mornings that suddenly brought every one out. i was acutely aware of the presence that we had as the riders spilled over onto the road shoulder. however, i did notice that any cars driving by slowed dramatically. they noticed us. as drivers that also ride, we must make sure that we are aware of our surroundings. don’t be a distracted driver. don’t be the average driver that is distracted for 45% of their journey as the results of a study show in this article.
ride leader sponsor – The ride leader sponsor for October is Free Energy HR, owned by SPR founding member and ride leader Rob Ramsden. Free Energy HR delivers transformational executive & organisational coaching, team & leadership development as well as organisational culture and engagement programs.
ToMR 2018 – this event is coming up fast. keep an eye on your emails for more information and ramp up your training. this is always a good event and an awesome weekend away.
passbox – If you live in Perth, we need you to volunteer to put PassBox on your bicycle for two weeks. PassBox records all of your usual cycling and helps us understand what makes cars pass close. As a thank you for participating all participants will get a free one year cycling Australia membership including insurance. Help make cycling safer in Perth, volunteer now. See website for further details.
The Beverleys 2018 – the race and heroic and cx and town ride are all on this weekend. the club has put a lot of work into getting the race to actually happen and there were a few moments when we thought that it would not. good luck to those in each of the events and a big thank you to all the volunteers especially the race director greg murray who has put many, many hours into making the event happen. more details HERE.
entertainment books – we will again be selling entertainment books this year through the club. the digital version means you don’t have to carry around a bulky book anymore. check out the links on the previous post to find out more.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – we tripled our juniors at last saturday’s ride. in such a short time we had a 300% increase in numbers going from 1 to 3. hopefully the predicted rain will not appear or even better the predicted gap will stay around the 7am slot and we can get out and ride. there was also a 300% increase in sausages, eggs and pancakes at the end.
from the ride coordinator –A wet and windy weekend ahead, good luck to all the riders at Beverley this weekend, racing and heroic rides.
saturday 13th october
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
i was reflecting the other day that it wasn’t even 3 months ago there was a massive debate and media focus on bikes riding single file. there were groups trying to get signatures to petition the government to force people to ride single file on the roads. mainstream media had hold of it and were interviewing people on both sides to throw more fuel on the debate as nothing creates a buzz like two sides fighting. now, it is almost gone. we hardly see anything on social media and mainstream dropped bikes for plastic bags in their fight for ratings. i am sure that it will come up again as we rotate through the 6 month cycle of someone with a loud enough voice getting upset about something. however, as i have said a number of times, it is not worth getting involved or worse, dragged into a debate on socials. why??? because it a stupid debate. why is it stupid??? because laws are changed to protect a vulnerable party from being hurt not because one party feels like they are being inconvenienced. the law has already been changed when they brought in the 1m rule. and the reason is that it is not the actions of the cyclists that are getting them killed, it is the actions of the motorists. yes, it may be frustrating to try to get around a group of riders, but the laws have been made to stop drivers hitting and potentially killing a rider, not to save a driver 30 sec as they wait for a safe place to overtake. the reason i was reflecting on this was during the thursday ride as we were passing though east freo there was a car caught behind the group on preston point road. a few years ago, when they resurfaced the road, they made it narrower, removed the shoulder and put in lots of traffic islands and traffic calming devices. now there is a 2.5km stretch where cars cannot overtake a group at all. even if we rode single file, there is not enough room for a car to negotiate between the riders and traffic islands without either breaking the law or potentially connecting with a rider. at the time, we petitioned the local council, but were told that it was not a designated bike route so our concerns essentially didn’t matter. even though that stretch of road is where the majority of cycling groups ride. luckily for us on the group ride, we were close to the petra st roundabout, where that stretch of road falls under the control of a different council. the roads are wider, with a shoulder and less traffic islands. the car was easily able to overtake while the group continued riding 2 abreast.
ride leader sponsor – The ride leader sponsor for October is Free Energy HR, owned by SPR founding member and ride leader Rob Ramsden. Free Energy HR delivers transformational executive & organisational coaching, team & leadership development as well as organisational culture and engagement programs.
ToMR 2018 – The final payment for ToMR is done! Check your emails for the latest details on TTT sessions.
The Beverley 2018 –After what has been a slow grind for entries, registration has been extended and now CLOSE TUESDAY 9TH OCTOBER. Get in now right HERE. Also, a mandatory Volunteer meeting for those on duty for Race Day. It’s on this Saturday at Dome, post Main rides – check your emails. Thanks to those of you that have offered up time to assist.
Beverley Heroic – Over 13-14th October, The Heroic rides are where this wonderful Beverley weekend started. The rides roll over a choice of 50 or 100 mile courses through the backroads of the beautiful Wheatbelt in spring time. The weekend also hosts WA CX, racing Saturday afternoon post “The Beverley”, and a Family Town Ride later in the evening under lights. There are accommodation and camping options in town – make a weekend of it. More details HERE.
ride leader training –the ride leader program that we have developed has given our club an extra dimension of organisation and stability. it has been recognised by other clubs for the positive impact that it brings to club training rides and as such has been adopted outside of spr. if you want to be involved and give something back to the club, then check the previous post about the current expression of interest in the next training block. the more leaders we have, the less frequently those leaders will be rostered on. you also get a cool jersey.
entertainment books – we will again be selling entertainment books this year through the club. the digital version means you don’t have to carry around a bulky book anymore. check out the links on the previous post to find out more.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
next generation – photo amanda nabi
spr juniors – school holidays are on, so that means a lot of junior sport is on break. take this opportunity to get the kids out on the bike and join our juniors ride. this is for kids 10-15 yrs old and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. the route is listed below and involves laps in kings park. it is usually between 25-30kms by the time you get back to the carpark but we will do as many loops as the kids can.
from the ride coordinator –The days are getting longer and hotter, don’t forget your sunscreen. (ed. both clear and dark glasses are needed on the earlybird now)
saturday 6th october
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
sorry, not much time to write anything today. in between meetings in brisbane and flying out this afternoon. this blog may not even get to facebook till late this evening as by the time i get home etc, it is likely to be around 9pm. but when you do get it, read below and find out what is going on in the club.
ride leader sponsor – The ride leader sponsor for October is Free Energy HR, owned by SPR founding member and ride leader Rob Ramsden. Free Energy HR delivers transformational executive & organisational coaching, team & leadership development as well as organisational culture and engagement programs.
ToMR 2018 – The SPR ToMR squad returns to TTT sessions this Saturday. The final payment for ToMR is due this weekend and the item active in the SPR Shop soon! Check your emails for the latest details.
The Beverley 2018 –Volunteer positions are now covered. Thanks to those of you that stepped up to assist after el Prez’s blog post last week. Despite being largely a two man show (kudos Mr Vesparazzi!), volunteers is what makes this beast logistically possible.
Also, registration is open and CLOSE THURSDAY 4TH OCTOBER. Get in now right HERE.
Beverley Heroic – Over 13-14th October, The Heroic rides are where this wonderful Beverley weekend started. The rides roll over a choice of 50 or 100 mile courses through the backroads of the beautiful Wheatbelt in spring time. The weekend also hosts WA CX, racing Saturday afternoon post “The Beverley”, and a Family Town Ride later in the evening under lights. There are accommodation and camping options in town – make a weekend of it. More details HERE.
ride leader training –the ride leader program that we have developed has given our club an extra dimension of organisation and stability. it has been recognised by other clubs for the positive impact that it brings to club training rides and as such has been adopted outside of spr. if you want to be involved and give something back to the club, then check the previous post about the current expression of interest in the next training block. the more leaders we have, the less frequently those leaders will be rostered on. you also get a cool jersey.
entertainment books – we will again be selling entertainment books this year through the club. the digital version means you don’t have to carry around a bulky book anymore. check out the links on the previous post to find out more.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
next generation – photo amanda nabi
spr juniors – school holidays are on, so that means a lot of junior sport is on break. take this opportunity to get the kids out on the bike and join our juniors ride. this is for kids 10-15 yrs old and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. the route is listed below and involves laps in kings park. it is usually between 25-30kms by the time you get back to the carpark but we will do as many loops as the kids can.
from the ride coordinator –Rohan Dennis, World Champion, that was worth staying up late for.
saturday 29th september
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
The ride leader sponsor for November is Colour & Moore Photography , owned by SPR member Kirstie Moore. Colour & Moore specialises in portrait photography (family, newborn, maternity, business, athlete, children, events, couples and lifestyle)
Kirstie Moore has been cycling for several years and in recent years made the transition back into cycling from triathlon. She has enjoyed racing for the club for the last 12 months and is looking forward to representing the club at Tour of Margaret River this month.
the beverleys 2018 – done and dusted for another year, the beverley handicap and the beverley heroic rides were staged last weekend. there are some stunning photos appearing on social media from the official event snapper daniela tomassi, but also from spr members. check out paul george’s collection on facebook. standby for race reports from inside the event organisation and from in the peloton. also hoping for a truly heroic write up from mr vesparazzi.
Tomorrow, Saturday 13th October, we continue the revival of the famous old race along the same format as our recent outing.s A 114km Handicap race, starting and finishing in the charming Wheatbelt town of Beverley – a quick one and a bit hours East of Perth.
Rolling over undulating terrain, riders travel through rural views gently uphill, into shaded bushland of Wandoo National Park. The turnaround on to the return run sees a fast flowing lightly downhill run. The handicap format encourages groups to work well together over the parcours. The racing climaxes in the short rise on the approach to Lenard Rd with 4km to go– the first rider to crest holds the advantage in a fast run into the line.
