it all comes down to this.  all that training for one day.  i think we know pretty much every bump in that circuit by now.  by the end of 8 laps, my butt will know them all too well.

uci road race – so a few of the boys took a trip over to rottnest for some uci tt action and well done to them. especially jason who managed 12th overall.  the focus now turns to the road race around kings park.  as you would have seen in a previous post, we have quite a few spr riders involved.  the race starts at 7:30am and will complete up to 8 laps of the kings park circuit.  there is a feedzone at the top of the malcolm st hill where we will attempt to set up an spr tent to hand out water bottles to the competitors.  after your saturday morning ride come along to watch as we will appreciate the support.

3/5 dams – there are a few spr riders that are attempting the 3 & 5 dams ride on sunday.  there are even a couple that i have seen on both the uci and dams start list.  makes me feel a bit soft.  good luck to those that are involved.

easter camp – this is on the following weekend so we need to get things finalised.  i have set up a page which duplicates the previous post.  there is an accommodation link at the bottom which lists who is coming for which nights and whether they are in the dorm or tent.  if you are no longer coming or want to be added to the list please get in contact with us via email.  the itinerary currently only has the rides, but we will add the other family activities to it soon.  hope to see you there.

ride routes – i will be tackling the uci race on saturday, so i leave you in the hands of julian for the day.  currently we do not have a ride leader for the transitional group, so it would be good if someone from the faster groups volunteered to ensure that people learn the correct techniques.  the saturday ride routes both come home from the east as mounts bay road will be closed to traffic.  sunday will try to get a glimpse of the dams ride as it rides the other way.

saturday 16th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 50.04km (hale & ridge hill)

sunday 17th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 92.56km (carradine & peet)

ok, so it rained..a bit.  the forecast says a few more showers expected and not a 30 degree in sight.  may even have to bring out the new armwarmers and vest this week.  or even the new long sleeve winter jersey…not that cold yet.

peter clark classic – this race is on this weekend and does laps around the observatory.  i will be bringing the tent and esky, so if anyone wants to bring their own cheer squad along, there will be somewhere to sit.  it is a circuit race, so we pass by the start finish line a number of times.

uci race – next weekend there will be a number of us racing around kings park for the uci masters race.  we would love to have you guys come and cheer us on after the saturday morning ride.

easter camp – coming up fast.  register your interest via the link on the right.

spr in europe – as you have seen during the week, davina is over in europe racing in a uci women’s team.  she has updated her blog and promises me that she will keep it updated.  you can find it here or via the menu on the right.  subscribe to get updates sent to your email.

ride routes – strong easterlys are predicted for saturday, so why don’t we do benara rd.  well, why don’t we all do benara rd.  on sunday, the course will head up welshpool rd so that those that are racing can do a warm-up hill.  be aware that when you get up there there will be a race on.  the long course will miss the observatory climb and the short course needs to go follow the long course on the first climb and then head down lawnbrook as well.  the main guys that lead the sunday ride will probably be racing, so make sure you know the ride routes (with the variations above)

saturday 9th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 39.04km (benara rd)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 50.98km (benara rd)

sunday 10th april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 87.99km (welshpool & observatory & camelberg & gooseberry)

important that you read the notes above

april fools day tomorrow.  my favourite quote for this occasion comes from the simpsons where homer says to bart “you couldn’t fool me on the fooliest day of your life if you had an electric fooling machine”.  bart then goes and puts a can of beer in a paint shaker before putting it back in the fridge.  actually, i am more likely to remember april fools day because it is my mum’s birthday.  regardless, come out on the april fool’s earlybird ride and everyone will think you are a fool riding around at 5:30am.  see you there.

club kit – a few left to pick up.  email me to organise a time.

spr/rccc club crit – this is the final crit that we will be running this season.  as such it is the final chance for you to give racing a go in a relatively easy environment.  if you get dropped here, there is not 50kms for you to ride home by yourself.  as in the previous post, we need volunteers for this to finish off the year.  if you haven’t helped out before, come along and do your bit for the club.  more info here.

easter camp – this is coming up soon.  click on the link on the right sidebar for more info and register your interest in the comments.  first pass itinerary can be found here.

ride routes – nothing too outstanding this week except that there is no hills ride scheduled as the club crits are on.

saturday 2nd april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 54.03km (maddington & welshpool)

sunday 3rd april

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

no hills ride on as we have a club criterium on

we are coming to the end of march but don’t seem to be coming to the end of summer.  can’t really complain as most of our riding is in the morning which has been quite pleasant lately.  the garden could do with a drink, but at least we are not being held up by rain like the rest of the country.  however, don’t look at the weather report to work out whether you will ride, look at the weather report to work out what you will wear while riding.

kit distribution – there are not that many kits left to pick up so i will not bother to bring them to the coffee shop on saturday.  please send me an email and arrange a pick-up time.

state crit champs – this weekend we are running the state crit champs with the rccc.  if you are not racing, please come down to help out as we need volunteers to get this event to run properly.  this is more than just a club crit, this is a state championship so we need to make a good impression.  please come on down, see more info here.

mtb series – there is also the first round of the mountain bike cross country on this weekend.  if you are looking at getting a bit dirty and want to give the fat tyres a spin head on down.  more info here.

spr/rccc crit series – the following weekend we will finish off the spr/rccc crit series.  come down for your last chance to race this circuit for the year.  we need volunteers for this one too.

easter camp – this is coming up soon.  click on the link on the right sidebar for more info and register your interest in the comments.

ride routes – on sunday, the short course will follow the long up kalamunda hill.  from there they can head down the zig-zag and up gooseberry for a second climb, or just head straight for coffee.  the biggest challenge is for the long course to not stop for coffee before they do the last climb up gooseberry.

saturday 26th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 48.74km (ridge hill rd)

sunday 27th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – follow the long course

long – spr sunday 96.05km (kalamunda & observatory & gooseberry)

another week of +30 deg.  please autumn, show yourself.  although the mornings are pleasant now, the middle of the day still feels like summer.  milan-san remo is on this weekend too, so if europe are into the spring classics, where are our autumn classics.

kit distribution – about 2/3 of the kit was distributed at the agm last week, but this means that we still have a bit to get rid of.  we will be bringing it to the coffeeshop after the saturday ride if you didn’t collect it yet.  i also work in the city, so if you are nearby, i can take it into the office.  there can be pick-up by appointment at home, but i would like to avoid it if possible.

kit size swaps – some of you may have found that certain items of your new kit do not fit properly.  i will put a post up tonight and you can add comments and details if you want to try to swap with someone else.  we will run with this until the forum is set up properly.

men’s jersey fit – the men’s jersey does not seem to be the same fit as the previous jersey and there has been a few grumblings about the excess material around the shoulders.  i have already spoken to cannibal and they are saying that it should be the same fit as the previous jersey.  i have returned three new jerseys and one of my old ones so that they can take measurements off them and work out what went wrong.  they may need to be returned and restitched, but we are not sure yet.  don’t let that deter you from wearing it as i have already been wearing mine for a week.  the short-term fix for the excess material is to fold the collar under and wear it as a v-neck.

freeway bikehike – this event is on this sunday and there is a race that leaves just before the main pack.  we have a number of people in both events so just try to stay as safe as possible.  the massive drafts that are created in these packs means that any punter can suddenly keep up and the lack of corners means that many unskilled riders are not shelled early and have been known to bring people down.  stay alert and if you feel unsafe, get out of the pack.

upcoming events – state crit champs to be run by rccc & spr on 27th mar followed by the final in the crit series on the 3rd april.  both events to be held on the tech park circuit.

ride routes – not much to say.  turn up.  ride.

saturday 19th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 39.04km (benara rd)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 50.47km (south st)

sunday 20th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 87.72km (kahuna & peet & patterson)

big important weekend coming up for the club.  new kit, new committee (potentially), new breakfast venue, new members.  with saturday approaching fast, i am still getting everything together so hopefully it all goes smoothly.  read below to see how you can help out.

breakfast – after the saturday ride the groups will need to make their way to the esplanade river suites.  here we will have an area to park the bikes and you can then head to the meeting room we have set up for the breakfast and agm.  the cost is $10 per person and it will be payable at the door.  this is being catered by the esplanade and there will be fruit, savoury and sweet snacks, coffee and cold drinks available.

agm – after you are all fed, we will conduct our annual general meeting.  paul will post the agenda soon but you must be a member to be eligible to vote and hold a committee position.  all committee positions are open so if you want to be involved, let us know.

kit distribution – after the agm we will have the kit distribution.  there will be 148 bags of kit so have a think about what you have ordered and whether you will be able to carry it all home.  there is parking on the roadside next to the esplanade, so if you have ordered a lot, maybe think about driving to the start and having your car available.

volunteers – we need a number of volunteers over the next 2 days.  kimbo, jono and emma have already said that they will help with sorting the kit tomorrow night at my place (7:30pm).  we will need a couple of people to help at the breakfast as well.  firstly we need someone to collect money at the door as people enter.  we will need a couple of people to help distribute kit after the agm and most importantly we need a few people act as security when the bikes have been stacked in the car-park.  can you please add to the comments if you can help us out.  if we get a few people on security, they can tag-team and not miss out on the majority of proceedings.

ride routes – for something different we are going to do a normal saturday ride route and finish at, or near the bell tower.  from there you will make your way to the esplanade river suites in como (112 melville parade).  a map can be found here if you are confused as where you need to go.

saturday 12th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 – spr saturday 39.81km (shelley & bannister)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 48.67km (cresswell & herdsman)

sunday 13th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd) follow long course on the way out.

long – spr sunday 101.86km (welshpool & mundaring & kalamunda)

so the forecast is predicting a slight reprieve from the heat this weekend.  instead of 35 deg it will be 29 deg.  not a big change, but maybe enough to get out of the house for more than 5 min without burning to a crisp.  also, good to see a few of our doctors back with us.  melvyn was part of that medical conference in christchurch when the earthquake hit and jerry was on his way there.  luckily they are both back with us unscathed.

pemberton – we have about 17 rouleurs heading down to pemberton this weekend.  good luck to all those competing especially the guys in ‘b’ grade as emma pooley will be racing against you…don’t get chicked.

karri cup – bit of mountain biking fun is also on this weekend, so pemberton will be rocking with all things biking.  good luck to those sucking in dirt this weekend.

agm – next weekend after the ride we will have the agm at the esplanade river suites in como.  agenda will be posted next week once it is finalised.  all committee positions will be up for grabs so if you want to be a part of how the club is run, put your hand up.  more info on the previous post (see link on the right sidebar).

kit distribution – also after the ride next week we will be doing the kit distribution.  there will be other opportunities to collect the kit, so don’t fret if you can’t make it.  there is a lot to move and it just wasn’t going to happen at the coffee shop.

breakfast – also after the ride next week will be the club breakfast.  the good people at the esplanade river suites have generously offered to host this breakfast and cater for it as well.  however, this means that you will need to RSVP so we can let them know final numbers.  more info on the previous post (see link on the right sidebar).

easter camp – check out the post on the right sidebar.  if you don’t have plans for easter, you do now.  a great weekend of riding and social activities, or just chilling in margaret river.

ride routes – three earlybird rides this weekend if you so desire.  there is also a transitional paced public holiday ride if any of the t1/m3 riders want an easier paced outing.  as monday is a public holiday, the earlybird ride will be the standard weekend one that leaves from cityside of the narrows.  this is to ensure that you can get back to the start in time for the main public holiday ride.

saturday 5th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 –spr saturday 40.72km (mosman park)

fast, main 1, 2 & 3 – spr saturday 49.38km (tv stations)

sunday 6th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 101.68km (carradine & canning dam)

monday 7th march

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

transitional – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

main – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

well the start of autumn is only 4 days away and already i can feel a chill in the air…..not.  the prediction for this week is for 7 days of +35 deg with minimum temps of about 24 deg.  this summer just won’t end.  maybe i should become nocturnal and that way i can enjoy nice moderate temperatures for a week.

earlybird rides – as mentioned in a previous post, there has been some changes to the earlybird rides during the week.  monday and friday start on the south perth side of the narrows and both routes head south.  some more feedback on whether these routes are appropriate would be appreciated as they will be adjusted if we feel they are too unsafe for this time of day.

pemberton – set for the march long weekend, this is not too far away, but needs a bit of organisation if you are intending to head on down.  south west are running the event so you know that it will be well organised and well run.  there is already a blog post here so let others know if you are heading down so you can fly the spr colours together.

agm, kit distribution and breakfast – we have secured a venue and will have a breakfast as part of this all inclusive event.  one of our sponsors (esplanade river suites) has organised some space and food for us.  more info to come.

spr easter camp – this year we will be holding our first spr easter camp down at margaret river.  as discussed in the previous post there is quite a bit of dorm accommodation, plus space inside for swags and plenty of open ground for those with a tent.  this is not just a bike riding trip, but the whole family is welcome to come along.  details are still being finalised but if you don’t have any other plans for easter, then sign up as the more we have the better it will be.

ride routes – remember holmes road???  well it remembers you and is looking forward to seeing you again.  we need to do this route again so that people become familiar with it.  it is a good test of the legs and the roads are nice and quiet.  on sunday, we again will be avoiding the roleystone area until things settle down there a bit.  instead, we have the chookenberg and gooseberry in the one ride (insert evil laughter here).

saturday 26th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 & 2 –spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 49.69km (holmes rd)

sunday 27th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd) follow long course to welshpool rd

long – spr sunday 94.36km (chookenberg & observatory & gooseberry)

i mentioned the other day that we now have 2 new earlybird rides on monday and friday.  well after a bit of discussion, it is clear that people are getting bored with the river ride.  it is however, the easiest route with minimum traffic lights and not many places to get lost.  it is also the reason why our main rides on saturday change every week just to add some variation.

so, what has updated.  both monday and friday earlybird rides will now start under the narrows, but on the south perth side.  still at 5:30am, but as we will be heading south, might as well start on that side.  the routes are variations on what we already do, so the roads will not be too new for most people.  both monday and friday contain shelley, but in different directions.  monday firstly does south street before shelley and friday does shelley then bannister rd.  in both cases, i am unsure on traffic conditions in these areas at that time, so a bit of feedback would be appreciated and we can then adjust if necessary.

spr monday 45.47km (south & shelley)

spr friday 42.01km (shelley)

wednesday morning now has an official spr earlybird ride but this is a special training opportunity for the older folk within our ranks.  the uci masters race is supposedly completing laps around the through kings park.  if that previously posted map of the route is right, then that is what we will be training on.  starting under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am, we will do as many circuits as possible within the hour and a quarter, before heading for coffee.

spr wednesday 14.46km (uci masters)

the tuesday, thursday, saturday and sunday earlybird routes remain unchanged.

see you bright and early…every day of the week.

quite a bit going on in the background lately.  our club bank account was at the highest ever….but then we paid cannibal and it went back down pretty quickly.  however, the kit is well past the printing stage and is being sewn as we speak.  hopefully it all comes together on the 12th march.  we will have to organise a photo shoot for the new club kit once it arrives.  we did it a few years ago when we had the original livingston optical kit made up.  with the city in the background, it made a good shot.

renae’s race – this weekend both spr and rccc are helping southern districts cycle club to run renae’s race.  as this is held on the tech park circuit we are now pretty experienced on getting this to run smoothly.  sdcc will be in charge of the registration and running of the event, we just need some manpower for traffic management and refreshments.  please come down to support this event by racing and help the club out by giving a bit of your time.  more info here.

pemberton – set for the march long weekend, this is not too far away, but needs a bit of organisation if you are intending to head on down.  south west are running the event so you know that it will be well organised and well run.  there is already a blog post here so let others know if you are heading down so you can fly the spr colours together.  maybe you to can become one of kimbo’s “special friends”.

kit, agm, breakfast – working on all of them.  aiming to have it all on the 12th mar.  more info to come.

ride routes – i saw on facebook that one of our members was running repeats up ewen st.  i had totally forgotten about ewen st so i re-routed the normal scarborough beach road ride to include it.  if you haven’t done it before, it is less undulating than staying on scarbs road, mainly because it just keep going straight up instead.  bring your climbing legs.

saturday 19th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional 1 & 2 –spr saturday 41.18km (reverse river ride)

fast, main 1 & 2 – spr saturday 50.23km (ewen st)

sunday 20th february

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

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 61.14km (welshpool & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 90.23km (welshpool & observatory & kalamunda rd)