handful of brakes vs crossing wheels. this is often a well discussed topic when during a group ride, there is a sudden slowing due to weather, fatigue or whatever. we all know that we shouldn’t cross wheels with the person in front of us as if they suddenly move to one side, you can get your front taken out from under you. however, grabbing a handful of brake to avoid a collision can have such huge knock on effects further down the line as was seen in last weeks main 1 ride. the trick is to position yourself, so that you have a clear exit strategy when you are riding in a bunch. hard to do when you are on the gutter side, so you really need to look at how close you need to be to the rider in front. can you allow a bit more space without dropping the wheel? can you position yourself slightly to the right of their wheel so you don’t aim for the gutter in an emergency? sudden changes in the peloton can have a dramatic effect, but even smaller changes can be absorbed better if you look at your positioning. group riding is such a dynamic thing with many influences way outside your control. don’t just look at the wheel in front of you and grab for the brakes if it starts to slow. look a few riders ahead, so you can see the change in pace before it hits you and make sure you are already in a position to react to it. you are responsible for more than one persons safety, so make sure your actions don’t put someone else on the deck.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for april is Acanthus Green landscape and garden design and construction. part owned by spr member and Dome rider ben godridge, Acanthus Green is your one stop shop for to creating the perfect garden to compliment your home and enhance your life.
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.
bike lights – it is now at that time of year where if you are doing the earlybird ride, then you need a good set of lights. last year i wrote a long post about bike lights and what we expect when riding in a group. basically, bigger/brighter is not always better. please read the post take note of what effects your lights have on the rest of the group. take any suggestions on board as at the end of the day, it is for the safety of the group as a whole.
kit crash replacement – we now have a crash replacement policy for your spr kit. if you damage your kit by some misadventure (on your bike) you can contact the kit committee and get a 30% discount on your replacement kit. please see the previous post for more details.
racing – there are lots of races coming up over the next few months with the tom lowry memorial in collie next weekend. please see the previous post for more details.
west coast masters – most of you will know that there is a “breakaway” organisation operating in western australia primarily for masters riders. they split from cycling wa a long time ago (well before my time) and organised their own insurance, etc. these guys put on regular graded races for the plus 35 yr old rider with lots of grades to cover all bases. you need to get a separate licence to race with them, but there are quite a few riders in our club that head out for some regular action. they have a teams competition and liam donley has setup an spr team in the event. if you do head out to race with them, wear your spr kit and let them know you are part of team spr to give points to the club. the northern beaches did a similar thing last season and it certainly goes a long way to rebuilding some bridges between the two organisations. next race is the 1st may at herne hill, nominations at primary school in argyle st from 0815, start at 0900.
gfws national kit – if you rode well at the any of the grand fondo qualifiers and have managed to secure a spot in the final in september, then hold off purchasing your national kit. we are currently investigating a spr version of the national kit so we can identify our members a bit easier. see the previous post for more details.
goldfields classic – feel like racing across the vast expanse of the kalgoorlie area??? he goldfields classic handicap race is on again and we are looking at who wishes to head across for the long weekend of racing. as in previous years, spr will organise the logistics of transport, accommodation and transfers so you can just pay, turn up and race. please see the previous post if you are interested in racing or even in volunteering to help out.
giro d’italia night – the first social night of the year is almost upon us. come and spend an evening of italian flavour at bravos restaurant to celebrate the giro d’italia. organised by the spr social committee, this is open to all members/partners. please see theprevious post for further details.
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.
uwct training ride – to allow those that have qualified to keep their toe in, and those that want a good solid limited stops hills ride, we will now run a 1st sunday of the month uwct training ride. this will replace the long hills ride once a month and follow the same format as the previous uwct training. as it is now a lot darker, we move the start to 7:00am. and as it is primarily for those that have qualified, we will only have 1 start time and see how it plays out. we can adjust as we move closer to the actual final.
ride routes – looks like there may be a small break in the weather this weekend to allow us to get out and do some serious riding. the temperature has started to drop and it is always interesting to see those that started riding over summer, suddenly realise that you need to buy more layers of clothes to wear. sunday morning is predicting under 10 deg, so make sure you rug up. just be aware that the ronald mcdonald house charity ride will also be leaving from the coode st carpark on saturday morning. we should be in the opposite corner of the carpark, so not a big problem, but just make sure that we make allowances for other users.
saturday 30th april
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 shelley 40.59km spr saturday
fast & main groups – maddington 51.87km spr saturday
sunday 1st may
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 – wlsh weir 62.23km spr sunday
long – spr 2016 uwct training course
monday 2nd may
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 3rd may
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 4th may
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 5th may
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 6th may
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
Was not impressed with M1 riders streaming past the traditional group on Shepparton Road this morning – both sides used taking up all three lanes – pathetic example of bad riding guys