so during a heated email “discussion” the other week, i was told the that only reason that i was still president of the club was because of ego. the insinuation stemmed from me not responding to some emails due to being on a family holiday at the time. i explained that i didn’t think that the issues were life threatening and was going to respond when i returned. i also explained that all positions within the club were of a purely voluntary basis and therefore we dealt with things on our own personal time. apparently this was not good enough and the demand was that running the club like a business should be more important. so, is it ego??? i am fiercely proud of what i started and then what others have help grow. i am proud of what this club has become but i wouldn’t say that it is something that i use to stroke my own ego. being president is not always a fun job. in fact there are many parts that are downright frustrating. this club wasn’t started to show off, it was started to provide a service for people that want to ride bikes together. we are into our 10th year and this make us very young compared to many other clubs in perth. however, we are also one of the biggest clubs for a number of reasons. our agm is coming up soon and there are committee positions available. if you want to be one of the reasons for the club being successful have a chat with one of the current committee members.
ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for January is Babylon Pump & Power LTD. They provide specialist equipment rental, diesel rebuild/maintenance and project support to the resources sector.
notice of annual general meeting – the south perth cycle club annual general meeting (agm) will be held on saturday, 23 march 2019 at 9am. This will be held at Dome Westralia Plaza (5/167 st georges terrace, perth) following the usual saturday ride. please check the previous post for more info especially if you would like to be involved with the running of the club.
spr racing – Entries close tonight for the Pemberton Classic for this long weekend.
There has been no feedback on a request for driving the SPR SuperVan to the Pemberton Classic, so at this time we will not be attending with full Race@SPR set up. If you turning up for drinks and shelter regularly but are not volunteering to assist, feel free to have a think about the contributions your Club Mates are making week after week for your benefit. See previous race reports HERE and HERE. Check out the event website with links to registration.
the ring reports – race 4 was at subi last weekend and the racing was fast and flowing. check out the latest race report from the mo in the previous post.
memberships new changes – there has been quite a big change with memberships in 2019. cycling australia have moved to a new system to keep track of memberships and this has allowed a few new benefits as well. firstly there are a few different types of licences. for us the two main ones are ride+ and race. obviously if you want to race, get the race one and if you just want coverage while riding with the club, get the ride+ one. links can be found here. while there is a cheaper ride basic option, it won’t cover you for much if you have an accident on a club ride. there is also a new billing system where you can elect to pay monthly instead of annually. for those that don’t appreciate the big hit for a elite race licence, you can split this across the year. the minimum amount is for 12 months, though, so you still have to pay even if you don’t race. there is also a 7day race licence that replaces the 3 day licence. this can be purchased online and will be needed for event like the tour of margs, or if you just want to try out a crit or two. it is only $38 but i am not sure how many you are allowed to purchase over a year. finally, for those that want to transfer clubs there are two options. firstly, if you current licence has expired, you now have the option to select a new club when renewing. for those that want to join or leave spr for a mid year transfer, then you need to contact cycling australia memberships directly as the clubs cannot provide this service any more.
spr 10 year anniversary – south perth rouleurs 10th anniversary celebrations on the 6th of april 2019 will be in the form of not one, but two events! starting at 7am, we will conduct a suitably nostalgic, guided river ride where we will take in some of the significant landmarks and spots-of-significance that represent important milestones of the club’s growth and development. in keeping with our south perth heritage, we have secured the PS Decoy to steam us around…you guessed it…a river loop with a difference! This will be a black-tie evening not to be missed. see the previous post for more details.
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.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is here so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator – Good luck to all team green heading to Pemberton for racing &/or supporting this weekend.
saturday 2nd 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
junior juniors (under 10 with parent) – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
juniors (10 – 15 yrs with parent) – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday
development group – novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday
transitional 1/2 – trans shelley 40.59km spr saturday
fast/main – canning vale & welshpool 49.74km spr saturday
sunday 3rd march
rides start at coode st carpark at 6:00am
development group – coffee ride – Summer Sundays at Six am (Dec to Feb)
short – kal goose 67.63km spr sunday
long – kal chook obs 89.74km spr sunday
monday 4th march – labour day public holiday
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
south stock 33.76km spr monday
all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am
fast & main – public hol 58.97km spr special
tuesday 5th march
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)
wednesday 6th march
ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am
interval training – stock road repeats
thursday 7th march
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 8th march
ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am
Hi El Prez, I joined the club 2 years ago after being passed by SPR on a solo river loop, with a cheeky but cajolling young rider calling out “c’mon mate, join in and keep up!”. So I did. And soon after I joined the club. And I have never looked back. My cycling and fitness levels have improved enormously, and it’s just so much fun. Ultimately, the club provides meaningful and very tangible improvements in the health and well-being of all members. What you and the others in the SPR team have created is just incredible and you should be enormously proud of this achievement. Believe me, it is very much appreciated by the rank and file riders such as myself. I just can’t quite believe the type of criticism you’ve received. I can’t begin to guess how much time and effort you and other Committee members, ride leaders, volunteers, and so on devote to the club, in a purely voluntary capacity, when you all have your own lives, work and family. And from my experience, the club runs just superbly and is hugely inclusive. And yet there are knockers. Very sad that this is the case. I would have been tempted to respond far less diplomatically than what you have done. Which is why you fully deserve to remain El Prez. Best wishes, and thanks ever so much for what you and others have created, Damien Hassan ps: your post also reminds me my SPR membership is overdue, which I shall attend to now!