for a lot of our riders, this weekend is the culmination of a number of months training. the uwct time trial is on tomorrow and the grand fondo is on sunday. we have over 40 members hitting elizabeth quay (including the footbridge) tomorrow and then over 100 members tackling the testing grand fondo course on sunday. the grand fondo finishes at elizabeth quay, so if you are not doing anything late sunday morning head on down to cheer the club members across the line. to top off an already busy weekend, we also have the club agm on saturday after the main ride. come for the agm, stay for the breakfast. looking forward to next week.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader for march is Regenerative Bodywork Remedial and Sport Massage. owned and operated by SPR member Emily Lee, Regenerative Bodywork Remedial and Sport Massage utilises a range of techniques such as deep tissue, trigger point therapy, myofascial release & joint mobilisation to effectively relieve pain and tension throughout the whole body. for more info please see the previous post.
rules of engagement – please read the previous post if you come out on any of our rides. it is up to all members to enforce these rules.
survey feedback – if you filled in the club survey we did last year there was an opportunity to include some written feedback. if you did add anything, i have responded to each and everyone. see the previous post to find your reply.
museum of perth – tucked in behind henry saw which is tucked into grand lane which is tucked into the back of the murray st mall, is the museum of perth. this month’s exhibition is on our hidden cycling history. here you will discover the history of cycling in perth and find that it has been here longer than the white tradie ute. see the website for more details and drop in for a coffee at henry saw.
beyond the bike exhibition– as part of bike week, there is a small exhibition of tony lendrum’s beyond the bike project. as you can see from the picture on the header, the walls either side of henry saw have been decorated with some of his photos and the riders text is also included. although, many of you have seen the photos online, this is an opportunity to hopefully attract a few more viewers from passing traffic. while you are there, check out the museum of perth cycling exhibition and grab a coffee from henry’s.
uwct time trial – the first race of the uwct perth qualifier begins next friday 11th down at elizabeth quay. a 16km individual time trial will see riders tackle both riverside drive and mounts bay road with a technical diversion through elizabeth quay. this will be highlighted by the bikes travelling over the new foot bridge that spans the quay. first riders are away at 10:30am and we have about 40 – 50 spr members registered. if you are working in or near the city, wander on down to support your club mates.
uwct volunteers – spr has committed to manning a feedstation at the grand fondo on the 13th. essentially, the official part of our job will be to setup and have available hydration and nutrition products as supplied by the race organiser. these products will not be handed out to passing riders, rather, they will have to stop if they need to refuel. for the spr riders, however, we will be handing out bottles to hydrate our members as they roll by. the feedzone will be on the outskirts of mundaring, near the sports ovals as you come in from the weir. we currently have over a dozen volunteers on the day and we thanks you for making yourself available.
giro d’perth – if you are after a low key ride to involve family or friends that don’t ride a lot, then the giro d’perth is for you. there are 3 distances and it is more like a treasure hunt than a bike race. it is run by spr member toby hodgson and supported by the club. last year there were over 500 riders in attendance. see the previous post for more details.
spr agm and breakfast – as mentioned in the previous post, our annual general meeting is on this saturday morning after the main ride. this will be held in conjunction with our quarterly breakfast which you may partake in for $15. as this is an official event, there will be a sign-in sheet for members as you enter. there is a small amount of official business that needs to be taken care of, but we should get through it quite quickly.
bike stickers – the bike name stickers that we ordered earlier in the year will be available for collection at the agm on saturday. if you cannot collect them, send an email through to the club and we will make alternative arrangements.
free beginner ladies group skills – held on the 19th march at the coode st carpark, this is an opportunity for any women that may want to take that next step from solo riding to riding with a group. if you know anyone that may be interested, please pass on the information that can be found on the previous post.
spr crit champs – as part of the summer crit series, we will also run a spr crit championship. this will again be a points based system given to placings 1 through 10. “a” and “b” grade will be given a difficulty multiplier and a leaderboard will track progress. there are 7 races that we are the final race will be the state champs on the 19th march. your points for the best 5 races will be used in the final leaderboard. this allows you to have holidays, miss races and still be in the running. more details on the previous post.
spr road race champs – off the back of the crit championships will be the road race championships for 2016. there are a number of races identified that riders will accumulate point for. a change in the scoring system this year to try to allow those that have a go at ‘a’ grade a better chance of getting points. please see the previous post for more info.
ride routes – aiming for the flattest course possible for saturday to allow any uwct racers a nice warmup before the big day. then on sunday, we are sending the hills riders down south to avoid any of the road closures from the uwct grand fondo. however, with the agm and breakfast after the saturday ride, make sure you build up an appetite.
saturday 12th march
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 abernethy 39.96km spr saturday
fast & main groups – abernethy rd 48.21km spr saturday
sunday 13th march
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 – coffee ride
short – brktn weir 82.89km spr sunday
long – carr peet obs 97.72km spr sunday
monday 14th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 15th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
wednesday 16th march
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 17th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30arm
spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)
ride starts frasers carpark at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
friday 18th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
Good luck to all racing in the Time Trial and Road Race, wish I could be there with you. Stay upright and have fun!
Paul O.