Tag Archives: routes

ride routes 29th april – 5th may

photo – sarah mclachlan

last saturday there was a crash on the main 1.3 ride.  it involved a vehicle but not many people knew about it.  two riders had been dropped off the back of the main 1.3 group but had not yet been picked up by main 2.  entering the roundabout at nicholson and high rd a car failed to give way and pulled out in front of the two of them.  both riders hit the car with one rider requiring an ambo ride to hospital.  now this in itself is bad enough, but spr then had a number of groups (3 or 4) that passed the accident site.  as neither of the two riders were wearing spr kit, no-one stopped. now it is not the responsibility of our club to look after every rider on the road.  there were a lot of drivers stopped and the two riders were getting appropriate care, however, i personally would have thought that someone would have pulled over to check.  on the normal river route, there are hundreds of riders from dozens of groups that use those roads.  out the back of canning vale, there would not have been many others besides us riding that route. just to be clear, neither rider feels that they have been let down by the club and maybe if they were wearing kit the situation would have been different.  however, as the most vulnerable roads users out there, we should be looking out for each other.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for april are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

cyclocross skills session – cyclocross, what the hell is it, it looks like fun but where does one start? if you have asked that question and need the answers this will be for you.  there will be a skills session this sunday at garvey park. this is aimed at cx newlings, kids included. skills that can be covered, dis/remounts, barriers, stairs, sand, cornering, starts, shouldering, handups, cowbell ringing and heckling. so byo bike (cx or mtb), your kids and their bikes some wine, cheese and don’t forget your helmet.  more info on the facebook event page.

ride routes – the mornings are starting to get brisk, but the days are still spectacular.  not really beach weather, but still lots of opportunity to get out and do lots of k’s.  there have been a few incidents lately during the group rides.  please listen to the ride leader and split the group if you are asked to do so.  if you want to ride with your mate, stand next to them before the groups get split, don’t just roll out with the other group.  we do this to be safe, not just to try to upset you.

saturday 29th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans mosman 40.39km spr saturday

fast & main groups – alexander drive 50.46km spr saturday

sunday 30th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – khna trnr obs 101.76km spr sunday

monday 1st may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 2nd may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 3rd may

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 4th may

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 5th may

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 22nd – 28th april

so if you managed to get a copy of the west newspaper on tuesday, you would have seen a page 4-5 spread on cycling in perth.  quite a lot of it was written by one of our regular riders claire tyrrell.  after last weeks hashtag #whoisclairetyrrell, well this is what she does when not on the bike.  being a cyclist, her perspective is a lot different to most articles that we see published.  there was also a few interviews with some spr riders and westcycle to get a good view of the situation.  the idea is not to say “we are right and you are wrong” but just to highlight just how vulnerable we are out on the roads.  we have all experienced some form of abuse on the road and generally accept it as part of riding in perth.  there is, however, quite a large cultural change needed to change those attitudes.  bringing in a passing law is a good start but i can’t see this improving the attitudes of drivers, rather giving them something else to be frustrated about.  it is not until cyclists are seen as actual people that attitudes may start to change.  until then, it is easy for people to just dismiss them as a distraction outside their safe and secure bubble of steel and plastic.  #mightbeamate #mightbeahotdad #couldbecometti. links to the articles can be found here – article 01article 02article 03.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for april are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

spr easter challenge – some big k’s pumped out over the long weekend. after a bit of strava research it seemed that although some people had some big days, there weren’t many that had 4 big days.  i could only find 4 people that cracked the 400km mark (this challenge really should have been the previous, delirium weekend). anyway, our bunny winners were dean roser with 466.1kms and louise mckay with 431.7kms.  i will have your easter bunnies at the coffee shop on saturday.  if you are not there to collect, there is a risk that they will be eaten…

ride routes – we have another short week this week with anzac day breaking things up on tuesday.  there will be a public holiday ride on as per usual, but please be aware that with the dawn service on and then the anzac march, the Dome will be very very busy.  please be mindful of other customers be especially respectful of people that are in the city for the march.

saturday 22nd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans reverse river 40.58km spr saturday

fast & main groups – freo & canning vale 52.11km spr saturday

sunday 23rd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – goose kal 63.41km spr sunday

long – darl weir 100.09km spr sunday

monday 24th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 25th april – anzac day

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

wednesday 26th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 27th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 28th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 15th – 21st april

consistency. turning up to every race and giving it your best over a entire season.  this is what gets you to where you want to go.  mike has not been racing long and i think that this is only his second year.  however, he committed to the ring series and has consistently placed picking up a bunch of medals and now the final trophy.  consistency is also what we saw last weekend at delirium.  those that went out hard may have paid the price later compared to those that just went round and round and round all night long.  claire tyrell was on one of the avanti teams and she did more laps than anyone else in her team.  she also did the 5th highest amount of laps from any of the individual team riders, an awesome effort.  talking to her during the event, she compared it to a typical thursday morning ride.  just find a wheel and hold on tight.  it was the kind of performance that earned organisers to ask #whoisclairetyrell.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

ride etiquette – all rides listed on this website are official south perth cycle club training rides and as such riders must abide by our ride etiquette at all times.  even experienced riders and regular spr riders should review the guide often to make sure that they are not starting to slip outside our standards. over the past 6 months, the committee has had to investigate a number of complaints relating to peoples behaviours during group rides.  in each case, steps have been put in place to ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy their ride, but there has been serious discussions about banning riders.  give yourself a bit of a refresher of our rules so that person doesn’t end up being you.

  • SAFETY is always the number one priority of any SPR group ride
  • SPR rides are recreational. They are not races!
  • Choosing to participate in an SPR group ride means you have chosen to be part of a team
  • Be understanding and supportive of less experienced riders… we were all there once
  • Give and receive advice graciously
  • Lead by example
  • Introduce yourself to new riders… make them feel welcome
  • Remember… our actions as individual riders reflect upon SPR as a whole
  • Have fun!

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

bunnies are ready to hop on the bike this easter

ride routes – with the start of the easter break this weekend, we begin with the annual vice pres 3 dams ride.  this is usually the start of the challenge to see who can ride the most k’s over the 4 day easter period.  i have a choc bunny to the guy and girl that get the most k’s over the easter break.  must be strava tracked and must be part of the spr strava club.

saturday 15th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans shelley 40.59km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south lake 51.99km spr saturday

sunday 16th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – f’berg urch obs 96.16km spr sunday

monday 17th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

tuesday 18th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 19th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 20th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 21st april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 8th – 14th april

urban art installation – commissioned by the local government, sculpture by some persons car hitting a safety fence

at some point every year the media start doing articles about the deaths of cyclists on the road and it usually leads to all sorts of “experts” trying everything from assigning blame to legislating cyclists off the roads.  this is usually shaped around the concept of the safety of the cyclists themselves.  in wa there was even a push for cyclists to have some type of formal training as they believed that they didn’t understand the road rules.  i would guess that higher than 90% of the people that ride regularly with our club would also hold a drivers licence, so this point is kind of moot.  looking at the statistics it is usually not the aggressive a-hole motorists that abuse cyclists that are causing the fatalities.  more often than not, it is the distracted or inattentive drivers that don’t even realise that they are about to kill someone.

recently, in qld a coroner released his findings into the deaths of 2 cyclists in 2014 & 2015.  he found that in both cases the drivers had sufficient time to act to avoid an accident but blamed inattention for causing the deaths of these 2 individuals.  after of both accidents, police prosecutors withdrew charges of “failing to drive with due care and attention” against both drivers. after the inquest the coroner stated “why each charge did not proceed was of concern to me, as in my view there was a clear basis for each charge to continue through the court… i consider the decision not to proceed was flawed”. the result of the enquiry is a recommendation to get drivers to be retested on theory every time they renew their licence.  this finding was due to “how little drivers knew of the rules relating to safe overtaking distances of bicycle riders”.

although i feel that the police do a tough job well (and we have some good cops that ride with us), there seems to be a reluctance to prosecute to the extent of the law as, in my opinion, they are worried about not getting a conviction on the higher charge.  a work colleague here in perth had her dad riding down from kings park when a taxi did a u-turn in front of him collecting him on the way around.  the cabbie was not charged with dangerous driving as there was video footage of him “checking his mirrors”.  instead he was charged with careless driving.  to me, being careless is forgetting to put the wheelie bin out on thursday morning, not driving a 1 tonne piece of steel around without due care.  the qld coroner’s findings are a good step in the right direction.  unfortunately it has come too late for these 2 individuals plus countless others that may have been at the receiving end of inattentive drivers.  please read the linked article as it clearly shows why the coroner reached his decision and what logic it takes in case you or your family find yourself in a similar position.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

club annual report– the club agm was held last weekend and for the first time we produced an annual report.  this chronicles the events of 2016 and it was clear that we actually did a lot last year.  the publicly available version that is found in a previous blog does not include the club’s financials.  any members that would like to see our financial status, please contact the club directly and you will be sent a copy.

paris-roubaix – as was the case last year, a group of cycling orientated people have organised to have the paris-roubaix played live at the local hotel in freo. turn up from 7pm for meal and a cycling trivia quiz with some great prizes to give away. the race will be screened throughout the hotel including the garage bar, restaurant bar, and whiskey bar.  see the facebook event for more details.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you mayknow one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – with the start of the easter break next weekend, we begin with the annual vice pres 3 dams ride.  this is usually the start of the challenge to see who can ride the most k’s over the 4 day easter period.  i will give a choc bunny to the guy and girl that get the most k’s over the easter break.  must be strava tracked and must be part of the spr strava club.

saturday 8th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans canning vale 42.34km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south st 51.23km spr saturday

sunday 9th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – grnmt prk mnd wr 93.71km spr sunday

monday 10th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 11th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 12th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 13th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 14th april – good friday

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride start at coode st carpark at 6:00am

the 5th annual spr vice president’s ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

ride routes 1st – 7th april

the days are getting shorter now that we have passed the summer equinox.  the earlybird ride now needs a good set of lights and we are probably about due for our annual “don’t have a flashing front light or blinding rear light” post.  however, as the days are getting relatively cooler, the overnight temp has not dipped into the single digits just yet.  riding the earlybird or even the nightowl (pre-earlybird) can actually be a pleasant experience.  quiet roads and nice conditions.  with other commitments from family, work etc, i have managed to find the extra kms without breaking the daily routine.  i just have to go to bed a hell of a lot earlier.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by Seeton Consulting.  they  are Chartered Accountants in South Perth providing Cloud based accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses specialising in franchise operations.

club annual report– the club agm was held last weekend and for the first time we produced an annual report.  this chronicles the events of 2016 and it was clear that we actually did a lot last year.  the publicly available version that is found in a previous blog does not include the club’s financials.  any members that would like to see our financial status, please contact the club directly and you will be sent a copy.

entertainment books – this year the club has decided to sell the every popular entertainment books as a way to raise funds.  even better there is now an app available so you don’t need to carry vouchers with you.  there is also a cool function where you can see a map of your location and all the available offers in the area.  check out the previous post for more details and links to registration.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you may know one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him.

New kitchanges to kit ordering – current kit orders close at the end of this month.  after this point there will be some changes with a slight price increase and less orders per year.  please check out the previous post to understand all the details.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – the dams ride is on this weekend and there is almost practically no way to avoid it.  the sunday hills rides have therefore been set to go against the flow of the dams starting south and heading back to kalamunda.

saturday 1st april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans benara 39.90km spr saturday

fast & main groups – benara rd 50.76km spr saturday

sunday 2nd april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 3rd april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 4th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 5th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 6th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 7th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 25th – 31st march

winner, winner striped shirt wearer.  not quite as catchy as a chicken based meal, but spr had a couple of jerseys on the podium at this years state criterium championships.  it was hosted by spr and rccc, so i had the honor of handing out the champion jerseys.  amanda took our her master’s category and then had a crack at the open race.  sarah was on the podium for her masters race and elar did a truck load of work to keep the break away in his masters race.  fresh off his ring championship series win (unassailable lead with 1 round to go), mike madsen had a crack at the over 50’s masters.  the problem with aged based racing is that it encompasses a wide variation of abilities.  there are some +50 riders in perth that still ride a grade and they made themselves known early on. overall, it was an excellent turnout and a great finish to our crit hosting for the season.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by ilberys lawyers.  providing a range of legal services, ilberys lawyers also handle personal injury cases such as when you have a bike accident involving a third party.  if you are in need of any legal advice their contact details are on the previous post.

tips and tricks – hey, eyes up here!!! this is not in reference to the fact that we all wear skin tight lycra, but more about being aware of what is happening around you while riding in the group.  when starting out, the fact that you are riding so close to another wheel often freaks people out.  they all know that they need to be close to get a draft, but they get scared about accidentally hitting the wheel in front, or worse, crossing wheels and coming down.  therefore, new riders tend to concentrate very hard on being the “correct” distance from the wheel in front.  to do this, they look directly at the wheel and nothing else.  now the wonderful things about our eyes is that our peripheral vision allows us to see things that we are not looking directly at, and warn us to have a closer look.  by this i mean that if you are looking at the back of the rider in front, you can still see the wheel, but probably not exactly see how far away it is.  judgement, however, allows you to understand that if the riders body moves closer, then their wheel is probably doing the same.  conversely, if the rider moves away, then a gap is forming.  it is this second part that usually catches people out who are focusing too intently on the wheel in front.  the group surges and next thing you know, you are riding by yourself.  by keeping your eyes up, looking about 3 riders ahead, you will see any changes to the groups speed and be able to react sooner.  you will also be able to better see the hand signals, parked cars and the ocean views as we pass by cottesloe.

club agm – the club agm is to be held this saturday after the main ride at the Dome in westralia plaza.  It will be accompanied by a buffet breakfast ($15 cash) for which you will get a coffee and a selection of awesome post ride foods.  please ensure that you sign on if you are a member attending the agm as we need to keep a permanent record. this is an official meeting and we will be electing a new committee for 2017.  please see the previous post for more information.

ben oakes marathon effort- some of you may know one of our members ben oakes is doing the london marathon on the 23rd april.  however, most of you may not know why.  he is doing it to raise funds for parkinson research as his dad was diagnosed 4 years ago.  he has a fundraiser page set up as well as a blog to chronicle his challenge and give you a bit more background on his motivation.  if you would like to make a donation, you can either visit the webpage or throw a bit of loose change his way when you see him at the agm.

New kitchanges to kit ordering – current kit orders close at the end of this month.  after this point there will be some changes with a slight price increase and less orders per year.  please check out the previous post to understand all the details.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – the sunday hills ride has been getting bigger and bigger lately and so a few times we have split it at the carpark to keep the groups under control.  there still is a risk, however, that the groups will still merge at traffic lights along the way.  to counter this, we will trial sending both groups on different routes this week.  although they are both based around kalamunda, the short hills will start with the goose and the long will start with welshpool.

saturday 25th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans shelley 40.59km spr saturday

fast & main groups – canning vale & welshpool 49.74km spr saturday

sunday 26th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – goose kal 63.41km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 27th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 28th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 29th march

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 30th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

see previous post for ride groups

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 31st march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 18th – 24th march

represent.  we did talk about representing the club a while ago, but this time i want to talk about the potentially negative effects of your club representation.  last weekend, there was a discussion on facebook about a rider in full club/team kit that rode through 2 sets of red lights right in front of another group.  now the kit wasn’t named, but this is just a reminder that you are representing the club when you put on the jersey.  what you do (or not do) reflects on the club and it usually ends up coming to my inbox.  we are not saying that it was someone from the club, but we are not saying that it wasn’t, so you all need to have a good look at what you did last week and could anything you did while representing the club reflect poorly on the rest of us.  we enforce strict rules when we are riding in the group for your own safety.  don’t let your actions away from the group give the general public a poor view of what we are.  you need to represent our values, even if you are running late for the group ride.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by ilberys lawyers.  providing a range of legal services, ilberys lawyers also handle personal injury cases such as when you have a bike accident involving a third party.  if you are in need of any legal advice their contact details are on the previous post.

tips and tricks – aerodynamics, why are they important? having the cool deep dish rims or the bike frame that claims to be slipperier than all others is great when you are riding in a wind tunnel, but the biggest gains you can make in regards to aerodynamics is with your body position.  your greatest foe in regards to moving forward is your frontal area breaking through the air.  this is why holding a wheel and drafting off other riders is so important to maintaining a fast pace.  sometimes, however, you may not be getting all the advantage that you need to keep up with the group.  there are times when you have oh so slightly dropped the wheel in front and you feel like you are working ten times as hard and getting nowhere.  this is where aerodynamics can help.  where are your hands? where is your head? as soon as you start to feel like you are catching too much wind you need to lower your frontal area.  put your hands in the drops (curvy bit) of your handlebars (not on the hoods).  this automatically brings the rest of your body down.  then bring your head closer to the handlebars.  just this small change may allow you to make up ground to get back in the draft.  too many times i see people dropping off the back of the group and wondering why it is so hard.  normally they are already sitting tall in the saddle so as soon as there is a little break, they snap off the back.  get down low and go, go, go.

do you even brake, bro? – following on from our tips and tricks, rob has some very important advice about using your brakes…or not.  please make sure that you have a read of the previous post as you don’t want to be responsible for the crash that happens behind you where you come off unscathed.

state criterium championships – this sunday we will be hosting the state criterium champs at technology park in bentley.  there are masters divisions as well as the open category for those that consider themselves fast.  registration closes tonight, so if you are interested, get in quick as there will be no late entry.

club agm – please pencil in the 25th march for our club agm and breakfast.  we will be voting on our 2017 committee as well as opening it up for any discussion that members want to have.  please see the previous post for more information.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

race reports – there have been a few race reports posted recently from the tour of bintan and the pemberton classic.  have a read to see what your fellow spr riders have been up to.

ride routes – there is the potential for a slight shower on saturday morning.  it will still be +20 degrees though, so if anything, it will be moist.  there is a predicted change in the wind direction, though. so we are taking advantage of it and heading to the coast and back.

saturday 18th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans rebold 38.69km spr saturday

fast & main groups – scarbs beach & hale 51.21km spr saturday

sunday 19th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh weir kal 101.71km spr sunday

monday 20th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 21st march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 22nd march

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 23rd march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 24th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 11th – 17th march

photo stolen without permission

the days are starting to get shorter, but they are also getting nicer.  the early morning rides over the passed few weeks have been stunning and just the right temperature for riding.  i remember when i was in uni in ballarat, that easter marked the turning point in the weather.  it was fine until easter break, then when you returned, it was arm warmers and vests.  luckily perth is not as hostile as victoria, but the weather is cooling, so make sure you are prepared.  it always makes me smile when on that first cold morning, those people that have only taken up cycling in summer get a massive shock to the system.  layers.  dress in layers.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by ilberys lawyers.  providing a range of legal services, ilberys lawyers also handle personal injury cases such as when you have a bike accident involving a third party.  if you are in need of any legal advice their contact details are on the previous post.

tips and tricks – so there you are.  sitting under a tree with a flat tyre.  the group is waiting and getting impatient as it is taking you too long.  what do you need to do, or what could have you done to speed the process up.  we firstly, practice at home.  make sure you know how to get a tube out.  make sure you know how a quick release works and how to get your wheel off without getting grease everywhere.  make sure you know how your gas bottle works as they all work differently.  buy a spare gas bottle and have a practice at home.  better you waste one at home than waste everyone’s time out on the road.

so first things first.  if it is the rear wheel, put your bike in the hardest gear on the back.  loosen off the brakes and undo the quick release.  the wheel should basically fall out, but you may need to give it a smack.  by putting it in the hardest gear, it is less likely to get tangled in the chain when you take it off.  lie the bike down on the non-drive side.  do not and i repeat DO NOT, place you bike upside down on the asphalt.  this wrecks three of the contact points that you have with your bike, the saddle and both brake hoods.

unscrew the valve lock and release any air still in the tube. starting directly opposite from the valve, insert 1 tyre lever between the tyre and rim and pry up.  the end of the tyre lever should have a hook on it that you hook around the spoke to hold it in place.  insert another tyre lever a few cm’s along and pry up.  remove the second lever and repeat a bit further along.  you only need to take off 1 side of the tyre and it is best if it is the side opposite the gears, its cleaner.  pull the tube out and throw away in disgust (in to your back pocket).  check the inside of the tyre for any glass, slivers of steel, etc protruding through the tyre which will give you an instant 2nd puncture.  unroll the new tube and put a little air in to give it shape (use either a pump or your mouth).  insert the valve and then the rest of the tube.  starting at the valve, push the tyre back onto the rim. head in both directions so that you finish up opposite the valve.  the last bit may be hard, but try not to use your tyre levers as this may give you a pinch flat.  check around the rim to make sure the tube is not caught between the rim and tyre. inflate.  make sure you readjust your brakes when you put the wheel back in.  done, in 4 min flat so your riding buddies don’t get upset with you.  if it happens more than once during a ride, make sure you have a mobile to call a taxi.

do you even brake, bro? – following on from our tips and tricks, rob has some very important advice about using your brakes…or not.  please make sure that you have a read of the previous post as you don’t want to be responsible for the crash that happens behind you where you come off unscathed.

state politics – so most of us need to vote on saturday in the state election.  generally, cycling does not feature very highly on the agenda for either of the major parties and only as a passing fancy for the minor ones.  this year, however, there has been an increase in the amount of promises made in regards to cycling budget.  as you always expect with politicians promises, a grain (or shipload) of salt should be liberally sprinkled on each.  however, westcycle have put together an unbiased view on just what each party is offering.  have a look at each picture and at least you can try to make an informed vote.  holding the parties to their promises, would be a different matter.

jens voigt ride and dinner – mr shut up legs himself is in town next week and there are a couple of opportunities for people to meet him.  there is a dinner featuring jens, jack bobridge and travis meyer, where you get to hear from their experiences in the pro peloton.  there are also a couple of rides that you can book to go on, where you can rub shoulders with the great man himself (jens, not heiko).  both the dinner and rides are on wednesday 15th march.  the dinner is $120pp and the rides are $75pp.  click on the following links for more details – dinner, 5:45am ride, 8:15am ride.

club agm – please pencil in the 25th march for our club agm and breakfast.  we will be voting on our 2017 committee as well as opening it up for any discussion that members want to have.  please see the previous post for more information.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

ride routes – sorry if it looks like we are doing the same rides over and over again.  it has go to do with the wind direction, which over summer, is often easterlys.  this weekend it is predicted to be 30km/hr ese winds, so you really don’t want to be doing the final 10k’s into that.

saturday 11th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans shelley 40.59km spr saturday

fast & main groups – south st 51.23km spr saturday

sunday 12th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

monday 13th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 14th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 15th march

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 16th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 17th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 4th – 10th march

photo : dave menarry

sometimes when you get up early and drag yourself out of bed for that stupid training session, mother nature puts on a spectacular show for those lucky enough to see.  repeats of stock road are never pleasant, and chasing rob up the hill doing a 1 legged set are never, ever going to be something you look forward to.  however, sometimes by staying in bed, you miss the best time of the day. contrast that with this morning where the overnight storm left the roads wet and gritty and by holding a wheel you got a face full of wet sand.  but it is swings and roundabouts, so training is training regardless of the weather.  a means to an end, or sadistic enjoyment.  however, you need to justify getting up in the morning.

ride leader sponsor – our ride leaders for march are proudly sponsored by ilberys lawyers.  providing a range of legal services, ilberys lawyers also handle personal injury cases such as when you have a bike accident and a third party is involved.  if you are in need of any legal advice their contact details are on the previous post.

tips and tricks – over summer we usually get an influx of new riders joining our group rides.  amongst them will be some people that are very new to cycling in general.  they may have received a new bike for xmas and by now have fully gotten into the whole group riding thing with coffee and social interaction afterwards.  unfortunately many people may not have experienced what to do if you get a flat tyre during a training ride.  firstly, you need to carry spares.  this means a spare tube, tyre levers and a way to inflate (pump or gas bottles).  do not rely on others to get you out a bind.  most people ride to and from the group ride on their own.  you need to be self sufficient for those times anyway.  so, if you haven’t, go out and buy the things you need to change a tyre and maybe a little saddle bag to hold it all in.  getting a flat during a ride can be a dangerous experience.  there was a blow out during the ride last saturday in the fast too group and it involved a few injuries.  make sure that you regularly inspect your tyres for any wear or cuts to make sure that you are not susceptible to getting flats.  if you do not know what to look for, ask one of the more experienced riders for some advice.  you may be surprised to find bit of glass and slivers of metal embedded in your tyre already.  next week i will talk about actually changing your tyre on the go.

club agm – please pencil in the 25th march for our club agm and breakfast.  we will be voting on our 2017 committee as well as opening it up for any discussion that members want to have.  an official post with more details will come out soon.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

New kit
The new kit…

kit collection – the latest run of spr kit has arrived. sam will be organising the distribution at the coffee shop after the main saturday ride.  please contact the kit@southperthrouleurs.com.au email to arrange collection of your order at other times.  andrew is racing overseas this weekend, so it will be later next week.

ride routes – looks like sunday will be a scorcher, so we will try to keep the ride as close to civilisation as possible.  lots of opportunities to get water or cut the ride short if necessary.

saturday 4th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans rebold 38.69km spr saturday

fast & main groups – hale rd reverse 51.37km spr saturday

sunday 5th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

monday 6th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

public hol 58.97km spr special

tuesday 7th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 8th march

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 9th march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 10th march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

ride routes 25th feb – 3rd march

winner, winner chicken dinner.  mike has been quietly plugging away putting in the k’s for the last year.  his consistent cycling over this time meant that he took out the rockingham round of the ring series for e grade a couple of weeks ago and is now sitting 2nd on the overall points table.  racing is one of those funny things.  some people never want to pin a number on but are the most competitive riders in the group ride.  others throw themselves at it and enjoy the challenge.  luckily we try to cater for all types of riders, but we do encourage you to have a go at racing.  you never know, you may just like it.  also, you get some good photos of you from zac, so have a look at his facebook site if you have been in any of the crit races.

ride leader sponsor – there is no ride leader sponsor for this month.  if you have a business that you think would benefit from advertising on our blog/facebook/emails then get in contact with the club.  all money goes towards providing vouchers for the ride leaders who give their time to ensure that the group is riding to our standard.

tips and tricks – your modern road bike will have either 10 or 11 gears on the back.  there would not be many bikes in our group that would be that old that they would have less than that.  combined with the 2 on the front, you generally have around 15 gears to choose from (due to similar gears).  back in the day, you used to change gears from a lever on your down tube.  they didn’t click between gears, so you had to fine tune them as you changed.  since the lever was all the way down there, you generally changed infrequently and a few at a time to minimise the action, especially if you were standing and climbing.  with the invention of the sti (shimano total integration) and the campag equivalent, you can now change gears without taking your hands off the bars.  this means that you can continually change as the road grade changes to make sure that you are in the best gear.  however, it is amazing how many people that are new to cycling don’t do this.  being in the right gear makes all the difference and it often means reading what is coming up ahead in the ride.  if we are approaching a traffic light, make sure you change gears to an easier gear before you stop.  if we are going through a corner that you need to brake for, change before you stop pedalling so you can accelerate out.  as you approach a hill, change gear before you start, as it may be too hard to change once you are climbing.  by being ready for these types of situations, you will be able to smoothly hold your place in the pack and not disrupt things by leaving gaps trying to push a massive, knee shattering gear.

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.

thursday training ride – this week we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable.    we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities.  have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit.  there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.

New kit
The new kit…

kit collection – the latest run of spr kit has arrived and will be available for collection at the coffee shop after the saturday ride.  please be aware that andrew will not just be sitting around waiting for you to collect as he will also be on the ride too.  if you cannot collect from the coffee shop, please contact the kit@southperthrouleurs.com.au email to arrange another way of receiving your goods.

ride routes – a hot saturday is predicted for the final weekend of summer.  please make sure that you are prepared.  water, food, sunscreen (zinc for the vp) and cover up if necessary.  it is looking like being 30 degrees by the time we hit the coffee shop.

saturday 25th february

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional – trans canning vale 42.34km spr saturday

fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday

sunday 26th february

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs cam goose 88.67km spr sunday

monday 27th february

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 28th february

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 1st march

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 2nd march

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 3rd march

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride