so something occurred to me the other day after the new laws came in to play. cars were actually giving us more space. most cars moved totally into the other lane to make sure that they were not within a metre of a cyclist. now besides the law change, the ad campaign has also changed. now instead of “could be a mate”, “could be a commetti” or “could be a dad”, the slogan also states “could be a fine”. the disappointing thing about all this is that people are more worried about getting a fine, than actually injuring someone. i’m not angry. i am just disappointed. no, that only works to guilt your kids. even on the thursday earlybird we were abused by a car trying to get past going up preston point road. the passenger was yelling all types of stuff out the window, but the driver was all the way into the other lane to overtake. has there been a change in behavior??? yes, i think so, but we also seem to cop a bit more abuse because of the change. the important thing is not to flaunt it. just because you are right, doesn’t mean you don’t end up hurt. think about where you ride and when you ride, especially when you are on your own. at the end of the day, in the eyes of a lot of drivers, your life is actually worth less than a $400 fine and 4 demerit points.
ride leader sponsor – the ride leader sponsor for december is Travis Meyer from Finance Detective. Travis Meyer is an ex-professional cyclist having raced with some of the biggest teams in the world such as Orica-GreenEdge & Garmin Slipstream. He has turned his attention to his new venture, as a Mortgage & Finance Broker, working alongside the best in the business, Finance Detective. please see the previous post for more details.
club photo – we are going to update our club photo this saturday before the main ride. zac williams will be taking the photo so make sure you are there about 10min to 7 so we can setup. there are some rules so check out the previous post so things can run smoothly on the day.
the ring criterium at tech park – our first crit is on this sunday and entries close tonight at midnight. more info about not just this race, but the whole series can be found on the ring website.
xmas breakfast and awards – as xmas this year falls on a monday, the final saturday ride and corresponding breakfast will be on the 23rd dec. this will be the annual dress-up ride so we hope to see some inventive costumes and bike decorations. as always we like to take this time to acknowledge peoples achievements throughout the year. some awards are decided by the social committee, some by the president and others by the riders. check out the previous post where you can nominate people in 4 key areas.
christmas drinks – christmas drinks will be at the empire bar again this year on sunday 17th december, 6:00pm. this is usually a great night to see the year off without wearing lycra. please see the previous post for more details.
club survey – the club survey results have been posted so have a look to see what areas the club will be concentrating on next year. the additional comments will also be replied to, as we want to make sure everyone understands where the club stands on certain issues. the winner of the ipad will be drawn at the xmas breakfast on 23rd dec.
tomr race reports –lots of race reports have come in so far. make yourself a cuppa and pull up a pew. reports can be found for stage 1 mixed, stage 1 women’s 1, stage 2 men’s 2, stage 3 men’s 1, stage 3 men’s 3, stage 4 women’s 3 and stage 4 women’s 2plus an overview from the team organisers. this gives you a good insight into what it was like to race and what each different team experienced. a great into if you are keen to join us next year.
2018 licences renewal – any race licence that you purchase now will be valid until the end of 2018. recreational licences are a year from the date purchased, but race licences are for a calendar year. if you are looking at changing clubs and wish to join spr, then now is the time to do it. a club change before a renewal is free, so get it done now then when you renew you will be a member of spr.
group sizes and ride etiquette – a timely reminder from our training and development officer on just why we split the ride up into certain size groups. why we need to keep separated on the road and what it means for your safety. have a read of the previous post, because if you get pulled up for one of these issues don’t expect that “i didn’t know” to be a valid excuse.
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hursday training ride – we implemented a new system of splitting the thursday group ride to keep the size manageable. we think that we have come up with a good way of splitting the groups, but we need you to be honest about your own abilities. have a look at the strava segment for the ride so you know where you sit. there is nothing to stop you stepping up to challenge yourself, but this will at least provide a guide as to how much more challenging it will be.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
ride routes – looks like the summer storms are just around the corner. saturday is looking the be the calm before, so conditions should be good for the club photo. racing sunday, may also be fine, but the afternoon and monday may be a bit stormy. ride to conditions.
saturday 16th december
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 rebold 38.69km spr saturday
fast & main groups – reabold & cottesloe 50.91km spr saturday
sunday 17th december
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 – khna weir 72.23km spr sunday
long – khna can mills 94.55km spr sunday
monday 18th december
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
tuesday 19th december
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
wednesday 20th december
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 21st december
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
see previous post for ride groups
spr thursday 37.26km (cott & freo)
ride starts frasers ave at 5:45am
development group – interval training kings park
friday 22nd december
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am