ride routes 6th – 12th april

i remember posting this photo with the caption embedded into it less than a year ago.  at the time there was a push going on to keep cyclists safe by recognising them as real people.  the “could be a…dad, son, cometti etc” campaign attempted to put a human face to people on bikes.  now, less than a year later we are faced with the same thing again.  an australian study has found that half of all drivers do not see cyclists as totally human in the evolution process (that incidentally depicted a person evolving from a cockroach). thanks to now senator derryn hinch who on his shock-jock radio show famously referred to all cyclists as “cockroaches on wheels”, we have been always fighting an uphill battle.  so, what do we actually do about this?  complain, blame, whinge are all good options but these are usually found on twitter by another president.  what we have to do is be human and make human contact.  wave when someone lets you through (even if they have to legally), say hi when you are stopped at the lights (don’t be this elite, arrogant, arse taking up a lane.  if they have their window down, say hello), be aware of other road users and make room when practical,  most of all “own it” (if you do something stupid, make eye contact, wave and apologise).  it is up to us to break this cycle and show that we have moved a little further up the evolutionary chain.

ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for april is West Australian Cyclocross WACX.  cyclocross is a cross between road and mountain biking usually held on a grass or dirt circuit. there are divisions for all abilities and a kids race before on a shortened circuit. check out any of the events coming up soon and get on down to ring a cowbell.

junior jersey policy – In order to further encourage junior participation the Committee has resolved to offer all junior members a free club jersey!  And in recognition that juniors will keep growing, the policy allows for one jersey per year (as  long as they are a member) until 18 years of age. Please see the previous post for more details.

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 sare kicking off this saturday with a traditional river ride.  following the traditional “great perth bike ride” route which is very similar to the earlybird.  the evening’s festivities will also revolve around the river but in the form of a river boat cruise.  tickets are still available for the cruise and it is a black-tie event not to be missed. see the previous post for more details and ticket sales.

anniversary quiz – To get everyone in the mood for April 6th, we thought it might be a good idea to look back at the last 10 years of SPR history in the form of…you guessed it…a quiz!!  The quiz has been designed to test your knowledge of both the history of the Club as well as current events, people, geography and general knowledge.  There will be prizes for the most number of correct answers down to 3rd place…but there’s a catch! To be eligible to win one of the prizes, you MUST be on the PSS Decoy on the night of April 6th; no exceptions!  Entries close midnight April 3rd, 2019! TAKE ME TO THE  QUIZ!

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 – last week the juniors tried something different and we went to optus stadium to do laps around the outside.  this provided a good safe environment which allowed us to teach them how to form a paceline.  15 sec on the front then peel off and head to the back.  after the first few loops they had it running smoothly.  in the future, we will rotate between kings park and the stadium with this week us heading back to the park for hill climbs.  under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.

from the ride coordinator –Two different/new rides for this week. On Saturday for the main ride we are celebrating our 10th anniversary as a club with a modified version of the classic River Loop. On Sunday, we will be trialling a new route for Long Hills that will not clash with those that are riding the Damns Challenge. With just over 1000 metres of climbing, come and give it a go if you dare

saturday 6th 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

juniors (with parent) – kings park juniors 23.72km spr saturday

development group –  novice shelley 36.06km spr saturday

transitional 1/2 – trans reverse river 40.58km spr saturday

fast/main – 10th anniversary ride 54.43km spr saturday

sunday 7th april

rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – coffee ride

short – grnmt goose 65.22km spr sunday

long – darl richardson weir 89.01km spr sunday

monday 8th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

south stock 33.76km spr monday

tuesday 9th april

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

spr tuesday 36.37km (river ride)

wednesday 10th april

ride starts raffles bike path at 5:30am

interval training – stock road repeats

thursday 11th april

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 12th april

ride starts under the narrows (sth perth side) at 5:30am

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

friday training/recovery ride