we are currently in the process of setting up the next run of spr kit and a number of points have been raised in relation to feedback from the club. this feedback came as part of the survey and also from blog discussion dating back to this time last year.
the discussion revolves around should the kit be for members only.
the club has always tried to be as inclusive as possible. you don’t need to be racing to ride with us, don’t need a $10k bike, don’t need to have ridden for 10+ years. none of this will change. people can still join in our rides and if they like it, we recommend that they join the club, in a sense to give a bit back for the service we put on. however, if you are a member, what really identifies you from anyone else in the group.
i remember talking to a fairly new member of the club once after they received their new kit. they had been riding with us for a while and had been a member for a few months, but didn’t really feel like they were part of it until they were wearing the kit. it felt like they belonged to something.
now how can you belong to something if you don’t actually belong to it. currently, there are quite a few people out there that are wearing the kit that are not current members of spr. that is fine. we made a call at the time that the promotion of the club to the wider public was important to the growth of the club. we currently have 280 members and i hope to crack 300 next year. we have a ride on every day of the week and our exposure across perth is enormous. even people that i work with that don’t ride can identify the club riders.
this exposure also means a lot more responsibility. there have been many discussions on the blog about peoples perceptions about cyclists especially when wearing the club kit and how it reflects back on the club. your wearing of the club kit signifies that you are part of the club, being part of the club means that you will act responsibly when out on the roads.
so, there was quite a big discussion at our last committee meeting in relation to all this and it was decided that starting with the new 2013 run, kit will only be available to members only. this does not limit our ability to offer training rides to new riders or change our daily operation in any way. all it means is that next kit order, if you get online and order something through our shop, you will be refunded if you are not a current financial member.
feedback welcome.
Pete, I like the idea of club kit (2013 model) = club membership. How can you find out if you are an up to date member? I can’t remember.
russell, your membership card should have an expiry date on the top right corner. currently you have a recreational licence valid till the 31st march 2013.
I’m down with that. Also a timely reminder for me to renew my membership 🙂
This makes good sense, I think people will show more pride in wearing SPR kit if they are a member.
I think this is the right direction for the club. It doesn’t restrict anyone riding with us but it distinguishes members from non members.
This sounds like a grand scheme.
I have been cycling with SPR now for a short while and I always feel like a bit of an outsider wearing my own jerseys. Its also encouraging me to actually bother and get my membership and maybe ride in some of the upcoming crits.
Out of interest and the fact that I have yet to absorb the caffeine I am drinking which licence do I need being 32; masters 1? And am I right to assume that we are listed as “South Perth CC” on the Cycling Australia Website?
yep, it is the south perth cc on the website.
at 32 you have a choice between an elite licence or a masters 1. i think the masters ones are cheaper.
Cheers, membership now complete.
Sounds like a good idea. And yes a timely reminder that i need to renew my membership/licence.
I also noticed I wasn’t on the CWA list for grading next season so it looks like I should be able to stay in C grade 🙂
Alistair, the list was done on current race licence holders, so that may mean that you do not have a current licence. If you are getting a new one, then you will have no choice but to start in either C or D….
My current gold racing licence is valid only till 31/12/12 so yep I am yet to renew for 2013.
But given my current fitness, starting again in C is probably the best thing anyway.
not quite correct jorgy – the grading was done on a selection of 3 recent races. i dont have a license, but raced wanneroo on a day license and as such got a grade.
at any rate – having spoken with Toby at CWA today he has asked me to let everyone know that if you are unappy with your grade then you can contact the office and they will sort it out. nothing is set in stone at this point.
Thanks Toby, Forgot that they took into account Kings of Wanneroo as part of the grading system. There should be more out about this, and how you can apply to change your grade soon.
Hey Peter, I am with Russell on that one! Was I ever a Club member?
Also, what is the best way for me to be able to start racing? I am a bit confused with which licence is for what?
sorry christophe, looks like you have been living a lie all these years. i can’t find you on the system, so we have no record of your membership.
best licence to go for is the masters ones as they are cheaper than the elite and it means that you can go in events like the uci in kings park. for other races in perth, it doesn’t really matter.
So where do I sign up for my membership with SPR? And where do I get my licence for masters?
http://www.wa.cycling.org.au/default.asp?Page=33501&MenuID=Membership/c20210/19974
Go to the link and join up. Select South Perth CC as the club.
Ok guys, I am now officially a member of SPCC! Sorry for the delay. Also a proud masters licence holder!
Hey Christophe, if you want to start racing, you can initially get a recreational licence to join the club, then at selected races you can purchase a day licence. This is usually around $10-$20 which is a one off for the day. This means that you can try racing to see if you like it before having to fork out for a full race licence. Once you have decided to continue racing and want a full licence, you can upgrade your recreational licence to a race licence. Have a look at the categories and if you qualify for a masters licence then I suggest you get one of these. It doesn’t stop you from competing in the open races just means that when there are masters only races, you know what cat you are in.
just a wee small note on this one too – if you have a masters license and rock up at an event that offers OPEN and MASTERS categories then you can only ride in the MASTERS categories.
This is a new thing for CWA as CA has directed them to change the way they are operating. It’s actually a question of insurance coverage. As discussed above the masters license is a bit cheaper. This is because they are deemed to be ‘less risky’ than open/elite category races. thus the insurance portion of the masters license is lower.
anyway blah blah. point is, if you buy a masters license than you can’t race OPEN category – only the MASTERS categories.
Of course, if a race organiser puts on a race and just says the grades are A,B,C etc then you can ride in whatever you want.
And of course, as we all know, a CWA Masters license is totally separate from a West Coast Masters racing license which is a different body all together and has nothing to do with CWA or SPR.
Hope that significantly muddied the waters for you. We’ve worked hard to make this as confusing as possible for you. Welcome to the club!
if any one else needs to know the status of their membership, send me an email and i can check the system to see if you are a member and if so, when it runs out.
Hmmm…Is this a way to get 280 emails?……:P
I think that is his angle 🙂
PS Peter let us know if you hit 300!
Am I right in saying all the racing licenses expires end of the year? Only the recreational license expire on their anniversary?
Hi Shaw,
I believe that the recreational licenses all expire on 31 December – I have a silver (recreational) which has that expiry date on it. If a new recreational license is purchaesd now it runs through to 31 December 2013 – somebody correct me if I am wrong.
racing licences are based on the calendar year (i.e expire 31st dec). recreational licence are based on a rolling 3 month year (i.e. if you get it between jan – mar it will expire at the end of mar the following year).
I had completely forgotten to renew my membership as well. All signed up now though, looking forward to finally ordering some kit and maybe trying a crit or two.
Congratulations to Peter and the entire SPR Committee on this decision. It is a definite step forward and adds a bit of ïmpetus”to the my decision to finally join the club.