four day weekend – quality time with the family or an attempt at the quadruple-double.  that’s right, the double on every day of the weekend can potentially give you a 450km weekend.  a free easter egg to anyone that tops 400kms this weekend (divorce lawyer will cost extra).

spr kit – the kit order is open and can be found here or through the tabs at the top of the website.  this will be the winter order so make sure you get the armwarmers, vests or jackets you require before it gets too cold.

club breakfast and agm – on the 14th of april we will hold our agm after the club breakfast. venue will be the DOME so keep an eye out for more info as we post it. if you want to get involved with the club, here is your chance. nominate by sending me an email.

state tt champs – the 15th of april means the dams ride for many of you. for the others, there is an opportunity to race for a state title. our sister club down south will be hosting the state time trial championships at dardanup. this is a good opportunity to compete at a state level and see how good you are against the clock. this year the event is also open to day licence holders, although they are not eligible to win a state title. if you are training up for the 1/2 ironman, this may be a good form tester. you can always go for a run afterwards.

ride routes – the normal earlybird rides apply on friday and monday this weekend.  that means you will be starting under the narrows but on the sth perth side.  i have not re-routed the public holiday ride where it goes along left bank.  i think that the alternative back onto canning hwy has more traffic interaction and therefore is just as dangerous.  last time i think that the group was not aware of the speed humps especially in an area that we used to go hard.  we are now aware and as such the section along left bank will be an easy ride section so that people can easily ride around the speed humps.  just remember, you are also responsible for your own safety, so if you think that people are riding too hard for the road conditions, then you should back off.  i have often pulled out of a group if it is too dark, too wet, or just feel uneasy. 

in preparation for the dams ride, the sunday hills will once again go through mundering.  however, this time we head up through darlington before we go along weir road.

friday 6th april

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

early lap – spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

NOTE – DOME will not be open on good friday so you will have to find your coffee elsewhere

saturday 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 39.04km (benara rd)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.09km (abernathy rd)

sunday 8th 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 63.49km (gooseberry & kalamuda)

long – spr sunday 100.45km (darlington & mundaring)

monday 9th april

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

early lap – spr monday 46.74km (south & freo)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

uci, uci, uci….oh, hang on.  it’s over now.  a great turn out for both the racers and the supporters on the day with a number of medals won across different divisions.  a few call up letters for the championship have also been sent out so we may just have a contingent of spr riders heading across to south africa for the world champs.

club breakfast and agm – on the 14th of april we will hold our agm after the club breakfast.  venue will be the DOME so keep an eye out for more info as we post it.  if you want to get involved with the club, here is your chance.  nominate by sending me an email.

midland 100 – racing this weekend.  use some of that uci form to rip it up.  more info here, add to the comments so that other know that you will be coming.  if anyone wants to take the tent and esky with them, let me know.

night ride – planning for the night ride is underway and we are looking at every third wednesday of the month starting on the 18th of april.  the route is being finalised and feedback has been taken on board in regards to the busy roads and the busy night of the week.  keep an eye out for more info.

spr kit – just finalising the prices with cannibal for the winter run of kit.  orders will be through the blog as normal so keep an eye out for posts letting you know when you can order.  remember, even though the weather is nice now, we will not be doing another order till later in the year, so once it gets cold make sure you are ready.

state tt champs – the 15th of april means the dams ride for many of you.  for the others, there is an opportunity to race for a state title.  our sister club down south will be hosting the state time trial championships at dardanup.  this is a good opportunity to compete at a state level and see how good you are against the clock.  this year the event is also open to day licence holders, although they are not eligible to win a state title.  if you are training up for the 1/2 ironman, this may be a good form tester.  you can always go for a run afterwards.

ride routes – in preparation for the dams ride, the sunday hills will take on greenmount and mundaring weir road.

saturday 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

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

sunday 1st 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 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry)

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

so i usually train for an event using the 5 stages of grief approach.

1. denial – the race is ages away, i have plenty of time to train.
2. anger – what???  it can’t really be this weekend, it’s not fair.  it was in april last year.  those bastards did this deliberately.
3. bargaining – i wonder if i can get them to move the race date???  where can i get some epo???
4. depression – no love for the bike.  why do i bother.  i might as well pull out.
5. acceptance – oh, well.  might as well just do the ride and see what happens.

good luck to those racing and also to those just competing.

uci road race – so the big day is almost here.  there is a bit more info about who is riding and where we will be supporting on this blog post.  there is some more info about some night time ninja activities here.  we have over 30 riders across multiple age groups so it would be great to see a few familiar faces out there in support.  last year there was a sea of spr kits on top of the hill and i think it made a great impact on the rest of the bike community.  i hope we can repeat the feat.  also, congrats to the few spr’s that took on the time trial at rotto today.

track grand prix – don’t forget that the track grand prix is on this saturday evening for those interested in seeing some quality track riding.  more info can be found here.

ride routes – as not everyone is doing the uci race and some people are still training for the dams ride, i have still programmed in a sunday hills ride.  as a lot of the usual suspects will not be there, make sure you know the ride route and don’t be shy about taking control of the group.  i would prefer you on the hill supporting us, but training is training.  as for saturday, i was asked if i could program in a ride that headed closer to the hills.  some people are going to give up their sunday hills ride to come and support, but want to do a long hills ride on saturday instead.  we will be mounting lennie hill road so that there are some options for people to break off and do the goose or kalamunda instead.

saturday 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.46km (“lennie” hill rd)

sunday 25th 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 87.72km (kahuna & peet & patterson)

flying visit to sydney for me this week which luckily co-incides with my taper week for the uci race.  our office was on the 47th floor overlooking the opera house, which was pretty cool.  i guess i am getting too used to perth as i found sydney just so damn busy.  looking at the traffic through the city and kind of thought that there was no way i could ride a bike here.  i think we get it pretty good in perth for accessibility for cyclists on the roads.  putting up with the odd (or daily) moron abusing us is a little price (although unnecessary) to pay.  there are probably things i have missed in this blog, as i am a bit jet-lagged.  hopefully i can fix it up before too many people read it.

track grand prix – vip seats available.  we only have a couple of people committing to it so far so it looks like it won’t happen.  if you are interested check out the info here and put your name in the comments.

uci race or support – so, who is actually doing the uci race next week???  i looked at the start list and there weren’t that many names i recognised.  entries close tuesday 20th so don’t be doing all this training for nothing.  also, who is going to be on the hill to support us this year???  i need some volunteers to take the tent and esky along and set it up the morning of the race.  last year i had to take it all along and race as well.  kind of a bit inconvenient and i will not be doing it this year.  it would be good to have the same level of support out on the course as we did last year.

ride routes – saturday, ewen st.  shut-up lennie i don’t want to hear it.

saturday 17th 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.72km (mosman park)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.23km (ewen st)

sunday 18th 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 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd)

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

busy, busy, busy.  short week at work means less time to do the same amount of work.  on top of that i am suffering on the bike so am not feeling the love at the moment.  a few big rides have put me in the hurt box and crap rides mean cranky days at work.  on top of that i am meeting with 4 city councillors this friday to discuss the possibility of developing the criterium circuit.  have a look at this facebook link to see what toowoomba council and the q’land state government have put together.  i would be more than happy with something half as good as that.

track grand prix – if anyone is interested in joining the VIP package to watch the track grand prix in a couple of weeks, have a look at the post here and leave your name in the comments.  unless we get about 10-15 people, it will not be worth it.

night ride – toby is looking at starting up a thursday night ride.  see here for more info and give some feedback in the comments section.

therapy focus – i have a meeting with some therapists and families with disabled kids that are interested in riding at 9:30am this saturday.  if you would like to join me in meeting with these people to see what we can offer them as a club, then join me after coffee to ride back over to coode st.  i would like to get a few people over there in spr kit to show a bit of club support.

ride routes – alexander drive this saturday.  it is a fairly new route, so make sure you have a look at the map beforehand as it gets a bit tricky.  sunday hills is hanging close to kalamunda and offering lots of opportunities for you to “blouse” it early.  however, as it is predicted to be 39 degrees, a blouse might be a good idea.

saturday 10th 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.18km (alexander drive)

sunday 11th 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 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd) follow long course out to hills

long – spr sunday 87.99km (welshpool & observatory & camelberg & gooseberry)

uci uci uci.  it is coming up fast and i am starting to try to cram before it like an exam i haven’t studied for.  i know that this method doesn’t work but it is all i have left.  i want to at least try to finish this year, even if it is somewhere off the back of the group.  i am in a new age group category this year, so i will be one of the youngest rather than one of the oldest.  not sure if it will help after watching the masters crit champs.  there are some strong boys out there.  another event i am thinking about is the delirium race that they have down south.  24hr road bike event with either individuals or teams of 6.  i am thinking of having a crack at the individual event.  would not like to even hazard a guess at how many kms i could do in 24hrs, but it would look good in strava.

pemberton/karri cup – good luck to all the spr riders heading down south this weekend.  both skinny and fat tyres have racing on.

women’s criterium – after the success of renae’s race, other clubs now trying to provide opportunities for women who want to race.  northern districts are holding a crit on the 11th march and they will now include a women’s only event as part of that race.  even better they are offering it at the low, low price of $5 entry.  it will be run at the same time as C grade but starting just after (like we did at the state champs).  if any girls want to give it a crack, then make sure you sign up.

children with disabilities – the following saturday after the ride, i am meeting with a group of parents and therapists to discuss what our club can do in regards to helping kids with disabilities.  these kids have all expressed interest in cycling and since we are down at coode st carpark every weekend, i thought it would be a good opportunity to see how we can integrate some other rides into our system.  ultimately, this should not mean any change to the way we do things but initially they may need some help in learning how to run group rides (probably just on the bike path along the foreshore).  what i need is a few people to join me in meeting this group so we can discuss the opportunities available.  9:30am coode st carpark saturday 10th march.

ride routes – a full weekend of riding available (if you are allowed out of the house).  on monday, it is not shown below, but if enough transitional group people get together, we can run a separate tranny group public holiday ride.  let me know on saturday if that is going to be the case and i can add it below.

saturday 3rd 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

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.04km (hale & ridge hill)

sunday 4th 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 101.68km (carradine & canning dam)

monday 5th march

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

early lap – standard monday earlybird.  it has been changed but i think it is stock and south st.

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

so i have been spending my free time sorting through a couple of hours worth of video footage from renae’s race.  i must say that those girls really gave it their all.  it was good to see the spr chicks bunch giving it a go and it was great to see how far they have come.  thanks to liz leydon in the a grade race and meg in the b grade race for “manning” the cameras.  hopefully i will finish it soon.

state crit champs – as mentioned previously, we are holding the state crit champs this weekend with the rccc.  we really need a bunch of volunteers to make the day successful.  more info here.

pemberton – the long weekend in march means two things.  pemberton classic for the roadies and the karri cup for the dirt boys.  really what it means is no accommodation left in pemberton next weekend.  good luck to those that are heading down.

ride routes – remember, the second main 1 is the same as the first main 1.  no hills ride this week.  the club needs you to come down and help out at the crit champs.

saturday 25th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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 50.47km (south st)

sunday 26th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

NO ride at 7:00am as we are running the state crit champs.  come and help out.

Linsanity, greedy banks and crit racing.  these are the things that have dominated news in my life for the last week. 

if you don’t follow NBA basketball, then Linsanity will mean nothing to you, but it is worth a google.  a true underdog story of hollywood proportions.  a undrafted, unheralded, asian-american player that was sleeping on his brother’s couch has suddenly become the hottest player in the NBA. 

so the RBA decides not to raise interest rates but all the banks do.  nice.  they are claiming that loans are no longer profitable but are posting 1/2 yearly profits of billions of dollars.  can somebody say “super-tax”. 

perth crits were another good event with good spectator turn outs at each race.  good to see racing being brought into the city.

renae’s race – the premier race for women in wa is on this sunday, so get down to support it.  apparently they are now taking enteries on the day with no late fees.  we have a number of spr women racing so come along to watch or enter the men’s support races.  we will have a tent, etc set up down there so it would be good to see you there.

tuesday night ride – a new ride to add into your weekly repertoire or one for those looking for extra kms.  toby will be running a “sprint skills” training session around kings park.  this will involve doing intervals and skill sets that are needed to make you a better sprinter.  the session will start at 6:00pm at the DOME and run for an hour.  for those that ride to work, this will allow a session after work before you head home.  if you have a backpack with your work gear, you can leave it at the cafe while you are training.  come down a bit early for your pre-training coffee.

state criterium championships – next sunday at the tech park circuit we will be running the state crit champs in conjunction with the rccc.  i will be putting up a separate post later to call for volunteers, but we will need quite a few as we will be running a number of races from juniors through to the open championships.  if you are not racing, we would like to see you done there to help us out.

political pressure – one of the projects that we are looking at this year is to get a dedicated crit circuit built to get us away from the traffic.  within the city of south perth there is already has a half-assed attempt at a circuit at george burnett park in manning (look on google maps).  it is way too skinny and if no way acceptable as a race circuit.  in order to get any changes made, we need to get the residents within the club to put some pressure on the city.  last week, any city of south perth residents would have received a survey about the recreation and open space in the city of south perth.  it is due in tomorrow, so this is real late notice, but if you are a resident then i need you to fill in the survey and send it in.  there is a section for “suggestions for improvements” and under that i would like you to suggest that george burnett park have it’s bike circuit widened to allow a facility for the safe racing and training of cyclists.  the results of this survey are supposed to be incorporated into the open space strategy for the city.

ride routes – make sure you know the ride routes.  don’t forget about the little kink on the saturday main ride when it gets close to kalamunda.  i have tried to put in a “shorter” long hills ride this week so you can get down to renae’s race afterwards to support our riders.

saturday 18th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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 50.47km (hale rd reverse)

sunday 19th february

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 90.23km (welshpool & observatory & kalamunda rd)

sorry, no photoshop pictures this week.  i didn’t hear of anything post worthy to warrant a couple of hours of picture manipulation.  but just remember to be careful if i do have a picture of your head…  lots on this weekend and the next couple of weeks.  starting this week, there will be a race at tech park for the next 3 weeks.  great if you like that circuit…or aren’t actually organising stuff….or aren’t still looking for that elusive fitness…or still looking for excuses.  there are a number of opportunities for those wanting to try racing, one for just the girls and one for the potential state champions.

sportsexpo – on this weekend at the convention & exhibition centre there will be all different sports showing what they have to offer.  cycling wa will be there and i will be spending a few hours on the stall handing out flyers.  more info here.

perth crits – also on this weekend will be the perth crit series.  held over 4 days at 4 locations we do have a few spr members riding in this series.  locations include, stirling, vic park, vincent and freo.  head down to see the action.  more info here.

rccc/spr criterium race 03 – also on this weekend, and of course the most important of all, is race 03 of our crit series with the rccc.  as the perth crits will take up most of the “a” grade talent, we will be running a combined a/b race as we expect lower numbers.  come along to race but more importantly to volunteer to help out.  more info here.

renae’s race – this is the premier race for women in the state and we are trying to get as many of the girls out to race as possible.  next weekend on sunday the 19th at the tech park circuit if you want to have a go.  there are other support races and juniors as well, but the primary race is the women’s which will also have a women’s support race.  the last women’s race that was held at the end of 2011, spr members made up almost the entire field.  lets show them that the club supports and promotes women’s racing.  more info here.  registration here.

state criterium championships – the following weekend (26th feb) we will be combining with the rccc to hold the state criterium championships, also at the tech park circuit.  we will be running both juniors and seniors which will make for a long day.  we will definitely need a lot of volunteers for this event so we can easily change out traffic management positions between races.  mark it in your calendar, and if you are not racing, please come down to help.

ride routes – no sunday hills ride on this week due to the criterium racing.  come along and race or help out as a volunteer.

saturday 11th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

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 49.38km (tv stations)

sunday 12th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

no rides at 7:00am due to criterium racing on at tech park