Tag Archives: cottesloe

saturday 10th oct – risely and cott

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ride report by peter.

 

4:25am.  alarm goes off.  not the one if have set on the alarm clock but the one attached to the vocal chords of the 10 month old who is coming down with a cold.  even though he is at the other end of the house, it still manages to wake me just as well as the real alarm clock.  a bottle and a cuddle and he is back to the land of nod, while i am now wide awake and listening to the rain on the roof. 

hang on, it wasn’t supposed to rain till later on in the day.  i am sure that is what the weather girl had said.  late showers, it said.  that should mean a nice dry morning ride.  so me worrying about riding in the rain meant that i didn’t actually get back to sleep this morning, but the early rise did not equate to getting to the start on time.

so i turn up at the allotted time and see that the group is not as big as previous weeks due to the slight shower.  however, we have 4 for the novice ride, which is usually the first to drop in numbers when it rains.  maybe they are stepping up and becoming more hardcore.  so to those that sat this one out today, the novice ladies are more euro hardcore than you.

the route would take us down canning hwy to risely the split with the main group heading along leach while the fast group took south st.  very few issues for the first section with only a slight split caused by the lights, but the relatively smaller group meant that we stuck together fairly well.  i dropped back to make sure some of our new riders were going ok and to let them know what was about to happen with the split.

at the end of risely i would say that it was a 2/3 vs 1/3 split with the majority going to the fast group.  the main group turned right and headed towards freo while the rest of us took a left and then onto murdoch.  the group generally does this section at quite an easy pace.  i am guessing the even though we have split and have the green light to go hard, the impending rolling hills of south street put everyone on edge and all seem to be waiting to see what happens when we hit them.  also, as there is a light change we have to wait for at the end of murdoch drive, any attack now could be for nought. 

so we turn onto south street and the pace immediately steps up.  probably under coaches orders, lisa attacks off the front and hold a gap for a while.  even from the back i could see all the head turning as riders looked at each other to see who was going to chase.  it is always a dilemma.  do you expend the energy now and risk getting dropped before the hills really start or do you chase down that attack.  then there is also the added drama of being shown up by a girl.  that usually spurs the guys into action and they start to do harder turns at the front to drag her back to the group.

after that the road headed downwards into the first of the undulations.  i was sitting at the back not intending to do any work but thought i better move up a bit just in case some gaps appeared when the climb did.  by the end of the first hill, there was a couple of splits appearing and groups started to huddle together for comfort.  i was pretty happy to be at the pointy end of proceedings but was generally just hanging onto the coattails of the faster riders. 

i was dropped slightly on the end of a couple of the climbs but managed to get back on with the help of a couple of other riders.  luckily i was still with the pack when we got to freo and headed past the jail.  the pace dropped significantly and julian and chris sat on the front all the way to port beach road.  a couple of the groups managed to get back on through freo so we had a decent size once we headed towards cottesloe. 

i knew that i should have kept my big mouth shut, but i told the guys to start rolling through once we hit port beach rd.  a couple of turns through and i was off the back.  way off the back and watching the train disappear off into the distance.  looking up i could see joe on the front pushing hard and with the slight cross wind, i knew that i would not get back on.  i debated heading straight and skipping cott altogether but i thought that i could maybe pick up a few stragglers and we could work together. 

onto marine parade and big john caught up to me so we worked together a bit.  we caught daniel and a couple of others and kept it going pas the beachfront.  just before the round-about we got onto the back of julian, brother julian and lorraine.  the road was a little damp here but nothing that i thought was too bad that would cause us to slow too dramatically.  there may have been a bit of oil on the inside of the roundabout because next thing we know julian is on the deck and we are all taking evasive action to avoid the bitumen.  after a string of bad luck this year, lorraine did well to hop over the edge of the sprawling bike to make sure she was not on the deck too.

julian picked himself off the road and we made sure that he was ok.  a bit of claret coming from his knee, a rip in his knicks and a graze on his elbow was all the visible damage.  the bike didn’t do too bad.  the levers were moved and the chain was off.  the rear derailleur had some scratches but looked straight and seemed to change gear ok.  everything (bike and rider) seemed to be in working order so the five of us slowly made our way home. 

it was pretty uneventful after that and i needed to head straight home due to some early morning appointments so missed the coffee shop banter.  anyone who wants to fill us in on the rest of their ride (including the main group) can add their side of the story to the comments.  hope everything is ok with julian (but i may finally get some points tomorrow).

saturday 29th aug – risely and cott

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ride report by peter

 

back from the dead but riding like a corpse.

 

a brisk 3 degrees this morning, but being a dry day, we had a decent turn out.  i was back on the bike after fighting off another chest infection and probably my 7th cold of the year.  i knew that i would suffer today, but was determined to stick it out with the fast group as long as possible.  the route would head into booragoon before splitting with the fast taking south and the main group taking leach.  both groups would head past cott before heading home via dalkeith. 

it started out well and we headed down canning and up risely.  the small hill played havoc with a couple of riders and i dropped back to help out.  as i was not at 100% this became a big struggle for me to catch back up.  ryan dropped back and drafted me back to the group, but even that hurt like hell.  we reached the end of risely just as the groups split and turned left to follow the fast group.  we reached the group at the lights and had a moment to catch our breath.  when the lights changed, ryan dropped his chain and i waited for him to fix it.  we only just made it through before they turned red.  we were chasing again.

i couldn’t hold ryan’s wheel but managed to jump on with mike b to make the group.  unfortunately, when we hit the slight rise, i was off the back again.  luckily the lights let me catch back up.

now i knew that south street was going to hurt.

as soon as the small rolling hills appeared i was off the back.  couldn’t even hold a wheel and didn’t have the power to catch back up.  pretty soon the group was off into the distance.  after a couple of hills mark, melvyn and myself formed up and worked together.  we were a long way off by the time we hit freo so decided to skip cott and headed straight up stirling.  the hills along there were a struggle and we were sure that the group was too far ahead.  we decided to continue along stirling, but got caught at the lights a christ church grammar.  as we sat there, the fast group came through the lights and into dalkeith.  we changed lanes and headed after them.

still too far behind, we took waratah and only just got ahead of the group.  so we finally made it back to the group before it revved up on mounts bay road.  i was just happy to be there and had nothing when the group all went for the sprint.

so a really hard day for me and i had to head straight home, so no time to relax with a coffee and company.  hopefully i can hold on a bit longer next week.

saturday 28th mar – risely & cott

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ride report by peter.

 

the last day of daylight savings for ever… maybe, depending on how the vote goes in may… or whether the government changes it’s mind and does another trial… again.  so anyway, it was dark, but we get to wind the clocks back tonight, so have a good think about it before you go to bed.  especially if you are coming on the hills ride tomorrow.  don’t be early.

i did a quick head count (as best i could in the dark) and we were definitely down on numbers this morning.  i guesstimated that we had about 40 riders so we would still split the group as i didn’t fancy leaving a trail of destruction through the southern suburbs.  we rolled out and stayed together as a group for the first 10 kms.  during this time, lorraine got a puncture and lisa and kim stopped to help her.  there was no call out to the group so at the front we didn’t even know it had happened and merrily continued on our way.  apparently after two attempts the girls did a different lap of the river and beat us to coffee.

a nice even pace all the way to the top of risely before the group split pretty evenly with the main group heading right at leach and the fast group going left.  our brief journey along leach was extended as we tried to turn onto murdoch drive and were left sitting at the lights for about 5 min.  when we did actually start moving again the pace up murdoch was quite pedestrian as even when jerry had to stop to fix his wheel alignment, it didn’t take much to draft him back to the pack.  by the time we reached south st i estimated that the 6km difference between the groups was more like 8 or 9 by now.  no chance of catching the prey now.

south st was definitely a different kettle of fish as the pace picked up from the start.  we were rolling through as best we could but this was made difficult with the undulating terrain as some people were already struggling with the pace.  a number of light changes allowed the group to stay relatively together so by the time we reached hampton rd, we had lost very few. 

a quick dash through the back of freo before we were off again along port beach rd.  with a bit of a tailwind along this stretch and marine terrace, the pace picked up substantially.  by the time we were halfway along cottesloe, the group had splintered significantly.  it was good to see jonny back with us in proper bike shoes as injuries have kept him out of the game for a while now.  i remember when he used to smash us on the rides, so the last year or so must have been very frustrating for him.  anyway, he was keeping up quite well today.

the group managed to squeeze back together in a couple of places, but the lights when crossing stirling hwy allowed the majority back on before the final push through dalkeith.  the pace picked up as normal and a few guys kept moving forward to keep the pace high.  on the tight left hander into jutland parade, kimbo and i managed to get a bit of a break.  not really meaning too, but when he told me we had a gap, we did our best to maintain it.  swapping out a few turns we kept ahead, but it was always going to be a matter of time before the train ran us down. 

we jumped on board as it went by, but i was now a little down in reserves and when the surge went on that last hill, i didn’t have the legs to keep up with the front.  fortunately for me, quite a few didn’t have the legs and the group was spread all along the road back to mounts bay.  the lights as usual allowed the regroup so that we had a decent size heading into the final sprint. 

i knew that we were going to be heading into a bit of a cross/head wind for the final push, so i was hoping that we could get a nice roll through happening.  it went to single file almost instantly but a couple of us started to roll through.  i followed michael’s wheel and dropped into the front position.  i took a glance to the right and confirmed my suspicions.  no-one else was rolling.  bastards.  fine.  i set a pace and was going to see if i could hold it to the end.  i managed to keep the pace high enough that no-one was coming around due to me holding them up, but by the time the brewery parking sign came up, i was starting to fade.  i was waiting for the jump to happen and i didn’t have to wait long.  once the brewery carpark was in sight, ryan took off with a couple of others on his wheel.  i sat up then as there was nothing more i could do.  one by one the rest of the group peeled off my wheel and took off after the sprint kings.  i managed to drag my super-domestique arse back to the coffee shop.

on other matters we have an advert in the southern gazette (community newspaper) this tuesday so that in a months time we can apply for incorporation of the club.  then we can apply for some grants so we can start to develop the club more. 

we may be doing another run of kit very soon as there is starting to be a bit of a need to have more jerseys available.  for those that are racing, it may pay to make sure you have a spare kit as ryan, stu, james, lisa and lorraine have found, racing can actually be dangerous and not always through any fault of your own.  if you are new to the group and want to “blend in” a bit better or want to feel like you are part of it, jump on board now as i am not sure when we will be ordering again.  go to the spr team kit page on the website and have a look at what we have.  send an email through and i will compile a list and order when we have enough.  this may mean that we get jerseys now and knicks a bit later.  if you want armwarmers or anything else, also put them on the list.  i will just keep it on the list until we can secure an order.

on other kit business, we are soon to be looking at spr team socks which should not be too hard to get.  as part of the winter kit we will get matching knee warmers through cannibal and i may also look into printed wind jackets.  from other suppliers i am chasing up printed gloves, shoe covers (lycra and cold weather) and those short peak cycling caps.  pretty soon we will have everything covered in little green hexagons. 

oddly enough i also found a place that sells no-name carbon road frames with a minimum order of 10 pieces.  quality would be similar to those mcmurdo bikes you see at glenn parker as they would come from a similar place and then just get painted.  a team bike would not really be that hard to organise.  anyway, i may be getting ahead of myself a bit now.

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.

saturday 29th nov – freo and cott

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ride report by peter.

 

so a week off the bike with the vain hope that it would give me time to recover from my cold.  unfortunately it is still lingering and starting to piss me off somewhat as everyone else i know got over it quickly.  i am still somewhat snotty but at least i am not having coughing fits that kind of screwed me around on the great perth bike ride (gpbr).

so, with a pleasant day predicted with the sun shining and little wind to speak of, i was expecting a big turnout and was not disappointed.  there were between 50 – 60 riders waiting to go this morning by the time i turned up (late again).  we were going on a gentle lap of the river but the reverse direction of the gpbr and including cottesloe to break things up a bit.  it was a fairly standard route that we used to do quite regularly and one that i often map out when i am not coming as everyone knows the way.

we rolled out and didn’t even make it to the lights at mill point rd when chris was out with a flat.  he told us to keep going as with a group this size, we would be taking up a lot of space.  also, as the ride had only just begun, we would be on cruise mode for a while and with the help of james and ryan, who stopped with him, he should be able to catch back up. 

the rest of us headed out to canning hwy and down towards freo.  i didn’t last long on the front and soon joined the tail of the group so that i could get a good draft.  i just found that i could not sustain a decent effort for very long and was probably more of a hindrance at the front.  we turned off the hwy and onto burke drive which was our first designated fast section.  usually the group really goes to town here as the long stretch with no intersections to slow you down makes for a fast pace.  for some reason, no-one was in the mood for dancing.  i was also content to sit on the back of the train and watch the frustrated car drivers not be able to get around due to all the traffic islands on that stretch of road.

about ¾ of the way along burke drive i see a figure heading up the road.  young bec decided to have a crack and went off the front.  melvyn thought that he better not be shown up by her and took off in pursuit.  however, he was no match for the current state women’s criterium champion and never came close.  the rest of the pack soon picked him up on the hill over pt walter.

the group was playing nice today and stopped after the roundabout, but it was not necessary as since the pace had not been on, the pack had not been strung out.  we happily continued down towards the left bank.

along this stretch the pace was on and some of the boys were keen to go off the front.  i made a half-arsed attempt (as i only have half an arse worth of effort in me) and got caught in to man’s land.  i did notice jerry and brendan and a few others off the front, but it was all a bit of a haze for me by then.

a nice cruise past cottesloe with an opportunity to enjoy the view (i love summer or even summer-like weather), and we were headed for home.  i got a text and as we are almost at baby-time, i had to check it in case i had missed a call.  it was however from chris, and he wrote – “i’d like to publicly apologise to my team mates ryan and james for my use of faulty equipment.  i hope they caught back up.”  it turns out that chris didn’t have the proper valve extenders for his deep dish rims and could only put half the required amount of air in his tyre.  the other guys left him at raffles and chased us down in swanbourne.

the pace home was actually quite civilised and i got to have a chat with a few people that i hadn’t caught up with for a while.  mike (tall guy, ice-cream jersey and argon 18 bike) is now working a 4 and 2 roster out of china so most of his riding is confined to a trainer.  and lisen who used to be a regular, but has been caught up doing the whole doctor thing and has not had time lately.  it was good to see them out again along with a few new faces to the group.

the pace did eventually pick up as the road rolled through dalkeith and jerry made sure that he sat on ryan’s wheel so that he could take him on the line by the war memorial.  i was happy to still be with the group by now and had to laugh when lisen asked if i wanted to get out when i was boxed in on the left hand side.

we ended up passing the elite cycles group around the university and this may have caused some confusion leading into the sprint.  we had enough spr riders up front to set the pace, but elite were tucked in behind all the way along mounts bay rd.  i managed to get to the front early on to test the body out on a extended effort, but was soon overtaken by james and then got boxed in by the other 30 or so riders that came around.  in the end i am pretty sure it was ryan on the line, but i was too far away to make out the minor placings.

coffee for all and we managed to fill up the outside area easily as the pace had not been high enough to lose too many riders.  ronny had joined us from the elite group and it was good to see him and john up and about after their altercation with a spped sign at the gpbr.  i am riding on borrowed time at the moment as the imminent birth of son #2 will be putting a serious cramp on my riding hours.  however, regardless of my situation, this is a reminder that our next spr breakfast will be on in a few weeks time on the 20th dec.  this will be the christmas breakfast and will be held at jerry’s place palace in city beach.  the ride will be very casual and fancy dress will be recommended.  stay tuned for more as we get closer.

saturday 25th oct – rebold and cott

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ride report by peter.

 

after a week of plus 30 degree days, it was a bit of a shock to have a rainy start to a saturday ride.  the short shower at about 6:30 kept most away and numbers were down to about 25 or so.  i think the majority turned up so that they could collect their new drink bottles.  a complete turn around this morning as i was first on the scene so had to do a couple of laps to keep warm as a light misty rain fell around us.  perfect rowing conditions as there was not a breath of wind and a few boats were out early.  not really the strong south-westerly winds that were predicted. 

 

a tour of the posh suburbs was on the cards today and we would loop around the back of kings park before cutting through subiaco and up rebold hill past city beach.  a loop down through cottesloe before home via dalkeith.  a convoluted route, but one that kept it close to home and allowed a few short-cuts for people if they needed it.

 

we rolled out as the rain eased and looped over the causeway and past the coffee shop.  a pleasant pace up around kings park mean that we all headed through subiaco together.  as expected, we were split occasionally at the lights but nothing a bit of soft pedaling didn’t account for.  there is one nice hill on underwood drive before we turn towards rebold hill and everone was very well behaved and the group pretty much stayed together.  after we turned onto oceanic drive, the pace started to pick up a bit.  jens was on the front but ryan was not far behind biding his time.  this was to be our first pace section and the boys were wanting to stretch the legs.  ryan eventually made a move and hamish jumped on his wheel.  it wasn’t a very long section of road, but the two or three rolling hills made it interesting and soon the group was spread along the road. 

 

i tried to go with the move by found my legs were not playing the game yet and dropped back a bit.  james came up and we did a few turns together, but never pulled back the ground we had lost.  by the time we hit west coast hwy, they had about 50 – 75m on us. 

 

we rounded the corner and slowed the pace right down to allow the group to re-form.  i dropped back to see who we had and there were a few faces not present from this morning.  as the group ambled along the road, i looked back to see the remnants of a couple of chasing groups.  i let the pack go and dropped back to see if i could draft them back on. 

 

about now the still calm day had begun to change and the south-westerly was blowing in our faces.  i jumped in front of bill and lisa and began to try to catch the pack.  there were a few more of the group further back, but this was about as far as i thought i could go and actually get back on again.  we came up the rolling hills but never really made up much distance.  i wasn’t sure whether the front group had upped the pace or not, but by the time we crested the hill and rolled towards the swanbourne shops, the main group was already heading out of sight along side the railway.  it also looked as though the group had split, usually a good indication the pace had been on a bit coming up the hill.

 

we soldiered on but soon came to a halt as there was a pilot vehicle stopping traffic… again.  same as last week we had picked a route the was being used to transport some massive piece of machinery.  today it was a very large and very heavy generator.  there were two semi’s on the front and one behind pushing.  this made for a very slow trip.  emma had joined us by now, and we set off towards the southern end of cottesloe.  i was now worried that our delay meant that we would never catch the group so we detoured down eric st and headed straight for cott.  what we didn’t know was that while we were delayed with the heavy haulage, the main group had also been delayed at eric street. 

 

we turned north when we hit marine parade but took it easy, thinking that the group would engulf us at any time.  the tailwind was now picking up and it was actually hard to go slow as you were pushed along the exposed coast.  we headed the usual way home, occasionally looking back expecting the spr train to be barreling along the road.  no train. no barreling.

 

when we crossed stirling hwy, i let the others go on ahead and decided to wait for the others so i could at least have a crack at the sprint.  i waited.  and waited.  finally a green clad cyclist came across the intersection and stopped.  it was russell but he said that he had taken a short cut and was ahead of the group.  bit of a relief as i thought we may have missed the group altogether and i would be sitting there looking like a goose.  russell kept on going, but soon another small gaggle of spr cyclists came around the corner.  it turns out that jules had gotten a puncture and others had waited to help.  we kicked back for a few more minutes before the rest of the group arrived.  as the tyre had sidewall damage, they got him onto a train to get back to the city.  we were off again.

 

as usual the pace picked up through dalkeith.  we left the usual sacrificial lambs out the front for as long as possible and then turned up the pace just before the rolling hills.  i was content to sit back and found myself on ryan’s big fat back wheel.  my plan of attack on the thursday training ride had been to sit on his wheel and it worked quite well then, so why change.  as the rolling hills started, ryan took off on the first step in the hills and i managed to go with him.  as we crossed the plateau and up the next step, the group fell even further behind.  ryan kept pushing over the crest but my lungs said no thanks and i eased up.  jens had made a break off the front and was closing the gap fast but i managed to stay in front of him to the line.  and there actually is a line on this one down past the war memorial just before you slow to turn right.  this is why ryan keeps the pace up after actual the hill. 

 

the pace slows and the roundabout and intersections make sure the group is pretty much back together onto mounts bay road.  with a cross tailwind pushing us along, the pace quickened and we were strung out single file from the start.  nick pushed the pace for quite a while and i again managed to be sat on ryan’s back wheel.  it was now just a matter of biding my time and getting the kick right to get past. 

 

the bottles are finally here
the bottles are finally here

as we approached the brewery, the front of the group disintegrated into a number of attacks that were instantly swamped by the next.  some other riders had also moved up from the back, but ryan was content to sit in till the last moment.  i watched his gears and hand positions to try to pre-empt when he would jump and made sure i was in the appropriate gear to go with him.  when he finally went we were already into the corners past the brewery car park.  it would only be about 150 metres to the line from here so i had to get a good kick.  i moved up one more gear and all i got was that tick, tick, tick of being in between gears.  no time to dick around and i shifted back sown and would have to just spin more to get past.  the front had moved off my now and judd had a small break over hamish but ryan and i were coming up fast.  i tried to come around ryan, but the pace was too high (speedo said 66kph) so i just couldn’t make it.  we got past hamish, but judd managed to hold us both off on the line, proving that ryan’s tactics of always sitting in does not always work.

 

the coffee shop was already full of some of the short cut crew and kate and ben had brought a couple of boxes of drink bottles along.  we distributed them out to the group, but as the rain had diminished our numbers, i have still got a couple of boxes remaining to be collected.  we will see how many we can off load during the week, but may have to bring them to the coffee shop again.  it will also pay for people to put their names on their bottles, as they all look the same now.  remember (if you read this tonight) daylight saving starts tonight, so it will give me something else to bitch about in my blogs.

saturday 2nd august – freo & cott

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ride report by rob

2:30am bucketing down – looking like a lie in.
4:30am teeming down – no way am i riding
5:15am gale force winds – decision made
6:25am can’t hear rain; still windy – gulit commences
6:40am can’t hear rain; wind easing – guilt wins

7:00am roll into coode street car park to find around 12 of the usual crew fully kitted up in wind/rain gear. ryan had already warmed up his legs with the ride down from inaloo (oh, what, no? not from inaloo? oh, just from around the corner where the car is parked?…mmmmm.) lots of chatter in the group about the THE OFFICIAL EURO CYCLIST CODE OF CONDUCT that was doing the rounds of the group. lots of comments about compliance with the code among the sp rouluers. disscusion of the possibility of making anyone in kit sign it as their commitment to the faith! gerard was in full compliance with number 39 thanks to his wife’s assistance. apparently the recent trip to europe has ‘changed his life’…!

with no pete (family commitments due to race day tomorrow we’re lead to understand) we were leaderless for the ride. i hadn’t looked at the blog to see what the route was – thankfully paul had (such a detail guy – gotta love you geo’s and engineers!) and advised that it was freo/cott. questions were directed at ryan as to his desire to take the lead – yes, he says “we go flat out from here to the coffee shop…and i don’t know the route.” the faces on some of the others told the story so i hopped in and called the route “pete style” but neglected to call the ‘smash’ points – ho well i thought, it’s a well known route and those that don’t know the designated smash points will find out when we got there!

so, the group rolled out just after 5 past 7 with a few looming black clouds overhead. an uneventful ride up to canning hwy and then along through to applecross. gerard and ben came around ryan and me to do some work on the front. it was at this point that greard thought it’d be fun to signal left at risely st – must have been a message from the man upstairs given his newly aquired compliance with number 39. we all barked at the guys to keep going straight and then i stuffed it by calling a right hander at cunnigham st. woops.

finally arriving at the ‘right’ righthander another 2 kms away, we reach the first roll through section. it was ok to start with a few of the stronger guys doing a bit more of the early work and the others coming through when they coould. with the wind in our faces it was pretty tough going so it wasn’t long before there were only 6 or so pushing off the front. we reached the golf course climb and ryan pushed off the front with me trying to keep up the pressure. i could feel james trying to get up past me and thought ‘can’t have that’ so pushed on a bit – that hurt, but managed to take 2nd. we regrouped at the top and then headed off to freo. that’s when the first real rain came and made it very pleasant. rain, full sou westerly and grit fllled wheel spray in the face – LOVE IT!! how good is riding a bike!!

turning down on to the left bank section most fo the group were together. this is the next designated smash point but in true rouleurs fashion, and without pete to come round in his infamous time trialling position, no one seemed to want to be first to go. oh well, here goes. i came round the front and pushed the biggest gear i could considering the wind in my face. that lasted about a minute and i thought by then i must have a decent gap on the group. pity james, ben and ryan had grabbed my wheel as i came round and got the tow through – mental note – don’t go first! it was a good section though and we managed to keep the pace high. ryan took line honours with ben second. i couldn’t bridge the gap he’d put in james and me so third would have to do.

re-group. ben and me took the front across the bridge and around to the lead up to cott. with the wind now well and truely on our backs, we had a fantastic hero ride all the way up the coast. i looked at ben and could see the smile on his face while we were pushing 40 with no effort. as we came round to cott, melvin came past and put a gap on the group – something he seems quite fond of doing. the rest of the pack upped the pace a bit but we all kept it safe and didn’t try anything stupid. it’s pretty busy along that section of the ride so safer to stay within the boundaries of good sense.

uneventful back up to stirling hwy and across to the return trip through dalkeith and nedlands. i was doing a fair bit of the work on the front when james called that he’d roll through and help. i think he was expecting others to do the same but then realised that wasn’t going to happen. gotta love that – being a team player can find you out on your own sometimes!

the group rolled through to the first hill up to nedlands with paul and james on the front. as we rounded the bend, ben moves up and tries to gap. i go round and try to kick off the front too. i manage to hold it over the first rise but then gerard, james and ryan come past and gap me – no chance of a wheel there! ryan and gerard duked it out for line honours and james took third. ben and me cruised to the line with no other contenders in the near vicinity. the group was pretty fractured by that last push but an unoffcial re-group at the roadworks on matilda bay drive brought everyone back together for the final sprint.

rounding on to stirling hwy again, i was riding at about 5th wheel. feeling pretty comfortable, i thought i’ll hold it here and get a good lead out when we get closer to the brewery. that worked for a while until melvin takes his usual kick and flys past. that’ll do i think and grab his wheel. love it – getting closer, closer, closer, steady, steady, hold it, hol….freaking Cannondale belts past with gerard and paul on his wheel. i try to kick but nothing left to get up to the pace so relegated to 4th! ryan 1st, gerard with diviine intervention 2nd, and a cleverly ridden 3rd for paul.

no coffee shop for me today – mother in town; must be good.

THE OFFICIAL EURO CYCLIST CODE OF CONDUCT

1. Image and style shall be your primary concern. When suffering, one must focus first on maintaining a cool, even composure, and second on performance. Winning races is an added talent, and only counts if said euro cyclist wins with appropriate style.

2. You shall NEVER, under any circumstances, wear plain black spandex shorts or any team kit containing non-prominent Logo’s.

3. The Socks must extend no less than 2cm below the main bulge of your calf muscle, and shall never extend further than 1cm past the primary calf muscle bulge. All socks shall be white in colour with prominent logo placement.

4. Cycling shoes must be of white colour only!
-in certain circumstances, other colours, such as world
cup stripes are perfectly acceptable and encouraged.
-Red shoes are NOT ENDORSED by this group.

5. If white cycling shoes are not available where you reside, white booties with prominent logos shall always be worn.

6. You’re bike frame must contain more than 3 colours, and must always fit tastefully with your wheel selection.

7. Zipp’s
are to be used as training wheels ONLY. You shall race only on Lightweights and occasionally Bora’s if no lightweights are accessible.

8. Ridiculously stylish eye wear is to be worn at all time without exception.

9. In most circumstances, hair shall be kept neatly short, and matching helmet shall be worn (again with prominent logo placement). Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES shall a clashing helmet colour be worn with your euro kit.

10. In several cases, it is deemed acceptable to have long hair. In this event, hair shall be neatly slicked back in maximum euro-styling, and helmet shall not be worn. Stylish sport eyewear shall be worn at all times while exercising this option.

11. A prominent line where your kit ends and where your tan begins is essential to your image. Artificial tanning is banned,
the tan shall reflect the level of training commitment.

12. All podium shots (pictures) shall be taken with the euro-rider wearing team kit and appropriately matching casual euro shoes (such as puma’s). Socks shall remain within the guidelines above. The rider is expected to display an appropriate degree of bulge while receiving kisses/trophy.

13. The seat shall ALWAYS be white along with the handlebar tape, and must be made in Italy or France.
– Exceptions to this rule are seats or handlebar tape
containing the following colours: WorldCup Stripes,
Olympic Gold, Italian flag colour combo (green red
white).

14. You shall not, under any circumstances, acknowledge the presence of a cyclist riding a bike costing less than $4000 USD in a public place. This could be severely detrimental to your image.

15. Legs will be SHAVED year-round. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS. In some cases, certain hair removal creams endorsed by succesful euro’s are deemed to be acceptable.

16. A rider will ALWAYS have liniment applied to his legs before appearing in public.

17. Facial hair will be restricted to a goatee, and even this is discouraged. Moustaches are EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.
The only exception to the facial hair shall be SHORT sideburns–these are acceptable at the discretion of Cipo or a similar authority figure, on a case-by-case basis.

18. Ceramic bearings shall be used at all time on both training and race bikes.

19. Campagnolo shall be the only acceptable componentry and is hereby deemed superior to ANY Shimano product in ALL circumstances. You are expected to have nothing less than an ENTIRE campy grouppo. Crank substitutions are NOT permitted.

20. ALL wheels shall be equipped with tubulars, regardless of your ability in gluing them.

21. You shall NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, associate with triathletes. It is FORBIDDEN to have any number inked onto your body before a race.

22. Any physical activity, other than cycling, is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. This includes any form of running or swimming and their derivatives (this includes walking).

23. You shall never rearrange your package while riding. Adjustments regarding seating/hanging comfort are to be done in private in order to preserve image.

24. In a circumstance where any cyclist ever displays aggression or disrespect towards you, you shall ride up uncomfortably close to them and slap them in the face with your team issue gloves. (Which must be white)

25. MTB gloves are FORBIDDEN in all instances. Cycling gloves will be slick, white (in accordance with kit), and have minimal padding. Padding will be beige or white in colour. In the case where said euro cyclist is wearing a leader’s jersey (This should be always) special gloves will be made to match the colour of the jersey while blending the team kit colours simultaneously.

26. In the event a motorist disturbs your ride, you shall proceed to ride up beside the car, form a clenched fist and bang the trunk of the car while doing your best attempt to sound irritated in Italian. Wild arm/head are strongly encouraged to enhance the apparent rage.

27. Training is based solely on feel while racing is be guided by sensations and instinct. A real Euro cyclist never gives in to scientific training methods.

28. Gearing is restricted to a titanium Campy Record 11-23 cassette with a ABSOLUTE MINIMUM of 42-53 up front. One shall never be seen pedaling at a cadence over 90 in case it detracts from his calm/smooth factor. The use of 25t cog is acceptable in special training circumstances.

29. ALL BIKES shall feature personalized nameplates next to ones home country’s flag located on the top-tube within 10 cm seat-tube ON ONE SIDE ONLY.

30. Pedals MUST be either Speedplay, Time, or Look. No other pedals are to be considered and ANY form of Shimano product is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If one is found possessing Shimano pedals, title of euro cyclist will be stripped immediately.

31. Coffee is a necessity and as such must be consumed strong (ie. espresso) on a patio in Italy in full kit, it shall be drunk black. Sugar is STRONGLY FROWNED UPON. The only milk present shall appear frothed on top (if at all).

32. All pre and post-race activity will be conducted under a gazebo (this includes massage, interviews, and looking fantastic) leaving one in reasonable distance of the Euro-sun to top up your enviable tanlines or pose for photo’s.

33. Post-race, you must be utterly tied to your mobile phone, making endless calls to your incredibly attractive euro-girlfriend or important executives from modelling agencies. This will be done under the protection of the post race gazebo.

34. ABSOLUTELY NO FORM of seatbag, frame pump, mud guard or mirror shall come within 2 meters of the bike.

35. Team bikes will be built up so that they violate the UCI weight limit, in order that weights might be attached to the frame to demonstrate its superiority and lightness.

36. White bar tape shall be kept in pristine white condition and NEVER extend further than 3cm past the hoods (exception during spring classics, where standard bar tape wrapping is allowed). This state shall be achieved either through daily cleansing or frequent replacement. These jobs will NEVER be performed by the cyclist as you must maintain your image.

37. Motivational music during training MUST consist of Late 90s house and power ballads, or deep-trance hard-style German techno hereby known as euro beats. NO EXCEPTIONS.

38. Nothing short of a naked black ALL CARBON water bottle cages (manufactured by ELITE CAGES) will be used. The only exception is special edition 24k gold cages which can be preferable in some situations (such as photo shoots or prologues) where colour coordination is key (this is always). Ex. Gold Cage with Olympic Gold/white team kit.

39. A gold pendant on a very long, thin chain bearing some form of religious icon is STRONGLY recommended for mountain races.

40. While soloing in for a victory, you will ensure your jersey is fully zipped and straight, so all title sponsors are clearly visible. You will then smile and flex arms while pointing skywards. The projection of ones fatigue is EXPLICITLY FORBIDDEN in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

41. When appearing in a photo spread for sponsor’s products, one shall appear either fully nude or in full Armani 3 piece suits. Smiling is prohibited in these instances.

42. When riding, under the helmet, a team issue cycling cap (white in colour), shall be worn (depending on the hairstyle). The bill shall remain in the downward position at all times. Cycling cap can be worn forwards or backwards to coincide with current hairstyle. During spring training, cycling toques WILL be worn at all time in place of caps.
——————————————————————————————–
RULES BELOW THIS LINE ARE NOT FINAL, AND NEED REFINEMENT/OPINIONS

Dugast tubulars are the only appropriate rubber for your Lightweights.

One shall remove all
excess from frame when in the mountains (M Rasmussen’s stipulation at the 2005 TDF).

While training a Tag Heuer or other suitably classy watch shall be worn at all times.

Nokon cables are to be used as much as possible.
Additional parts/accessories should be produced by: AX Lightness, Tune, Schmolke, Walser, or Swissstop.

Stem stack height is critical. The stem of a true Euro shall be slammed down all the way to the frame. Stems shall also be aluminum as with bars, aluminum.
Bars should be classic, shallow drop. Deda newton oversize stem, deda shallow classic bar is preferable.
Other brands that work are:
ITM, Pro, stella Azzura, Fsa, cinelli

A one-piece carbon bar-stem combo is equally acceptable.