queensland, beautiful and humid and sweaty one day, expecting 40-80mm of rain the next.  on a plane to the hunter valley tonight, so i have to get the ride routes out early.  sorry to anyone that has emailed me this week, but my internet is a bit hit and miss.  i also, my lack of riding and living on hotel food will be quite telling when i get home.

bike paths – there have been some more complaints about SPR riders on the bike paths especially after our training rides.  the tuesday morning ride is getting quite big with summer approaching and after we regroup at the raffles there are a lot of riders heading up the path.  we need to be aware of other riders on the path and also be aware that legally you are only allowed to ride single file.  if this continues to be an issue, we may need to change the ride routes and cross the bridge via the road (similar to the weekend earlybird).  please be considerate to other bike riders.

tour de perth – good luck to those that are competing this weekend, especially those that are doing all three stages.

movember – support the spr mo-team as it is almost coming to an end.  more info here.

ride routes – saturday numbers may be a bit lower as there are many doing the tour de perth road race.  as such, we might need YOU to step up and help out.  this might be as easy as knowing EXACTLY where the ride route is to go. don’t forget our new coffee location on saturday and diversion to the ride route (see here).

saturday 26th movember

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 51.36km (sth lake)

 sunday 27th movember

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 have a week in brisvegas next week for work.  this means i miss out on sunday hills ride, tuesday small chain ring, wednesday uci ride, thursday fast group and most probably next saturday group ride.  this got me thinking about when is my off season.  last year i built up to the uci race.  did a bit less riding after it, thought i should use some of that form and did more racing.  built up to the state champs and a bit more racing, now i am building towards the uci race again.  if we want to, our season can go all year long.  does this matter or is the level that most of us training at, not really a stress on the body over a long period??? 

spr kit – orders have closed so if you missed out you will be waiting till autumn for the winter order.  there are still some t-shirts left and these can be ordered through the online shop.

tour de perth – the entries have been extended to next tuesday so check out the blog post here and add your name to the comments when you enter.

movember – support the spr mo-team.  more info here.

ride routes – with the great perth bike ride on this weekend, the usual sunday earlybird ride will need to be changed.  this week we will use the friday earlybird ride route and start on the south perth side of the narrows.  for the long course on sunday, after welshpool road, start to do laps of the observatory but on the first lap, divert down towards karagulen.  on the map it looks like the turn around point is close to the bottle shop that is just north of the servo. don’t forget our new coffee location on saturday and diversion to the ride route (see here).

saturday 19th movember

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 (hale rd reverse)

sunday 20th movember

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

early lap – spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

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

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

long – follow the short course out, then do laps of the observatory

so, some of you will remember my blog post about the team time trial down in pinjarra (see here).  well a post script to a absolute crap day on the bike arrived in the mail this week.  looks like in my haste to get home, i went through a speed camera on the freeway and have copped a few hundred dollar fine and a couple of demerit points.  time trialling is bad for you (don’t tell atta i said that).

spr t-shirts order –a few people have asked about the t-shirts as they were ordered a while ago.  they are on their way but we weren’t sure how many to order.  in the end we didn’t reach the 100 minimum so we have ordered 100 regardless.  this means that they will still be available to purchase after they arrive.  they are a one off and are manufactured on an order basis so they are not just sitting in a warehouse waiting for an order to come in.  sorry for the delay, but they will be here soon.  you can still order here.

spr kit order – much like the t-shirts, we are ordering based on the needs of the club.  there is a link here with more information.  we will close order in wednesday 15th november.  this has given everyone 2 and a bit weeks to get their orders in.  if you miss this order you will need to wait till the next order in autumn before any kit will be available.  we are not a shop so we can’t hold thousands of dollars worth of stock, just in case.  order now or wait again.  i am working on getting some new gloves, socks and booties through cannibal.  this will be a separate order after the kit, so keep your eyes out for this.

golden spokes – thank you for all the help at the golden spokes this year without it the race would not have been able to run.  there are a number of things that we will be doing next year to try to improve the event.  this involves purchasing some race equipment so we are more self sufficient. 

ride routes – i think the transitional group needs a few more ride routes.  if you have any ideas of good safe roads, let me know.  on sunday there has been a suggestion that we tackle the tour de perth road circuit.  i haven’t mapped it properly but what we will do is everyone will climb brookton highway to karragullen and onto pickering brook.  from there the short course heads to kalamunda and the long course will do circuits around the observatory.  we will play it by ear as to how many laps around we need to do before heading up to kalamunda for the sprint to the finishline.  don’t forget our new coffee location on saturday and diversion to the ride route (see here).

saturday 12th movember

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 13th movember

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 – follow the short course out, then do laps of the observatory

so we have finished the saturday morning ride and are making our way to coffee.  how do we get to the new location.  there are 2 maps below that show how to get there from both the east and west.  the ride routes will be changed soon, but there are so many of them and i am a little swamped right now.  use the maps below for now.

 

busy, busy, busy.  this week has been busy.  first there was chogm, then the DOME opening, now the golden spokes.  it looks to be a good weekend with big numbers across all grades.  lets hope the weather grants us a reprieve as well.

golden spokes – saturday is race day.  there are about 110 riders in across all three grades in the cycling wa race with an additional 21 in juniors.  3/4 of the c grade field is from spr, so you will need to keep toby’s legacy alive to take out the win.  on top of that there are another 40 riders from the west coast masters that will also be racing on the course.  thank you to all the people that have volunteered.  lets hope the weather holds out and we have a successful day.

new coffee shop – some dude from the club has opened a DOME coffee shop in the city.  saturday will be the first time we re-route the ride finish away from the belltower.  i will put up a separate post explaining how we get there.  i hope people enjoyed the free breakfast on tuesday.

spr kit order – yes, finally, the kit orders are open.  use the links on the menu to access the online shop.  see the previous post for more information on the hot topic of kit vs memberships.  orders will remain open for another week and a half to make sure everyone gets a chance to purchase.

movember – i have been roped into this one again and we have set up a team, currently with 4 members.  we will post some more info on this soon and will be hitting you up for donations.  give that they may grow a mo.

ride routes – even with the golden spokes on, there will still be a saturday morning ride available.  there may be a need for some people to step up and act as ride leader for the day, so don’t be shy the club needs you.  all the rides will finish along mounts bay road, so getting to the new DOME is relatively easy.  continue along passed mounts bay hospital and cross mill st.  just after the first foot bridge from teh bus port, is mercantile lane on your left.  turn up it and it will bring you out at st georges terrace.  the coffee shop is just on your right at 167.  i will post a quick map tomorrow.

saturday 5th movember

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 50.23km (ewen st)

sunday 6th movember

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 94.64km (kahuna & canning mills)

chogm, blah.  queen, blah.  traffic chaos, blah.  no time to worry about those things.  the golden spokes is on next week so i am starting to stress about that instead.  do we have enough of this, too much of that, will people turn up, will i get enough volunteers, will the weather be crap, will zac wear an all white kit???  some things i just don’t want to think about.  maybe i need a good hard ride to clear the mind.

golden spokes – this race is next weekend on saturday.  still need more volunteers.  still need more people to enter.  some more info here.  i will confirm the volunteering positions this week and put up a blog post.  get behind the club and help us run a great event.

training sessions – as in a previous blog, there have been a few old training sessions revived lately.  spin with fynn is now monday night, wednesday uci ride has returned and thursday morning recovery ride starts directly after the fast group.  something for everyone.

spr t-shirt – we have bought more t-shirts that we need so the orders are still open.  click here for more info.

spr kit – we are sorting out some technical difficulties with getting the orders up on the website.  please do not try to order any kit if you do manage to fine a “backdoor” into our online system.  at the moment, i can’t guarantee exactly what you can order, and it is a pain to issue refunds.  keep an eye on the blog for when orders are open.

special DOME opening – keep an eye on the blog for more details. 

ride routes – i have checked the road closures for chogm and we should be ok for the friday earlybird and public holiday ride as riverside drive is clear.  the friday earlybird, will be the standard earlybird ride around the river as the normal friday morning ride will not get back to coode st in time.  saturday has the big aussie bbq on so the whole cityside riverfront is in lockdown.  the earlybird should be fine, but after that we need to finish via mounts bay rd.  not sure if the belltower will be open so i guess we will play it by ear.

friday 28th oct

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

saturday 29th oct

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 42.94km (freo & cott)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 49.38km (tv stations)

sunday 30th oct

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)

having moderately recovered from the team time trial on the weekend, i am assuming that the effort had made me stronger.  maybe not so much physically, but i guess i now know how far i can push myself mentally to be able to keep going.  it is funny the many facets that there are to cycling.  besides the pure physical fitness there is the mental toughness, the social interaction, the competitiveness, the ability to get up early in the morning just to ride and the miles of lycra.  basically, i think we all probably need a bit of help with our addiction.

spr breakfast – this weekend we will finally be having a spr breakfast.  it has been some time mainly because we don’t fit in my house anymore.  so this week we will be having it on the foreshore adjacent to the coode st carpark where we start.  there will be sausages, muffins, fruit and drink available at $5 a head.  coffee will be available to purchase at the boatshed cafe next door if you need a hot drink.  there will also be a sizing kit for people to try on the new jersey style before we open up the orders.  a big thanks to the breakfast team who have organised everything (without me having to lift a finger).

golden spokes – as mentioned in a previous post, we still need volunteers on the day.  put your name in the comments and let me know what you can do.

new coffee shop – at the start of november we will be changing coffee shops after the saturday morning ride.  as many people know, toby will be opening a new establishment in the city and this is why we have had DOME plastered across the front of our kit all year.  all the ride routes will be changed to show the new finish location.  if you want to keep up with how the shop is progressing, you can join the facebook page.

ride routes – both the main and trans group rides on staurday will need to be adjusted at the end.  we will not be heading to the coffee shop after the ride, rather we will head back to coode st for the club breakfast.  the trans group will need to cross the narrows bridge after mounts bay road and head along the foreshore.  the main groups will need to get back onto coode st similar to the earlybird ride.  in actual fact, we might as well do the earlybird ride route twice.

saturday 22nd oct

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 50.97km (river ride)

sunday 23rd oct

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 92.56km (carradine & peet)

so, a couple of weeks ago i complained that i wanted winter back as it was too cold and too wet in spring.  well now we are looking at having to race in 35 degree heat on sunday.  maybe i will keep my big mouth shut.  the weather is getting warmer so we will also get more people out on our rides.  the ride etiquette has been discussed a lot the last couple of weeks, but just remember, what others do in the group can affect you.  if you see someone doing something that you think is unsafe, then tell them, don’t just wait for a ride leader to pick them up on it.  be in charge of your own safety.

main 2 – some of you may have seen a familiar face on some recent tv ads.  well, russell is in charge of main 2 and it’s his job to look after them.  we agree.

state team time trial – we have a very good representation at this event.  hopefully we will have 8 teams competing with some people racing for the very first time.  we will take the tent down to provide some shade as they are predicting 35 deg.

spr club breakfast –  this will be held at the park next to where we start after the ride on the 22nd oct. there will be a bbq and muffins and drinks etc. see the previous post and put your name down so we can get an idea of numbers. there will be a sizing kit available for the new kit order and we will open orders after the breakfast.

ride routes – new ride route this saturday for the main/fast groups.  make sure you have a good look at where we are going as missing a turn could mean extra kms for you, or worse cause an accident in the group.  this also comes home a different way straight along stirling hwy.  we will see how it goes.

saturday 15th oct

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 49.92km (morley drive)

sunday 16th oct

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)

i am wanting winter to come back.  it wasn’t as wet and it was warmer in the mornings.  this spring has been harder to ride through than the last few years.  the days are nice and warm, but the nights are back down to low single digits.  still don’t let the weather be your excuse….princess.

ride etiquette – it looks like some of you have forgotten about our ride etiquette guide.  i am here to remind you of it.  whether you are new to the group or have been with us before spr started, there are guidelines that everyone needs to follow to ensure that the rides are safe.  i am not going to mention every part of the guide, but here are a few points –

• Obey the road rules
• Carry enough water, food and spares
• Check the route on the website beforehand

main 1.5 – if you have been with us for a while you would have seen a number of changes in teh structure of the groups.  i will not go into ancient history about the good ole days of 1 group, but there may be some more changes needed soon.  main 3 was formed after the transitional group had split into 2 and 1 group wanted a bit more.  well main 3 has now pretty much merged into main 2 and some of main 2 is now in main 1.  this basically means that main 1 & 2 are now pretty big.  to me, the idela size is about 20 riders.  after this, the group starts to get split at lights and is hard to keep together.  what i am suggesting is that a “main 1.5” be established.  this group would take the faster riders out of main 2 and the slower riders out of main 1 and combine them together.  they would still ride the same routes and would start after main 1.  what i need to establish this is someone to volunteer to lead this group (or even better a few people).  let me know if you think that this group is for you.

spr t-shirt – the t-shirt sales are open and there is a post up which has the link to the online shop.  the price is $35 and orders will be open for 2 weeks.  it is a bit far away to say that they will make a good christmas present, but if you bought one, it would make a good christmas present.  be part of the club, buy one.

golden spokes – we are running this race again this year on saturday 5th november.  we will be seeking volunteers to make the race a success and will be posting more info on the website soon. this is a great way for you to support the club and help us raise the profile amongst the racing fraternity.

ride routes – know your ride routes.  it should be dry.  lets ride.

saturday 1st oct

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 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 49.69km (holmes rd)

sunday 2nd oct

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 94.36km (chookenberg & observatory & gooseberry)