school holidays are just around the corner and this usually means more kids out on bikes.  as cyclists, pretty much all of us also drive a car.  does your attitude to cyclists change when they are holding you up when you are on your way to work???  do you give enough space to riders when you are overtaking??? make sure that your actions off the bike are just as positive as those on the bike.

ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised. stu has written a bit about what i means to be a ride leader which pretty much sums it up.  sign up here.

goldfields cyclassic – the next big race on the calendar is at the start of june and as it is in kalgoorlie, it will take a bit of organising.  more info is on the previous post and if you are interested, please put your name in the comments section.

ride routes – just be aware that with the hilly race on sunday, most of the hills riding regulars that normally lead the ride may not be there.  the routes are not too hard, but make sure you have a look before you come out.

saturday 12th 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 rebold 38.69km spr saturday

fast & main groups – cresswell & herdsman 48.86km spr saturday

sunday 13th 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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh obs kal 90.32km spr sunday

well the uwct has been run and won again this year and it was great to see so many spr jerseys out in force.  even better was the amount of support on the course with random people (probably not random, but hard to focus while racing) shouting out as we rode past.  no one took up my suggestion of actually pushing me up the hill, especially on the last couple of laps when i actually needed it.  even better again, was seeing/hearing that brett and nicky were out to support the spr racers.  i briefly got to see brett on the start line and it was great to see him up and about.  even though it was a pretty important race last weekend, the main takeaway for me (and other in the public i heard from) was the amount of support that we had out on course.  not only that, the way that we help support others in the race with bottles and general cheering was also noted.

ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised. stu has written a bit about what i means to be a ride leader which pretty much sums it up.  sign up here.

goldfields cyclassic – the next big race on the calendar is at the start of june and as it is in kalgoorlie, it will take a bit of organising.  more info is on the previous post and if you are interested, please put your name in the comments section.

brett and nicky donations – you may have seen that there is a donations button on the right of the webpage.  with most accidents, there are usually a lot of out of pocket expenses that are not covered by all the different types of insurance.  a lot of people have been very generous with their time and skills to help the guys get through this.  if you think that there isn’t much you can do physically, then feel free to donate to help them with any ongoing expenses.  donations will be closed off at the end of this weekend.  thanks to all those that have donated, there have been some very generous amounts of which i am sure the guys will be grateful for.

ride routes – well uwct is over so time for those to test their legs in the saturday fast ride instead.  holmes road will certainly be testing.

saturday 5th 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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday

fast & main groups – holmes rd 50.42km spr saturday

sunday 6th 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

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – khna trnr obs 94.99km spr sunday

i have been having trouble coming to terms with what happened last weekend.  in some respects it just seems so unbelievable that an accident like that would happen, but watching the news on any given night and there are many similar examples just not necessarily involving cyclists. but anyway, the focus of the club should not be on the accident, but on our riders and how we get them back to full health again.  i appreciate that people have been observing the social media blackout on this issue as it just would not have helped the situation.  there is always so much that we want to say, but how that message is perceived and what the trolls say in reply often blows the situation out of proportion.

an update on brett and nicky is that the mri scans have indicated that neither of them need to have surgery which is great.  the downside is that both have some type of back brace for at least 3 months.  the injuries are serious, but both have use of their legs which could have been a possibility with this type of accident. both are very grateful for the support and help that the club has shown them both at the accident and during the days afterwards.  in particular they (and the club) want to thank the following people;

• kelly and vicki for the medical support on the day.  it is quite convenient to be riding with a paramedic and nurse
• andrew for organisation at the scene and for looking after the bikes (very important) afterwards
• john and jane for helping with the police report
• travis for visiting the hospital to give the guys some legal advice
• a host of other people that played a supporting role that i may not be able to name

it is casino pa natet not nicest situation for club members to be in, but everything i have heard so far was that everyone pulled together well to look after the guys.  in the early days of the club, we often talked about the club being more like a cycling family.  as it has grown, i have thought that maybe we have drifted away from that concept.  however, the actions the members in this instance show that we will rally together to support each other.

brett and nicky donations – you may have seen that there is a donations button on the right of the webpage.  with most accidents, there are usually a lot of out of pocket expenses that are not covered by all the different types of insurance.  a lot of people have been very generous with their time and skills to help the guys get through this.  if you think that there isn”t much you can do physically, then feel free to donate to help them with any ongoing expenses.  thanks.

ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised. stu has written a bit about what i means to be a ride leader which pretty much sums it up.  sign up here.

2014 agm – with all that has gone on this past week, i haven”t had a chance to publish the outcomes of the agm.  will get to it this week.  rest assured that all positions on the committee were filled and soon those committee members will be looking for people to help on the sub committee.

ucwt masters and tour de perth – this weekend will be the culmination of many of our riders training for the past few months.  there are a few members that are racing in the 4 stage tour de perth national road series race, and a whole lot more that will be competing in the uci masters championships.  the tour de perth is held over 4 days (while most of us are at work) but culminates in the final stage around rebold hill.  the masters race is held after the tour around the same course.  we will have a supporters tent in the feedzone and if you have someone in the race, you can join us there to help support/feed/yell at them.

ride routes – with so many races on this weekend, i am having trouble finding a ride route that doesn”t have some interaction yet still allows a tailwind home.  see how we go with these.  hopefully the sunday hills ride will have a bunch of riders to come back with after the grand fondo.

saturday 29th 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 reverse river 40.58km spr saturday

fast & main groups – morley drive 50.77km spr saturday

sunday 30th 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

short – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday

long – wlsh weir kal 101.71km spr sunday

there has been lots of debate going on this week especially in social media after a not very good weekend on the road for cyclists.  luckily in the three incidents that have been filling up the pages of facebook, no-one has actually been killed, but that does seems to have more to do with luck.  i have been very careful not to comment or link to any of the videos as that just seems to attract the cyclist hating trolls (that on facebook are suppose to be your “friends”).  what can we do as a club???  well for starters obeying the road rules regardless of what others are doing.  stop lights means stop.  don’t slide down stopped traffic when we are riding in a group.  ride single file if we need to.  ride safely and in a considerate manner so that we are not the ones that spoil it for everyone else.  stay safe.

ride leaders – support the club and help us become ambassadors for the sport in the public eye. put your name down as ride leader to ensure that the group ride is safe and organised.  sign up here.

2014 spr agm – this saturday after the ride, we will be having our quarterly breakfast along with our agm.  as a financial member of spr you can vote on any items that we need to present to the membership as well as vote on the members of the 2014 committee.  please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email and add to the comments if you are attending.

ucwt masters and tour de perth – next weekend will be the culmination of many of our riders training for the past few months.  there will be a few members that are racing in the 4 stage tour de perth national road series race, and a whole lot more that will be competing in the uci masters championships.  the tour de perth is held over 4 days (while most of us are at work) but culminates in the final stage around rebold hill.  the masters race is held after the tour around the same course.  we will hopefully have a supporters tent in the feedzone and if you have someone in the race, you can join us there to help support/feed/yell at them.

beginners course – if you are new to cycling, maybe look at the a beginners course first.  see the previous post for info on what one of our club members, cathi dixon, is running.

ride routes – the last of the bonner uci laps are on this saturday.  hopefully in a couple of weeks, things will get back to normal.  strong easterly winds mean a nice smash along benara road.

saturday 22nd march

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 23rd 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

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – khna can mills 94.55km spr sunday

i was talking to cathi the other day and she was saying the in the beginner courses that she runs, it is amazing how many people are not wearing their helmets correctly.  it may seem pretty basic (after all you just put it on your head), but if it is not worn correctly, it may not protect you.  you often see people riding with it pushed far back so you can see lots of forehead.  that is also what the pavement sees when you go over the handle bars.  the australian standards are much higher than the us or european standards and they also test each batch of helmets that enter the country.  have a look around the carpark before the ride and if you think that someone’s helmet is not on correctly, then politely suggest that they may need to adjust it.

ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader.  it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides.  there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.

teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing.  initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised.  this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory.  more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.

2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting.  please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.

beginners course – if you are new to cycling, maybe look at the a beginners course first.  see the previous post for info on what one of our club members, cathi dixon, is running.

ride routes – last week there was an experiment of sorts with the formation of main 4.  this was aimed at providing another step for those that are finding the tranny ride too easy, but the main 3 ride too fast.  remember that we often split groups up for safety reasons, so if the trannies and the main 3 groups are getting too big, then you need to self seed into groups of similar abilities.  it is good to test yourself, but please be realistic of your own abilities as it often means that the ride leaders need to do extra work to keep the group together.

saturday 15th march

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

usually around the beginning of the year we get a few new riders.  sometimes it is the new years resolutions, or the weather is nice, or they have put on a lot of christmas cheer this year, that gets people out.  make sure you take the time to say hello if there is someone new in the group.  make sure that they understand the expectations of the rides and have a chat with them over coffee.  not every rider that is new to the group is a beginner and they may actually have a story to tell.  perhaps they have ridden at a high level in the past and could impart some knowledge on you that may help you with your riding.  if you see someone that is hanging around at the start and looking a bit lost, make sure that you make them feel welcome.

ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader.  it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides.  there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.

state crit champs – we are running this event in conjunction with rccc on sunday.  we will need some volunteers to help run the event.  please see the previous post and put your name down in the comments if you can assist.

crit corner marshals – also, we need corner marshals. we are prepared to pay $50 per person to cover the juniors and $75 to cover the seniors ($125 for the whole day). we want mature people who can stay focussed on the job. we have had a couple of close calls in recent weeks with cars on the circuit. please email daniel at president@roueschaudes.com.au

giro d’perth – a fun event for the whole family.  see the previous post for details and sign up for some low speed fun.

teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing.  initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised.  this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory.  more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.

2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting.  please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.

ride routes – after a hot week, we are looking forward to a bit of respite.  mid to high 20’s are predicted for both saturday and sunday, so i expect that there will be a few people out this weekend.  look out for each other.

saturday 8th march

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 – tv stations 50.29km spr saturday

sunday 9th 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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – f’berg urch obs 96.16km spr sunday

green is the new green.

ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader.  it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides.  there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.

spr kit – current kit order closes after this weekend.  see the link in the right column for more information.

giro d’perth – a fun event for the whole family.  see the previous post for details and sign up for some low speed fun.

teams racing – this year we will be experimenting with a more structured approach to racing.  initially focussing on ‘b’ grade men’s, we will attempt to get a teams based style of racing organised.  this may mean that you will be required to race for the team win and therefore may have to sacrifice your own chances of glory.  more info can be found on the previous post and you can put your name in the comments if you are interested.

2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting.  please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.

ride routes – wow, so this long weekend crept up on me.  public holiday ride as normal but we will split it into fast/main1, main1/main2, main3/trans.  it should be a safe fun ride, not a world championship race.

saturday 1st march

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 2nd 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

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – kal obs goose 97.40km spr sunday

monday 3rd march

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

early lap – south stock 33.76km spr monday

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

public hol 58.97km spr special (fast/main/trans-m3)

respect for other road users.  now this is not just about a healthy respect for cars, trucks and other vehicles that potentially can injure us, but also for other riders that we share the road with.  i received an email during the week where a cyclist complained about one of our saturday morning groups.  he was a fairly new rider and probably didn’t have all the “cool” gear on, but found it quite daunting when 30 or so riders all came past him.  he said that he tried to talk to the guy that was on the front, but was just ignored completely.  now, i am only hearing one side of the story, but when someone from outside identifies a group of our riders and says that they haven’t been shown any respect, then i worry that there may be some elitism creeping into our club.  we pride ourselves on being inclusive and that is not just who we allow to ride in our groups, but also how we treat other riders on the road.  there are many stories of people joining other ride groups and not being given a second glance let alone a polite word.  we don’t want to get that type of reputation.  understanding that we don’t own the road when we come past another group, and just stopping to think for a minute back to when we started riding and how we may have felt in their situation.  look out for each other.

ride leaders – give some of your time to the club by helping out as ride leader.  it is important that developing riders understand what is expected of them on our club training rides.  there are enough experienced riders in our groups to be able to impart some of their knowledge to the other groups.

2014 spr agm – on the 22nd march we will be holding our annual general meeting.  please see the post on the blog or (if you are a member or expired member) you will receive more info via email.

Cyclist Coffee Stop of the Year 2014 – Dome Westralia has been nominated for coffee stop of the year in the Cyclist magazine.  you have to vote via facebook, but there is a link to their link here.

road works – our monday, tuesday, thursday, saturday ebr and sunday ebr rides now have an extra dimension to them.  cyclocross along melville beach road while there is roadworks going on.  at the moment, it is not too bad as long as you don’t hit it at speed.  the weather is looking pretty good, so it shouldn’t turn to slush, but if it gets too cut up, then let me know and we will reroute the rides until it is fixed up.  please ride to conditions and stay safe.

ride routes – hot windy week predicted so make sure that you are adequately prepared before your ride.  also, have a think about the wind direction before you start up a roll through.  the idea is to make it easier, not harder, so if you think the group is rolling the wrong way, do something about it.  a little visual reminder here.

saturday 22nd february

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday

sunday 23rd 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

short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday

long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday

there has been a bit of discussion lately about the actions and attitudes of some riders on our club rides.  the thing to remember is that they are club training rides and therefore the actions of all riders in the club must reflect the cornerstones of our club.  we have always been welcoming to new riders and have never stopped anyone from coming out with us.  it is, however, recommended that you join the club if you intend to continue to ride with us.  some non-club members (but regular riders) have been seen doing the wrong thing and it has been mentioned on the blog.  unfortunately, we are unsure whether they actually read the blog if they are not members.  any actions that are seen to be outside of the ride etiquette guidelines that we have for our group rides should be dealt with during that ride.  a quiet word of advice explaining what the issue is may be all it takes.  not everyone likes to hear criticism and some people may react poorly.  at the end of the day, these are not the types of people that we want on our rides.  if there is repeated offences then get as may details as possible and contact the club on email.

ride leaders – recently, we have had to scrape around for ride leaders even on the day.  there is a lot going on with uci laps and people doing long training, but there was still more than one main 1 group last week.  we need to make sure that our groups get sufficient leadership so that they maintain a level of safety and organisation.  please do your bit for the development of the club and sign up as a ride leader.

renae’s race – in memory of renae baker, this race focuses on women’s racing with the men’s events being the support events.  spr and rccc will be running this event sunday 16th at the tech park circuit. entries close tonight, so if you want to race, you can find more info here.  we will need some volunteers throughout the day.  if you are available to help out, put your name down here.

ride routes – standard weekend rides.  stay safe on the roads.

saturday 15th february

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

early lap – earlybird 40.93km spr special

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 6:00am

uci training – more info here

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 – shelley & mosman 50.14km spr saturday

sunday 16th 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

short – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday

long – can mills peet obs 90.30km spr sunday