Recent Rides
April was hot and, so far, May has been wet and windy but WATCAC Members have shown it takes more than a bit of unseasonal weather to keep them off their bikes.
On a calm and balmy April Sunday 7 tandems and 3 single bikes joined in the Recreation Ride. I’m pretty sure that qualifies as a peloton. (Question; just how many bikes does it take to make a peloton?) Regardless of what you call our group (suggestions please) I’m sure we drew quite a bit of interest as we made our way from Bassendean to Oasis, in the Swan Valley.
It was fun trying to fit 17 people around the big round table at the café stop but we managed and it was fantastic to see such a great turn-out to welcome 5 new riders. What is even more remarkable was several regular riders absent, so we can expect bigger things in future rides. I’m imagining the stir we will create when there are 10 to 12 tandems going down the cycleway, all in our fantastic new jerseys.
Oasis Ride
There have been 2 Club Rides, on 21st April and 5th May. An intrepid pair of ladies, who found WATCAC online, joined 2 other tandems on both rides. On both occasions we rode the Vic Park-Jandakot loop, the second time thankfully with fewer punctures and flat tyres. The reward of coffee and cup-cakes at Sassy Cookie has been sufficient motivationto get us all up and over the last hill and erase the memory of South Perth head-winds.
Member News
On Sunday the 14th of April, WATCAC member Beau Tang left his bike in the shed and volunteered to help with the running of BWA’s 3 and 5 Dams Challenge. In a long but rewarding day, Beau manned checkpoints at Mundaring Weir and Cockburn Central, ferried other volunteers around the Darling Ranges and helped to pack up the event village.
Beau says, “We need some tandems to give this a go. The Three Dams’ course is 150km, but it is no race. The last bike came in at 8hrs something which is a very leisurely pace. There is plenty of time to train for 2014. It would certainly be easier than helping out as a volunteer!”
For Sale
The club has two of the red, flat-bar tandems up for sale at $300 each. Both bikes have recently been serviced and are in good condition for their age. Please email Greg Madson info@watcac.org
Future Events
There are several longer rides and trips planned in the future, including a possible ride in Mandurah with our South West members, a December trip to Busselton as well as a return to Rottnest next year.
Last year’s trip to Rotto was thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part (except perhaps for Debbie and Kerry who took a tumble) with the main complaint being that it was just too short. Please let committee members know if you want to participate in, or help with, any of these events.
Fund Raising
This year the committee is working hard to purchase two new mountain bike tandems as well as servicing the current fleet of tandems, including replacing all the wheels. This is being done so that you, our members can enjoy safe, reliable bikes and to provide diverse cycling opportunities.
This involves spending money. Some of it will come from grants, but a major part of our fund-raising comes from a couple of our dedicated members selling chocolates. If you are able to put a box of chocolates for sale in your workplace please contact Adriana.
Another initiative for this year is a movie night. Details so far: it will be at the Windsor Cinema, Nedlands, in late August. It goes without saying that the more tickets we sell the more money we make, so start making a list of family and friends that you can peddle tickets to.
Shirts
Great News! After some instructions getting lost in translation, quite literally, our new cycling jerseys are ready to be manufactured in Italy. WATCAC will be covering the cost of design and freight (we decided we couldn’t quite justify going to Italy to collect them in person), so the final cost to our members is only $70 per shirt.
Please email Adriana (just hit reply to this email) and let her know how many shirts you want, whether you want your shirts with short, long or no sleeves and what size you need. If you’re not sure of your sizing there are sample shirts to try on at our rides. (Ladies we have decided just to go with the men’s sizing so you may need to recheck your size) Finally make sure you get your order and payment to WATCAC (cash, cheque or direct deposit) by MAY 31st.
The shirts will have the words “Out of sight, Out of mind” on the front and there will be a stylised picture of a tandem with the letters WATCAC above the picture on the back. It is a typical cycling shirt with three pockets at the back and a full zip down the front. The main shirt colour is white, with aubergine and dark green trim.
It will be great to see everyone in the new shirt when we are on our Recreation rides, Club rides and when we join in Community events, it is a great way to promote tandem cycling and increase awareness.