last week i wrote about the ring criterium series, so i guess i can’t write about that again.  however, what i want to mention is how we can use it to promote our sport.  there has been a lot of very good quality photos and video coming out of this series.  photo’s like that of the flying mustache pictured above.  this has been a deliberate move by cyclesport wa to try to create an atmostphere around the series to try to turn it into more than just a bunch of bike races.  what you can do is tag and share as much content as you can on social media.  come along to the races, even as a spectator, and post photos etc to your accounts.  invite friends and family along to watch you race.  encourage people from your club to come and give it a try.  what has been created here is something that we as riders need to support and promote as much as possible.  oh, and the more riders we have in spr colours goes towards promoting the club as well…and that can’t be a bad thing.

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for december is Dr7 Physiotherapy and Podiatry. Located within Dr7 Medical Centre in Yokine, their experienced physios, podiatrists and massage therapists provide a wide range of services and treatments to help optimise your health and well-being.

where are we riding today – please have a quick look at this post as there is some important safety info about why we publish ride routes before the weekend.

which group to ride with – if you are unsure about which of the more developmental rides (main 3, , & trannies) to ride with, check out the previous post.  we split our saturday rides into specific groups for a reason, and that reason is everyone’s safety.  please do not try to make the group ride your own personal time trial, or complain that you had to wait for someone.  if you find that you are too strong for that group, then do more work on the front, or hang back and draft stragglers back on.  don’t force the entire pace of the ride up and think that you have done a great job of controlling the ride.  these are group rides so you have to acknowledge the entire group.

do you think you can sprint – in light of developing a stricter set of standards around the ride leadership that we provide, we have recently had a look at sprinting within our group rides.  we certainly encourage people to have a go at certain times, but they must be within the confines of a certain set of standards that we set.  this is for the safety of not only the individual, but also the group.  please have a read of the previous post, and have a think about when you should and shouldn’t sprint.

new branding – you may have seen that the first phase of the new branding rolled out his week.  a bunch of new headers with our new logo attached.  you should expect to see this in a few more places both in the virtual world and the real world.

the ring criterium series – this weekend sees the 3rdrace of the ring series head to gnangara.  the race will be run by about 3 clubs as we are sharing the load between the clubs. online entries close every thursday night preceeding the race, so if you want to race, get on it now.  entries and more information are available via the ring website.

city of south perth survey – sometimes you need to get a bit political to get what you want.  the city of south perth is doing a survey to see what facilities it needs to provide for in the future.  these things always take time, but if they haven’t identified anything in their longer term plan, then it will never get budgeted for.  the city is also currently in the process of it’s foreshore redevelopment program.  as part of that they have identified a park that they would like to use for junior sport.  i have already started a discussion with the city on the use of that area for a crit circuit.  what we now need to do is reinforce that when they do their data collection.  they currently have a survey out for what people would like to see developed over the next 10 years.  if you get the chance, can you please take a bit of time and fill it in.  you don’t have to be from south perth, as you can say that you attend events here.  in the section where it asks what priorities it should concentrate on, indicate that you would like facilties for traffic free bike training and racing.  if they don’t know, they don’t provide. the survey can be found here.

spr gloves – there are a small number of gloves available in black/green that were done as a sample before we finalised the white ones.  limited stock, in the club shop.  see the previous post for more details.

spr club awards – every year we like to acknowledge member for the effort that they have made on behalf of the club.  as the club is so big, the committee doesn’t have viability on everything that occurs.  as such we ask you, the members, to take a bit of time to fill in a short survey nominating people for particular achievements.  These are not things like winning races, but instead, categories like “most improved”, “most inspirational”, “good samaritan”.  things that make the club good to be a part of.  check out the previous post and take the time to fill in your nominations.

spr xmas drinks – as the christmas season descends upon us, we look to find a slot to have an out of lycra social get together.  this year we will be back again at the empire bar and we thank the social committee for organising everything.  if you are interested, tickets and more info is available via the previous post.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st october and will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

ride routes – please have a look at the main group ride route for saturday as there are quite a few turns that you need to make.  generally i try to make the ride routes come to a major intersection when you have to turn, but sometimes there are turns to be made on a straight stretch of road.  don’t let your in decision cause a chain reaction down the line.  make sure you know the ride route.

saturday 3rd december

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 – cresswell & herdsman 48.86km spr saturday

sunday 4th december

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 5th december

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 6th december

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 7th december

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 8th december

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 9th december

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

a very successful start to the crit season with the ring series kicking off last week.  there were over 200 riders that signed up for round 1 and it was good to see it go off without a hitch.  there are some small issues with the timing system, but we had video backup which showed the finishing positions of all riders.  the ring series has come about as a way of getting more clubs involved to provide racing across the summer.  instead of there being 1 series on the same circuit (smashfest) this way there is an opportunity for people to race on different circuits for accumulated points.  if all goes well, we are hoping to replicate it over winter with a series of road races under the same format.

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for november is Sharon Gleeson an Independant Consultant for Arbonne Phytosport.  Arbonne Phytosport provides products that are vegan certified, gluten free, dairy free and contain nothing artificial. formulated with plant-powered ingredients, essential branched-chain amino acids, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and botanical extracts, these products promote increased endurance and energy, and boost nitric oxide production to support blood and oxygen flow in muscles

which group to ride with – if you are unsure about which of the more developmental rides (main 3, , & trannies) to ride with, check out the previous post.  we split our saturday rides into specific groups for a reason, and that reason is everyone’s safety.  please do not try to make the group ride your own personal time trial, or complain that you had to wait for someone.  if you find that you are too strong for that group, then do more work on the front, or hang back and draft stragglers back on.  don’t force the entire pace of the ride up and think that you have done a great job of controlling the ride.  these are group rides so you have to acknowledge the entire group.

do you think you can sprint – in light of developing a stricter set of standards around the ride leadership that we provide, we have recently had a look at sprinting within our group rides.  we certainly encourage people to have a go at certain times, but they must be within the confines of a certain set of standards that we set.  this is for the safety of not only the individual, but also the group.  please have a read of the previous post, and have a think about when you should and shouldn’t sprint.

the ring criterium series – this weekend sees the second race of the ring series head to rockingham.  the race will be run as usual by peel disctricts as we are sharing the load between the clubs. online entries close every thursday night preceeding the race, so if you want to race, get on it now.  entries and more information are available via the ring website.

tour of margs spr race reports – if you are curious as to what the club got up to down at margaret river the other week, then there is a race report from the event on a previous post.  maybe it will inspire you enough so that you sign up for next year.

city of south perth survey – sometimes you need to get a bit political to get what you want.  the city of south perth is doing a survey to see what facilities it needs to provide for in the future.  these things always take time, but if they haven’t identified anything in their longer term plan, then it will never get budgeted for.  the city is also currently in the process of it’s foreshore redevelopment program.  as part of that they have identified a park that they would like to use for junior sport.  i have already started a discussion with the city on the use of that area for a crit circuit.  what we now need to do is reinforce that when they do their data collection.  they currently have a survey out for what people would like to see developed over the next 10 years.  if you get the chance, can you please take a bit of time and fill it in.  you don’t have to be from south perth, as you can say that you attend events here.  in the section where it asks what priorities it should concentrate on, indicate that you would like facilties for traffic free bike training and racing.  if they don’t know, they don’t provide. the survey can be found here.

spr gloves – there are a small number of gloves available in black/green that were done as a sample before we finalised the white ones.  limited stock, in the club shop.  see the previous post for more details.

spr club awards – every year we like to acknowledge member for the effort that they have made on behalf of the club.  as the club is so big, the committee doesn’t have viability on everything that occurs.  as such we ask you, the members, to take a bit of time to fill in a short survey nominating people for particular achievements.  These are not things like winning races, but instead, categories like “most improved”, “most inspirational”, “good samaritan”.  things that make the club good to be a part of.  check out the previous post and take the time to fill in your nominations.

spr xmas drinks – as the christmas season descends upon us, we look to find a slot to have an out of lycra social get together.  this year we will be back again at the empire bar and we thank the social committee for organising everything.  if you are interested, tickets and more info is available via the previous post.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st october and will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

ride routes – looks like summer is coming early for the end of november, then disappearing for the start of december.  some hot days predicted over the weekend, so make sure that you are prepared to ride in the heat.

saturday 26th november

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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – ridgehill rd 49.58km spr saturday

sunday 27th november

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 28th november

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 29th november

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 30th november

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 1st december

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 2nd december

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

From the office of the Vice President (and my trusty PA, Jordan):

The Chateau de VP household is in race mode at the moment with Mrs VP preparing for the Tour of Margaret River and me left to spend quality time with my beloved offspring. This is the first year in 3 years I’ve missed event and, fresh from a good break after Amy’s ride, I’m not too concerned about it. There will be a large contingent of SPR riders (including El Prez) at the Tour competing for a wide range of teams, and good luck to everyone who is venturing out. For those of us holding the fort in Perth, the usual array of rides will be on offer, and with the rain coming through earlier than the weekend, there should be no excuses for not getting out.

The ride leader pilot program is coming to an end and there will be a few of us out leading and observing this weekend. It’s been a great program to be involved with and Rob Ramsden has worked tirelessly to bring it all together. If groups need to be split, please listen the nominated ride leader at the briefing.

CycleSport WA Survey – CycleSport WA want to help the clubs improve their member experience. So they need to know what your club wants and needs. They have devised this short survey to get a feel for where they can focus a Membership drive.

So, can you please have a look at (BUT DO NOT COMPLETE) the survey, and if you have any feedback, either leave it in the comments, or email admin@southperthrouleurs.com.au

 

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PGHSSH7

 

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for november is Sharon Gleeson an Independant Consultant for Arbonne Phytosport.  Arbonne Phytosport provides products that are vegan certified, gluten free, dairy free and contain nothing artificial. formulated with plant-powered ingredients, essential branched-chain amino acids, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and botanical extracts, these products promote increased endurance and energy, and boost nitric oxide production to support blood and oxygen flow in muscles

rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides.  it is up to all members to enforce these rules.

technical regulations – there have been a couple of changes to the wa technical regulations in relation to racing.  firstly, any juniors that renew their licences after the 1st october and move up an age group are then eligible to race in their new division.  this means that some junior riders will now be able to ride in the tomr.  secondly, there has been a technical exemption for the tomr to allow road bikes to use disc brakes.  there have been lots of new bikes released in the last couple of years that have disc brakes and the tomr is meant to encourage more people into racing.  as such, if your current bike has discs, you don’t need to find a different bike to ride.  click on the letter to see all the details.

 

spr gloves – there are a small number of gloves available in black/green that were done as a sample before we finalised the white ones.  limited stock, in the club shop.  see the previous post for more details.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st october and will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

ride routes – With a possible shower forecast for the southern suburbs on Saturday morning (or at least that was the forecast when I wrote this), the plan will be to head north, with an old favourite ride.  The Sunday route will see both groups up Greenmount before going their own ways.

saturday 12th november

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 – tv stations 50.29km spr saturday

sunday 13th november

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 14th november

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 15th november

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 16th november

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 17th november

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 18th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

i love how events like the tour of margs brings people within the club together.  people that may not necessarily socialise that much normally get thrown together and spend time training up for an event.  some of the teams have also taken it to the next level.  spr women’s 2 recently all got matching socks for the event.  spr women’s 1 went a step further and have personalised team towels.  unfortunately the men’s teams are not quite as organised and will be lucky if we even bring enough food down with us. 🙂  however, after a number of years of doing this event, i can say that it is a great way to get to know people especially over the team “family” meals.  put it on your list for next year.

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for november is Sharon Gleeson an Independant Consultant for Arbonne Phytosport.  Arbonne Phytosport provides products that are vegan certified, gluten free, dairy free and contain nothing artificial. formulated with plant-powered ingredients, essential branched-chain amino acids, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and botanical extracts, these products promote increased endurance and energy, and boost nitric oxide production to support blood and oxygen flow in muscles

rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides.  it is up to all members to enforce these rules.

technical regulations – there have been a couple of changes to the wa technical regulations in relation to racing.  firstly, any juniors that renew their licences after the 1st october and move up an age group are then eligible to race in their new division.  this means that some junior riders will now be able to ride in the tomr.  secondly, there has been a technical exemption for the tomr to allow road bikes to use disc brakes.  there have been lots of new bikes released in the last couple of years that have disc brakes and the tomr is meant to encourage more people into racing.  as such, if your current bike has discs, you don’t need to find a different bike to ride.  click on the letter to see all the details.

henk vogels foundation charity dinner – your chance to meet protour bmc rider, 2016 aussie olympian and former 1hr world record holder, rohan dennis.  the henk vogels foundation is holding a charity dinner on the 4th of november.  all proceeds from the dinner will go back into the sport of cycling. click on the flyer for more information and links to purchase tickets.

spr kit – we should have the latest order of spr kit available for collection this saturday after the main ride.  it is expected to hit perth tomorrow, but we will let you know if it is delayed.

spr gloves – there are a small number of gloves available in black/green that were done as a sample before we finalised the white ones.  limited stock, in the club shop.  see the previous post for more details.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st octoberand will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

ride routes – we get another taste of summer this weekend with saturday being the polar opposite from last week.  strong easterlys and a top of 37 should mean that we get a full contingent of riders hitting coode st at 7am.  this give you, the rider, a lot more choices.  fast, fast 2, main 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 etc…

saturday 5th november

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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – morley drive 50.77km spr saturday

sunday 6th november

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 7th november

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 8th november

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 9th november

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 10th november

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 11th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

branding.  so recently we had a look at our branding and how we could incorporate the club culture into a logo.  the last thing we wanted to see was another stylised bike picture slightly on an angle depicting speed.  we think that we are a bit more than that and we wanted something that embraces the four cornerstones of the club – safety, inclusive, organised & social.  a pretty big ask but it looks like our resident designer (charlotte) was up to the task.  the logo is more asbstract than exact and incorporates four elements into a rotational mass that is easily recognisable as bike orientated.  you will be seeing this logo appearing on more of our stuff in the future including the next run of kit.  (sorry for the delay in the ride routes, i was overly busy this week and totally forgot what day it was).

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for october is Discover Cycling.  Founded and run by SPR member Leigh Outschoorn, Discover Cycling is a boutique cycle coaching provider who works with you to develop a personalised training program to achieve your cycling goals.

rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides.  it is up to all members to enforce these rules.

technical regulations – there have been a couple of changes to the wa technical regulations in relation to racing.  firstly, any juniors that renew their licences after the 1st october and move up an age group are then eligible to race in their new division.  this means that some junior riders will now be able to ride in the tomr.  secondly, there has been a technical exemption for the tomr to allow road bikes to use disc brakes.  there have been lots of new bikes released in the last couple of years that have disc brakes and the tomr is meant to encourage more people into racing.  as such, if your current bike has discs, you don’t need to find a different bike to ride.  click on the letter to see all the details.

henk vogels foundation charity dinner – your chance to meet protour bmc rider, 2016 aussie olympian and former 1hr world record holder, rohan dennis.  the henk vogels foundation is holding a charity dinner on the 4th of november.  all proceeds from the dinner will go back into the sport of cycling. click on the flyer for more information and links to purchase tickets.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st octoberand will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

rac council voting – some of you may remember ronny low and his partner emma richardson as regular spr riders a few years back.  well emma’s dad is on the rac council and is up for re-election this year.  if you are a member of the RAC and have no idea of who to vote for, have a read of his introduction letter and lets start pushing for a perth where roads are not just for cars.

ride routes – so i am hoping that the weather report is wrong and it will not rain on saturday morning… we are doing hale road this week, but a different one to last week.

saturday 29th october

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 – scarbs beach & hale 51.21km spr saturday

sunday 30th october

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 can mills 94.55km spr sunday

monday 31st october

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 1st november

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 2nd november

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 3rd november

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 4th november

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride

so this year has been pretty bad for me on the racing front.  very few races early in the year and a failure to qualify for the uwct was representative of my form.  mid year surgery and a month and a half off the bike (and any exercise) put a massive hole in my fitness.  since that time i have really been struggling to be able to ride to the level that i want too.  heading into last weekend’s state championship, i was not holding much hope for anything but some good solid training.  however, very early in the race i found myself in the break with the other 2 gentlemen in this picture.  unfortunately, they were both way too strong for me and they left me behind quite quickly.  hoping for a steven bradbury, i kept plugging at it in the vain hope that one of them may have a mechanical.  although it didn’t happen that way, i battled it out with a midland rider and managed to take a step on the podium.

ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for october is Discover Cycling.  Founded and run by SPR member Leigh Outschoorn, Discover Cycling is a boutique cycle coaching provider who works with you to develop a personalised training program to achieve your cycling goals.

rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides.  it is up to all members to enforce these rules.

technical regulations – there have been a couple of changes to the wa technical regulations in relation to racing.  firstly, any juniors that renew their licences after the 1st october and move up an age group are then eligible to race in their new division.  this means that some junior riders will now be able to ride in the tomr.  secondly, there has been a technical exemption for the tomr to allow road bikes to use disc brakes.  there have been lots of new bikes released in the last couple of years that have disc brakes and the tomr is meant to encourage more people into racing.  as such, if your current bike has discs, you don’t need to find a different bike to ride.  click on the letter to see all the details.

henk vogels foundation charity dinner – your chance to meet protour bmc rider, 2016 aussie olympian and former 1hr world record holder, rohan dennis.  the henk vogels foundation is holding a charity dinner on the 4th of november.  all proceeds from the dinner will go back into the sport of cycling. click on the flyer for more information and links to purchase tickets.

race licences – there are a couple of different types of licences that you can get when you become a member of spr.  a recreational licence and a racing licence.  recreational licences are for those that really only do the club training rides and want a bit of insurance coverage.  it covers a full year from the time you purchase it.  a race licence covers you for both training and racing and is necessary if you want to pin a number on.  race licences are only valid for the calendar year which means that they expire at the end of december.  however, the 2017 licences can be purchased from the 1st octoberand will then give you 15 months of coverage.  if you are looking at upgrading to do some racing next year, or need one to do the summer crit races, then now is the time to join or renew.

ride leader pilot program – as mentioned previously, we have kicked off the ride leader pilot program.  this is to ensure that we have a consistent message across all the groups.  this saturday will be the final practical session of the pilot program so we will hopefully have some brand new minted ride leaders over the coming weeks.  once the feedback from these sessions have been collated and actioned, we will then be looking for more people to be trained up as ride leaders. however, we will need some of our regulars to help out looking after groups.  don’t worry, it is just about keeping people together and you may find that you enjoy it and want to learn more.

tour of margs spr riders – this saturday, instead of the main ride, anyone that is on the list for the spr tomr teams is invited to our ttt training.  this includes people on the reserves list as there is still a chance that they may be called up.  you will be taking the same route as the main ride as there are a numberof segments that are conducive to long roll throughs.

rac council voting – some of you may remember ronny low and his partner emma richardson as regular spr riders a few years back.  well emma’s dad is on the rac council and is up for re-election this year.  if you are a member of the RAC and have no idea of who to vote for, have a read of his introduction letter and lets start pushing for a perth where roads are not just for cars.

ride routes – an absolute spank-tacular weekend has been forecast.  make up for lost time and get on that bike.

saturday 22nd october

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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – hale & ridgehill 50.58km spr saturday

tomr teams – hale & ridgehill 50.58km spr saturday

sunday 23rd october

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 24th october

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

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 25th october

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

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

wednesday 26th october

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 27th october

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

spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)

ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am

development group – interval training kings park

friday 28th october

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride