what a wild week for weather.  after having an extended summer we have finally hit a spell of cold, wet and windy.  perfect weather for sitting up late to watch the giro as you know that you won’t be up at pre-dawn for the earlybird ride.  however, if you did manage to head out (des & laurensia – i saw on strava) then extra kudos to you and full belgium points. hopefully, we can get some riding in before the next downpour.

kit orders and collection – if you still haven’t collected your kit you can do so via the instructions on the previous post.  if you are looking at ordering new kit, the orders close this weekend and information on how to order can be found on this post.

road id – as in the previous post it is important to carry some form of id on you while you are riding.  brendan found out the hard way that with all his info in his locked phone, it was hard for his riding companions to access any of it while he was unconscious.  graham has negotiated a 20% discount with road id that is only valid till the 19th may.  make sure you take advantage of it.

armadale kermesse and grand fondo – you may have heard about this event that PIHC is putting on.  catering for all types of riders as it has both a grand fondo participation ride plus a kermesse (longer criterium) race on at the same time.  although, we would like as many people to enter and support this event, we are also running the race with rccc.  this means that we will need some volunteers as well.  we will post more info this week as to what jobs we need filling.

spr boot camp – a bit of cross training is being offered to keep you fit over winter.  see the previous post for details.

ride routes – hopefully the break in the weather will allow a bit of riding over the weekend.  i am slowly getting the sunday ride routes remapped into garmin, but it is taking a while.  the long course is a bit tricky at the start so make sure you have a look at the route.  remembering that it is mother’s day so the coffeeshops are bound to be busy.

saturday 11th may

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 may

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 – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 90.54km (canning mills & peet & patterson)

this saturday is international star wars day.  if you are a geek, you will understand why.  if not, then look at the date.  extra kudos for anyone that can make some dubious link between cycling and star wars this saturday (star wars undershirt, light saber headlights, full storm trooper outfit).  any storm trooper helmets will need to be approved to australian standards.

focus kids ride – this saturday is the first of the month and as such is the kids focus ride.  bring your kids down and take them for an easy ride along the foreshore.

kit collection – you can collect it from North Perth at a time that suits you, or have it posted.  See previous post for more details.

spr ladies ride – monday 6th may is the spr ladies ride.  meet under the narrows (city side) for a 5:30am river loop – thursday route but with all the shortcuts.  the group waits for everyone and even goes ahead if it is bucketing down with rain!

armadale kermesse and grand fondo – you may have heard about this event that PIHC is putting on.  catering for all types of riders as it has both a grand fondo participation ride plus a kermesse (longer criterium) race on at the same time.  although, we would like as many people to enter and support this event, we are also running the race with rccc.  this means that we will need some volunteers as well.  as we get closer to the event, we will post more info as to what jobs we need filling.

spr boot camp – a bit of cross training is being offered to keep you fit over winter.  see the previous post for details.

ride routes – nothing too outstanding this week.  nice and fast with a tailwind on saturday and a monster hill for the long course on sunday.  take advantage of the break in the weather to get a few kms in over the weekend.  for those on strava, there is a new challenge called the may massive to track who is doing the most k’s.

saturday, may the 4th be with you

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

ride starts behind boatshed cafe (coode st carpark) at 9:30am

focus kids group – ride along bike path to causeway and return (6kms)

sunday 5th may

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 – spr sunday 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry) 

long – spr sunday 104.03km (campersic & kalamunda)

if you didn’t realise, it is almost may.  and may means a few things – the year is flying by; my birthday is coming up (save for presents); the giro starts next week.  last years tour was such a disappointment as it totally lacked any spirit.  watching wiggo sit 4th wheel for a lap of france didn’t really cut it for me.  the vuelta was much more exciting as there was drama all the way to the end.  with the line up expected at the giro, we can only hope that some of that drama comes early this year.

kit collection – the kit will be available this Saturday between 7:30am and 10:00am at Dome, Westralia Plaza.  SPR water bottles will also be available for cash sale. $12 for 800mL and $10 for a 650mL bottle.  If you can’t collect your kit this Saturday, you can collect it from North Perth at a time that suits you, or have it posted.  See previous post for more details.

goldfields cyclassic – this event is coming up at the start of june so we are trying to organise travel and accommodation   if you are interested please see the previous post and add to the comments.  there is a two day race plus a participation ride.

armadale kermesse and grand fondo – you may have heard about this event that PIHC is putting on.  catering for all types of riders as it has both a grand fondo participation ride plus a kermesse (longer criterium) race on at the same time.  although, we would like as many people to enter and support this event, we are also running the race with rccc.  this means that we will need some volunteers as well.  as we get closer to the event, we will post more info as to what jobs we need filling.

ride routes – as many slackers are also having tomorrow off, there are a few impromptu rides being organised.  rob is taking any potential TT/triathletes out for another lap after the earlybird, and julian is taking a medium length hills ride out after the earlybird.  i have to go to work so will be hating every one of you. with the uci finished, i expect that there will be a fast group on saturday.  sunday short course will also have a main 3 speed group lead by steve.  it will follow the same route, but they will form their own regroups and ride together.

friday 26th april

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

early lap – spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:45am – TT ride

4x Busso bound TT’s will be departing straight after Friday EBR to collect a further 50ish around the River

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am – hills ride

main group – welshpool, patterson, camelberg & mundaring weir rd to kalamunda.

saturday 27th 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 – ewen st 50.26km spr saturday

sunday 28th 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 – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd) (main & main 3 groups)

long – spr sunday 101.29km (roleystone & observatory)

i am quietly crapping myself.  in 39 hours time i will be starting the longest bike ride that i have ever done.  for those that don’t know, i have signed up for the delirium 24hr race down in cowaramup.  along with brooke, we will be riding around, and around, and around a circuit for a day and a night to see how many kms we can do.  last year, leah, alison and dale took the plunge and since none of them are going back for a repeat performance, i can only speculate as to how much fun this is going to be.  so, instead of the usual “how many kms will you do” question, i think that the better question is “how many hours before you start crying”.  “how many hours till you can’t sit down on the saddle anymore”.  “how much gel/powerade/sports food can you eat before your body has to purge itself”. any other questions and estimates of answers can be added to the comments below.

kit collection – the kit will be available next Saturday at the coffee shop.  see previous post for more details.

goldfields cyclassic – this event is coming up at the start of june so we are trying to organise travel and accommodation   if you are interested please see the previous post and add to the comments.  there is a two day race plus a participation ride.

armadale kermesse and grand fondo – you may have heard about this event that PIHC is putting on.  catering for all types of riders as it has both a grand fondo participation ride plus a kermesse (longer criterium) race on at the same time.  although, we would like as many people to enter and support this event, we are also running the race with rccc.  this means that we will need some volunteers as well.  as we get closer to the event, we will post more info as to what jobs we need filling.

ride routes – with anzac day on next week, there will be an extra public holiday ride.  thursday earlybird will run as normal with both the fast and main groups, but they will then regroup back at coode st for the public holiday route.  finish at DOME, but remember that there will be a lot of other people in the city for the anzac march so be considerate.

saturday 20th 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 – south lake 51.99km spr saturday

sunday 21st 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 – spr sunday 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry)

long – spr sunday 95.04km (greenmount & parkerville & mundaring weir)

thursday 25th april

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

spr thursday 43.54km (cott & freo)

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

trans & main – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

now that the perth leg of the uci has come to an end we will be changing our wednesday earlybird ride route.  we basically rotate this on a 6 monthly basis with oct-apr as uci training, then the rest of the year as the ciao ride.

for those of you not familiar with the ciao ride, it is the polar opposite to the uci ride, well in elevation anyway.  it is flat and fast taking in the two approaches to shelley.  in between is “the block” which is also fast.  minor regroups at the end of each section, but being a semi-out-n-back, if you get dropped on the first shelley, you can be picked up on the way back.  we generally ride the majority of the ride at an easy pace, saving the legs for the 3 fast sections.

the meeting point is at ciao italia at the corner of douglas and mill point rd and the ride leaves at 5:30am.  it is generally considered easier than the fast thursday as there are no hills and takes off at an easier pace.  see you there.

what a weekend for cycling.  there is so much going on that it kind of makes you wonder why some of these people don’t talk to each other.  it has taken a few years, but the cycling wa calendar now goes through a detailed process to make sure that there are no clashes.  the last thing you want is people having to make a choice one week and provide nothing the next week.  generally, the dams, uci & triathlon participates are different, but there are some people (and even members of our club) that would have done a couple of these events if they had the choice.  all three events are big business, though, and i doubt they would notice a few less participants.  the start list for the dams has over 800 names.  maybe something we can build up to for the water tower challenge…

tour de perth – kicked off today on rottnest island with an 80km road race.  up against the nrs teams, andy, jono and luke managed to hang on to the main pack and finish only 37 sec behind the winner.  matty, toby and the other spr regulars finished a few minutes behind.  a time trial on the island tomorrow before the kalamunda road race on saturday and the perrty lakes race after the uci masters.  lots of racing and lots of opportunities to go cheer the guys on.

uwct perth – many months of training will culminate this weekend with the running of the uci masters race on sunday.  some spr riders will also be tackling the time trial on rottnest in order to qualify.  there will be a support team on hand on sunday, so if you are heading down to watch, look our for the spr tent.

bwa dams – many months of training will culminate with the running of the dams ride on sunday.  there are many spr riders doing either the 3 or 5 dams ride as a personal challenge.  looking at the start list, there are expected to be over 800 riders taking part.  if you are doing it, keep an eye out for other spr riders and give them some encouragement…or a push.

triathlons – besides the coorporate triathlon in the city, there is also another race in the triathlon series being held down at rockingham.  just to round out there will also be some spr members competing in triathlons.

ride routes – this saturday we will still be running the uci 6am ride just in case anyone wants a last minute easy lap of the circuit.  it will, however, be the last saturday this will be running.  also the wednesday kings park uci ride will revert back to the ciao ride from south perth.  on sunday, there will be lots of events on throughout the city.  if you are doing the 7am hills ride, please be aware that the bwa dams ride starts from the corner of coode/mill point from 6am onwards.  to access the coode st carpark, best you enter and leave via douglas ave.

saturday 13th april

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 – uci perry lakes 25.24km 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 14th 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 – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 97.99km (carradine & peet & observatory)

well the long weekend was a looong weekend and i know that a lot of people managed to smash out some k’s. i managed a couple of long rides to prepare for delirium, and i found out a bit about myself.  it turns out that after about 5 hours on the bike, my butt gets really really sore.  my legs were ok as long as i kept feeding them, but my butt got sick of sitting on the saddle.  i am wondering where i can get one of those sheep skin seat covers (probably the kiwi shop) or maybe a recumbent bike.  in other (non-spr) rides, andrew ballam came down after he was rear ended on the pappa’s public holiday ride.  hope to see him back out with us soon.

spr ladies ride – monday 8 april is the spr ladies ride.  meet under the narrows (city side) for a 5:30am river loop – thursday route but with all the shortcuts.  the group waits for everyone and even goes ahead if it is bucketing down with rain!

focus kids ride – this saturday is the first of the month and as such is the kids focus ride.  bring your kids down and take them for an easy ride along the foreshore. i REALLY REALLY need someone to look after this ride for me as i need to do an extra lap of the river for training.  can i please have a volunteer to look after the kids by adding to the comments below.

memberships – last week we had just cracked 340 members but this week we are back to 315.  what happened???  well the recreational licences are set on a rolling 3 month year.  there were a whole bunch of riders that had their licence expire at the end of march.  have a look at your membership card and see if you are still a financial member.  if not, get online and renew today.

ride routes – so i have started to convert the ride routes over to garmin maps and began by making up a couple of new rides for saturday.  you will notice that they are named differently “route name, kms, spr day”.  this is so when you transfer to your device, it shows the name of the route first.  i will be upgrading as we go and will get rid of a few of the rides we don’t do any more.  so, have a look at the new format and the new maps.  i will replace the links as i upgrade.

saturday 6th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

uci training – spr saturday (uci perry lakes)

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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – trans canning vale 42.34km spr saturday

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

ride starts behind boatshed cafe (coode st carpark) at 9:30am

focus kids group – ride along bike path to causeway and return (7kms)

sunday 7th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 101.86km (welshpool & mundaring & kalamunda)

so i was a bit unimpressed today at mapmyrides conversion of the ride route and how poorly it transferred over to the garmin.  when we headed through whiteman park, the course straightlined across the park and jumped over the wiggly roads.  it meant that main 1 missed a number of turns and we left the park too early.

as there are a lot of people using garmin devices now, i am considering moving over to the garmin mapping function.  this also makes it much easier to upload the map as you just plug in your device and then click the “send to device” icon.  if we do go down this route, i will also rename the maps with the name first, then kms, then day so that when it lists on the garmin, it is easier to know which map it is. (i.e whiteman park 50.4km spr saturday).  to upload the map, click on the “view details” link below the elevation profile.

the new map style is shown below.  all feedback greatly appreciated.

as we come to the end of march we get to do so with an extra long weekend.  april is looking like a massive month for cycling as we have people participating in a number of events.  the tour de perth, uci masters race, 3/5 dams, masters track champs, a number of different triathlons and the delirium 24 hr race. at delirium, myself and brooke colton have signed up for the solo event, following in the footsteps of alison, dale and leah from last year.  i have no idea what to expect and am worried that my body won’t stick to the game plan.  i am afraid that after about 8 hrs i will get off the bike for a rest and wake up 8 hrs later.  if so, that still gives me another 8 hrs to ride, so no big loss. at the end of the day, it is a challenge just to see what you are capable of doing.  the club will be still pushing in that same direction and we will look at running our watertower challenge later on in the year.  for those that find the 3/5 dams too much, or the giro d’perth too little, this event should fit nicely in between.  the important thing is to keep challenging yourself.  do different types of events, have a go at racing, step up a group on saturday just to see how you go.  there are lots of things out there that can keep cycling interesting.

ride routes – lots of rides this weekend and lots of opportunities for people to smash out some big k’s.  if you have the chance, try out some of the rides that you normally never do.  monday earlybird is a good example of the under utilised training ride.  new ride for the main group this week.  make sure you have a good hard look at the map and upload it to your garmin if necessary.  also, remember that some of the ride leaders may not be available this weekend, so we will be looking at you to step up and take control. just a note – DOME will be closed on good friday, so no coffee after the ride.

friday 29th march

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

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 6:00am

good friday hills ride (see previous post)

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

trans & main – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

saturday 30th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

uci training – spr saturday (uci perry lakes)

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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.51km (whiteman park)

sunday 31st march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 101.29km (roleystone & observatory)

monday 1st april

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

spr monday 33.72km (south & freo)

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

trans & main – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

brendan nichol has been riding with the club for quite a while.  his first ride with us predate’s spr and it was after a sunday hills ride that i discovered that he came from the same home town as me in victoria and knew some of the same bike people.  he was at the agm last saturday with his wife jody and his little boy nate.  anyway, apparently he was out riding with the total triathlon guys on tuesday morning.  what i mean by apparently, is that he has no recollection of most of tuesday.  he was in the hills when the group came across and oncoming car on a tight road.  the group moved over and somehow people came off (not the cars fault).  it seems that brendan managed to save his bike from much damage by landing directly on his head and was knocked out out cold.  the group called an ambulance and he was rushed to royal perth with a massive concussion.  he spent most of tuesday and wednesday in ICU as he didn’t properly wake up till sometime on wednesday when he was moved to a trauma ward.  i went to visit him today and he seems in good spirits.  he doesn’t remember much but is also not that sore, just a little fuzzy.  jody looks a little frazzled after having a stressful couple of days while brendan blissfully slept.  one of the biggest problems was that the other guys on the ride didn’t know him well enough to know who to contact in an emergency.  all his emergency details were on his phone which was locked.  even when he got to the hospital, they didn’t have enough details and it was lucky that a nurse recognised him and managed to contact jody.  anyway, the point is that whenever you are out on your bike, make sure that you have your emergency contact details written down somewhere.  i carry an old drivers licence with kate’s details on the back.  it has my photo, name and address on it so i can be identified and kate’s phone numbers so she can be called.  anyway, brendan should be sent home tomorrow but if you want to leave him a message, do so in the comments below.

agm – have had a pretty busy week and didn’t get a chance to post anything about the agm.  all positions were spilled and then refilled with a couple of new committee members.  thanks to those that served last year and not renominated.  we appreciated your efforts in keeping the club running.

ride routes – lots of complaints about the ride route last week as the wind was quite strong on abernathy road.  well i only set the course, not the wind and it is up to you guys to work out which way to roll through to make it easier on yourselves.  it’s called learning.  anyway, you would have got a tailwind home and a muffin at the agm, so stop complaining.

saturday 23rd march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

uci training – spr saturday (uci perry lakes)

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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.72km (mosman park)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 51.36km (sth lake)

sunday 24th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 94.64km (kahuna & canning mills)