there has been some interesting comments on facebook and other places recently about the type and quality of racing that is going on in perth and it kind of got me thinking.  what are we really trying to offer and who are we trying to cater for.

generally the racing is determined by the quality and number of “a” grade riders you have attending.  if more “a” grade riders turn up them the rest think that it must be worth racing, so they turn up.  this is a great concept, but then there is the cyclo-sportif type model.  no racing, and aimed at the participation level of the sport.  this is where the numbers are so they get much better attendance.

so what does the spr membership really want???

at the end of last year we had close to 200 members and over half of these were recreational members.  this means that they didn’t race, but got a licence for a bit of coverage and to belong to the club.  however, since we have been putting on the crit series with the rccc, i have noticed a number of riders converting their licence over to a racing licence.  this is great and exactly the pathway that we wanted to provide for people.  however, not everyone wants to race.

bwa have put out details of their 3 and 5 dams ride plus their upcoming cyclo-sportif series.  these types of participation events are very popular and provide a challenge to the racing and non-racing riders alike.  we held out inaugural 200km challenge last year and we will hold it again this year (perhaps call it “the iconic 200km challenge”).  i have been in contact with some other clubs about running our own version of a cyclo-style race open to club members only.

as you can see, we are trying to provide opportunities for people apart from the normal weekend ride.  but what do you want???  let us all know by adding to the comments.

forum – we are finalising the online forum.  this will allow people to post up classifieds, ask questions about training, racing or even what type of stuff to buy.  we will keep you posted.

spr kit – the kit order has been finalised and it is already printed and getting sewn.  too late now if you didn’t get around to order, or want to change sizes.  when we open the forums on this website, we will have an area where people can put up posts about swapping sizes.  the final order was for the equivalent of a $55,000 order.  this is over 3 times larger than our previous biggest.  after this has cleared, we will look at another order of accessories.

upcoming events – perth crits this weekend, if you want to volunteer see here.  there are a few spr people racing, just not in club colours.  don’t let that deter you from cheering them on.  renae’s race on the 20th on the tech park circuit.  this is the premier race for women in perth so come along to support it, or even better come a race it.

ride routes – earlybird ride available on both days now.  only two of us turned up last sunday.  one did the hills ride afterwards and the other went home to kelmscott to stop his house burning down.  hopefully less eventful this weekend.  they are predicting strong easterly winds again this weekend so i have planned to give the groups a nice tailwind home.  however, to get a tailwind home, you need to have a headwind at the start.  for the fast/main ride there is an awfully long stretch where the wind will be a howling crosswind.  last time we did it, it really sucked.  sunday will have the same ride route as last week.  there was no long ride route due to the wind, so we all did the short course.  this week, maybe the short course mix it up a bit and do kalamunda hill first, then gooseberry.

saturday 12th 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 1 & 2 –spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 54.03km (maddington & welshpool)

sunday 13th 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 63.49km (gooseberry & kalamuda).

long – spr sunday 100.45km (darlington & mundaring)

so last week on the blog i predicted that the cyclone would swing around and take a dump on perth.  well it did swing around, and it was quite amusing to see perth “brace” itself for a cyclone, however, we didn’t really get that much rain.  just a lot of humidity.  well they are predicting a windy weekend and this is usually the worst conditions for cycle groups as everyone is trying to get a draft.  just be aware of where you are positioning your bike as this is how the fast group came to grief a few weeks back.  crosswinds, riding hard and inattention.  be alert.

crit series – race 04 was another great success even with the threat of a cyclone.  the biggest field for us with 127 riders and both “a” and “b” grade containing 41 riders.  thanks to everyone that helped out on the day.  we are hoping to run one final race, but the date will need to change, so we will let you know.

spr kit order – yeah, it’s still open, but hopefully not for long.  the online shop will disappear from the website once it is closed, so we will continue to take orders till then.  the logo’s have been sorted out and i am just waiting on a “proof” to arrive before we sign off on the new kit.  it should be arriving in an express post bag tomorrow.  i will post the final design on the website soon.  you seriously don’t want to know how big this order is.  we are looking at about 3 times bigger than any previous order, so i will need some help in getting it sorted once it arrives.  there will be a call for volunteers.

ride routes – there has been a request for benara rd this weekend and the winds are favourable so that’s what we will do.  i have made a small change to the route of this one, based on russell’s main 2 version of this ride.  this is for the bit through midland, so have a look at the ride route.  sunday short course doesn’t have a map at the moment.  essentially it will follow the long course till it gets to kalamunda rd, then do gooseberry followed by kalamunda hill.  hopefully, i get the time to map it before sunday.

saturday 5th 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 1 & 2 –spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.98km (benara rd)

sunday 6th february

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

short – spr sunday 63.49km (gooseberry & kalamuda).

long – spr sunday 100.45km (darlington & mundaring)

what’s going on???  nothing, just keep riding.  but avoid utes stopped in the middle of the road.

spr kit order –as you may have seen, the kit order is up and running.  ordering can be found here.  instructions as to what you are eligible for are here.  ordering is easier this year as you use your credit card to pay through paypal as you do the order.  as there have been a few people away, we will extend the orders till after aussie day.  orders will close at the end of the 26th with a view to send the orders to cannibal on the thursday.  you have had lots of time, so don’t attempt to piss me off and leave it to the last minute.  we are currently up to over $20,000 worth of orders so this will be the biggest order we have ever done.  for those that are yet to order, the discount applies to any garment that you have ordered previously.  this means that for some people a great opportunity for a new skinsuit or trisuit exists at a great price.

ride routes – a couple of new routes for saturday, so make sure you check the map carefully.  the fast/main ride has a couple of turns that happen halfway along a road, so you must be aware of where you need to turn.  those with garmins, i would suggest you program this one in.  i haven’t actually ridden or driven this route before so i am going on a bit of blind faith after a guy at work told me about it.  hope it is ok.  it basically runs parallel with hale road, but he claims that it is much quieter and more undulating.  the trans group will also get a new route and will get to do shelley and bannister together.  wednesday is national glass breaking day and as such, a public holiday ride will be running.  there will be an earlybirdride on both saturday and wednesday leaving at 5:30 from the narrows.  the main ride on aussieday, however, will contain a few changes.  firstly with the road closures, we will start the ride at the corner of angelo and coode sts (i.e. just up the hill from the usual spot).  also, there is a triathlon happening on the day at point walter so both the earlybird ride andthe main ride will bothuse stonehamroad as a diversion.  this runs parallel with burke drive, but will take a few turns to get onto it.  have a look at google maps to see where the likely diversions will be, i haven’t mapped it.

saturday 22nd january

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 1 & 2 – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

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

sunday 23rd january

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

short – spr sunday 67.96km (greenmount & zig-zig)

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

wednesday 26th january

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

ride starts at angelo st carpark at 7:00am

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

hot days in perth with bush fires, rain and floods up north, in qld and down the east coast.  devastation everywhere.  our thoughts are with those in qld at the moment who have lost so much.

spr kit order – as you may have seen, the kit order is up and running.  ordering can be found here.  instructions as to what you are eligible for are here.  ordering is easier this year as you use your credit card to pay through paypal as you do the order.  you have till the 23rd of jan as we intend to send off the order on the 24th.  i talked to cannibal today and they are based in tweed heads just south of the gold coast so they haven’t been damaged by the floods.

ride routes – sunday is looking hot, so if you are coming out in the hills, make sure you have lots of food and water.  apart from that, just another weekend ride.  earlybird ride will be leaving…early.

saturday 15th january

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 1 & 2 – spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 53.81km (hale rd reverse with guilford)

sunday 16th january

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

short – spr sunday 53.55km (kalamunda rd) (but do ridgehill as well)

long – spr sunday 85.81km (darlington & mundaring weir)

man, that was a hard week.  motivation was at an all time low after 10 days away from work.  however, the break has meant that the work stress induced cycling downward spiral had at least started to pick up a bit.  i don’t feel so “blah” on the bike and have some motivation to get back some form.  more importantly, i didn’t get dropped on mounts bay road on the thursday fast group ride.

iron horse – as shown in a previous post, a couple of spr guys have started a casual cycle clothing company.  check it out.  buy something.

shut up legs –um, i received a “shut up legs” t-shirt in the mail a couple of days ago from cycling tips blog.  i didn’t order it.  kate didn’t order it.  there was no note or anything in it and it was addressed directly to me.  sooo, i guess thanks to whomever sent me a christmas present.

crit series race 03 – race 3 of the crit series is on this weekend.  unlike other races, this will be held at 3pm on saturday.  grades a-d so something for everyone.  make sure you have renewed your licence or you will not be allowed to race.  for those that don’t know, if you haven’t received your new card yet, you just have to print out the email that cycling australia sent you when you renewed.  this is proof of licence till your card arrives.  even if you don’t want to race, come down to watch or help out as we can always use more volunteers on the day.  setup starts at 2:00pm.

ride routes – ok, after the success of the earlybird ride last week, we will be doing it as a regular training ride.  under the narrows at 5:30am to make it to coode st for the 7:00am main ride.  apart from that, business as usual.  make sure you leave some fuel in the tank if you are racing the crit in the arvo.

saturday 8th january

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 1 & 2 – spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.47km (hale rd reverse)

sunday 9th january

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

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

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

okay.  bye-bye 2010 and here’s to the first few rides of 2011.  make sure you bring lots of spares on the saturday ride as both new years and aussie day seem to bring out the best in peoples glass smashing abilities. 

saturday morning rides – i have posted an “expression of interest” for those that may want to add a few km’s to their weekly total.  a saturday morning 5:30am lap of the river before the normal 7:00am ride.  add your comments to the previous blog if you are interested.  although this saturday is new years day and some people may be still drunk, this applies to any saturday, even in the middle of winter.

earlybird membership – don’t forget that you have till the end of 2010 to renew or join as a spr members in order to go into the draw for the prize.  kindly donated by shaw at netplus micro computers, it consists of a HD media player and 500Gb hard drive to allow you to play downloaded movies (all legal of course) on your normal tv. 

ride routes – another public holiday this weekend, however, some people haven’t actually been back at work yet.  regardless, we will still run a monday ride as per normal, with maybe even a 5:30am lap for those that are interested.  however, next week is forecast to be a scorcher with 4 days (currently) of 40 deg.  ahh, so many memories of living up in the pilbara where it may not drop below 40 deg during the day for 6 weeks straight.  no sea breeze either, so it dropped to an overnight “low” of 35 deg.  good times.  hot weather and only three sealed roads to ride on.

saturday 1st january – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 & 2 – spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.98km (benara rd)

sunday 2nd january – 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)

monday 3rd january – ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

only a couple of days till christmas so i hope you have your shopping done.  i haven’t finished yet, but i work in the city, so just have to wander half a block into the mall and try to negotiate all the thousands of slow walking, supre dressed, school kids with nothing better to do.  keeping it brief this week, as not much on but christmas.  stay safe.

ride routes – there will be an unofficial ride this saturday for all those that do not have to watch kids open presents first thing in the morning.  just a basic lap of the river, but depending on who turns up, i guess you guys can work out where you want to go.  on sunday, we will do a hills ride for those that aren’t boxing up the presents that they don’t want.  monday will be the official public holiday ride on the standard route.  tuesday, being a public holiday, will also be a public holiday ride, but we will run the normal tuesday 5:30am ride from the narrows.  the option then exists to finish that ride at coode st and roll straight onto the public holiday ride.

saturday 25th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

spr saturday 50.97km (river ride)

sunday 26th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

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

monday 27th december – ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

tuesday 28th december – first lap starts at 5:30am under the narrows, second lap starts at 7:00am coode st

spr tuesday 43.41km (river ride) then spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

a week and a bit till christmas.  where has the year gone.  i will write up a year in review some time…when i get the time but here is a sample:  how another year has changed the club in so many ways.  at the end of last year we had about 57 members, now we are just short of 200.  i remember in january we first split into multiple groups with novice, transitional, intermediate and advanced.  now we have had to split a couple of those groups in half as well.  who know what things will look like at the end of 2011.  the club has developed for a number of reasons but i see it primarily due to our inclusiveness (novices to a grade racers), our organisation (not turning up asking “where are we riding today”), our focus on safety (or putting ourselves in danger) and our social interaction.  we hope to continue these aspects to our club into the new year and beyond, but this year we may also be involved with a lot more organisation of events.  our collaboration with the rccc has been very successful and we will look to build on this in the coming year to provide a lot more opportunities for our members that want to race.  for those that don’t want to race, but still want to be challenged, we will look at running some more events like the 200km challenge we held this year.

blog posts – been a bit light on as far as ride and race reports are concerned lately.  we pride ourselves on having a very up to date website so that we let everyone know what we are up to.  there are lots that have done it before and still have access, so no excuses.  also, there was a race on last sunday where a whole bunch of spr riders were involved, and there hasn’t been a squeek…yet.  if you need access to write a blog, let send me and email and we can organise it.

spr kit – we finally signed our last sponsor for the kit and will get the order underway very soon.  the new design ins on the website and can be found here.  prices are as marked, but as previously stated, if you already have an item, you may be able to get a replacement one for a reduced price.  i.e.  if you have 7 spr jerseys, you can get 1 for the reduced price and as many as you like for the full price.  we will let you know when orders open and the final list will be sent through to cannibal in the first week of january.

crits – the running of the second race in the crit series with the rccc was a success with were over 100 riders taking part across all grades.  no excuse for you not to be having a go at the next event which will be a “twilight” race starting at 3pm on saturday 8th jan.  it was a good turn out by the spr crew but not without incident.  the bigger field means more people are vying for success and unfortunately jen had a crash in c grade and ndcc nic came off in b grade.  jen snapped his collarbone but has since had it pinned while nic slowed himself down with his face and needed a few stitches.  we wish these guys a speedy recovery.

ride routes – t’was the last ride before christmas and all through the streets, lots of spr riders were clicking in their cleats.  anyway, this is the christmas ride so you are encouraged to dress the part.  whether it be a full santa suit or a bit of tinsel on the bike, it is all about looking like christmas.  we will split the groups as usual, but make the ride whatever you want it to be.  sprinting santa’s or just a nice easy cruise around the river.

saturday 18th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 & 2 – spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.97km (river ride)

sunday 19th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

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

long – spr sunday 101.29km (roleystone & observatory)

only a couple of weeks till christmas and as it falls on a saturday this year, there will be no scheduled ride.  at this stage, we will run a hills ride on boxing day (sunday) for those allowed out (or forced out due to everyone getting sick of them).  monday will be the public holiday ride and tuesday will have the normal 5:30am river loop. 

so, as there is no ride on christmas, the previous weekend (18th) will be the christmas ride.  for those of you that haven’t been on this before, dressing up is encouraged.  whether it be a bit of tinsel on the bike, reindeer antlers on the helmet, or a full santa suit, it is up to you.  style points awarded for creativity, but no real prizes except the love and adoration of your peers.  still haven’t decided on the route as the group size really inhibits things now.  we used to go through the city, but roadworks and so many traffic lights make that not so much fun.  i will try to map something out for maximum festive exposure.

crit series –race 2 of the crit series that we are running with the rccc is on this sunday.  it was a big success last time so we are looking at building on this.  there were some from our club racing for the first time, so hopefully they will be back for more.  the volunteer roster has been posted, but if you want to help out we can find something for you to do on the day, even if it is just relieving people for an hour or so.  come down and have a race.  short, safe circuit.  day licences available for those without a race licence.

ride routes –for some reason the maps are not loading through from mapmyride.  if this is still happening as we head towards the weekend, there is a separate link that you can access them through.  damn technology.  put on the earth to make things easier so we get reliant on it, then they take it away to make us look foolish.

saturday 11th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

juniors – spr saturday 22.11km juniors (mt pleasant) or here if link isn’t working.

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley) or here if link isn’t working.

transitional 1 & 2 – spr saturday 42.94km (freo & cott) or here if link isn’t working.

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 54.03km (maddington & welshpool)  or here if link isn’t working.

main 1 & 2 have the option to turn left onto albany hwy instead of going all the way to welshpool rd.

sunday 12th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

no organised rides on due to club crits.  come and race instead.

december has arrived.  summer has arrived.  the temperature has actually gone down.  something is going on there.  pretty much three weeks till christmas.  that is going to come along even quicker than i expect.  wonder what santa has in his sack this year.

breakfast – saturday.  after the ride.  $10 members, $15 non-members.  food, drink, raffle prizes, good company, bike weigh-in and generally more lycra than you should really allow in my backyard.  more info here.

memberships – i received a new membership list today.  we currently have 193 members.  lets see if we can crack 200 for the year.  we can then aim for 300 at the end of 2011.  for those that have been asking about the expiry date on their licence.  all race licences expire at the end of the calendar year.  the recreational licences are based on quarters so you basically get a year from when you joined.  however, if you want to upgrade to a race licence, you can still do it anyway.

movember – well it is now the second day of shave-cember and the razor was out as quick as a flash.  thank-you for all the donations as we managed to raise $1,190.

races – cyclemania classic this sunday.  we have a few people heading up for the last race of the season.

crit series – race 01 was a great success, so hopefully we see a bunch more of you guys at tech park for race 02 on the 12th dec.  there is a d grade race for those that haven’t raced before and a qualified coach rides along with you to give you some tips.  shaw won this race last week, so up to c grade for him.  it was a really good morning, so come along a support the club.  a new lot of volunteers needed.  share the load, guys.  i don’t want to see the same people helping out every week.

ride routes – breakfast this week so all the saturday rides will end up back at my place.  if you are not riding and still want to come to the breakfast, then send me an email and i can let you know where it is.

saturday 4th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 31.61km (novice shelley breakfast)

transitional 1 & 2 – spr saturday 39.32km (canning vale reverse breakfast)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 48.07km (south st breakfast)

sunday 5th december – all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 56.93km (kalamunda)

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