Welcome to the First Edition of Tandem Talk for 2018.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that the lovely, mild summer we are having has presented you with multiple opportunities to get out on the bike.
Recent Rides
Rec Rides
There has been one Rec Ride so far this year.
In February, 6 tandems and 5 bikes rode from VisAbility to Garvey Park and back. The ride was 31km, with some lumps and bumps and twists and turns around the Ascot foreshore, as well as a bit of a sprint on the way home. It was great to have some new people along for this ride, as well as some familiar faces back after a long break.
Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 18th March. Note that this is the third Sunday, and not our usual second Sunday ride date. We will cycle from Bayswater Train Station to Nedlands and back.
Club Rides
There were two Club Rides in February.
On the first Sunday of February, 5 tandems and 6 bikes left VisAbility to meet up with riders in the Life Cycle for CanTeen On-Road ride, on the Shelley Foreshore. We spent some time there learning how to ride as a group and how to roll-through the peloton, with everyone taking a turn at the front in an organised manner.
The WATCAC Club Riders have varying levels of experience and expertise in riding as a group, but I think everyone learnt something useful. As a number of WATCAC members will be participating in the Life Cycle ride, is was also important to let the other cyclists get used to riding with tandems in the mix.
The remainder of the ride was taken up practicing our new skills on the way to Point Walter and back to VisAbility via South Perth.
Last weekend 5 tandems and 6 bikes headed out again. This time from Bayswater, with the aim of practicing our group riding, and riding over 100km. The weather was mild and taking turns at the front makes the ride a lot easier for everyone. As we headed south along the Kwinana Freeway PSP I couldn’t help but admire how slick we looked, all in our new jerseys and working together as a team.
In the end we rode 112km. Everyone’s recording devices were slightly different, so it was fun listening to random shouts of “I’ve done 100!” as we went along the South Perth foreshore.
Congratulations to everyone who achieved their first Century!
The next Club Ride will be on Sunday, 4th March. Check your email or Facebook for details
Mountain Bike Rides
As part of the preparation for the 2018 LifeCycle Off-Road, there will be regular, planned rides out on the trails around Perth on the second Saturday and last Sunday of the month.
If you are interested in having a go on the Mountain Bikes please have a chat to Roland or one of the committee members.
Christmas Night Ride
It seems ages ago now, but for those of you who couldn’t make it here’s a short run down on the Christmas Night Ride.
On a balmy Friday evening 16 WATCAC members and friends put on their best Christmas finery, attached musical, flashing, reindeer antlers to their helmets and lots and lots of lights to their bikes. Seven tandems and two single bikes then made their way from Hillary’s to Connolly to see the Christmas lights in Prairie Dunes Place. Every house in this street decorates their front yards with enough lights that I’m sure it could be seen from the International Space Station to raise money for Guide Dogs WA. As we walked up and down the street it was interesting to note the different descriptions provided by the tandem pilots. Erin wanted details about whether the lighting was warm or cool; Anthony gave a great commentary on the size, shape and colour of the decorations; however, by about half way through my description sounded more like this…“there are some lights, and some more lights, and lots of lights…: Sorry Dee.
The smell of a BBQ full of sausages lured us back to Roland’s house, where we agreed that the Christmas decorations, and Roland’s Christmas shirt, were the best in Perth. Thank you for hosting us Roland.
Pilots Needed
WATCAC has been contacted by a couple of vision impaired females, hoping to get into cycling. If you are available to pilot for a rec ride or two please let me know. We will run a mini-clinic before heading out, so don’t worry if you are feeling a bit rusty.
Skill Rides and Fitness Rides – A Change to Club Rides
As our Club Riding group has grown and diversified it has become apparent that we need to cater to a variety of skills and fitness levels. To do this, we are going to trial alternating skill focussed club rides with fitness focussed rides. (much like we accidentally did in February).
The skills rides will focus on developing riding skills, such as rolling-through, riding to a cadence, hills, cornering etc. Anthony has kindly offered to lead us through this, and we will also look to inviting other experienced tandem cyclists and coaches to help.
The fitness rides will focus on speed and distance, which should get easier as we become more skilled riders.
Jerseys
They’re here and they look great.
Almost everyone who ordered a jersey has theirs by now, but there are a few extras still available. Great value at just $60, let me know if you want one. $20 gets you a pair of matching socks to complete the kit.
Membership
Membership Forms
Your WATCAC Committee have now finalised the new membership form and nomination process as per the Australian Council for Not-for-Profit Charities Constitutional Model Rules. We advised members at the AGM that WATCAC have adopted the Model Rules as our updated constitution. With this comes the need for updated process such as the nomination for NEW membership process.
Updated membership forms were emailed on 20th Feb and are available from the Membership page.
Returning Members: Please complete the membership only section of the new forms, when paying your fees, as this will update your details and WATCAC then complies with the new Constitution. Please pay your fees by 31st of March 2018 to remain as a financial member – after this date you will be required to complete the full new member nomination process.
New Members: Please complete the full membership nomination form as per instructions in the attached document.
If you have any questions or difficulties with the form, please don’t hesitate to contact Trevor or Haylee.
Membership Fees
As approved at the AGM, membership fees have increased to $40 per year from 2018. Your membership now includes a Tagissar ICE (In Case of Emergency) Sticker, while stocks last.
2018 Membership fees are due by 31st March.
When paying fees into the WATCAC account by bank transfer please write “Membership Subs” and your name in the narration. Banking details appear at the end of this newsletter.
Tandem Hire
WATCAC will be recalling all Hired Tandems for mechanical assessment and servicing. Hab will be in touch with current hirers.
Bike Loan Fees
Bike loan fees run from 1st Feb to 30th June and 1st July to 30th Nov, at $50 per period.
If you have a WATCAC Tandem on loan, please contact us about renewing your loan or returning the bike.
Have you ‘Liked” us on Facebook yet? Our page can be found here.
We will use the page to promote WATCAC to the wider community, post notifications of upcoming rides (in addition to your regular emails) and report on rides and other events. We will endeavour to do this while maintaining the privacy of our members. Talk with a committee member should you have any concerns.
WATCAC Website
After a long time in a dark, dusty, neglected corner of the world wide web, we are bringing the WATCAC website into the 21st century. (Love your work Beau, but it’s time to renovate) Some changes have been made already, but there is more to be done.
When you have a moment, please check out http://watcac.org/ and send feedback on accessibility, what needs to stay, what needs to go and what needs to be added.
Upcoming WATCAC and Community Rides
4th March WATCAC Club Ride (Skills) Details TBA
10th -12th March LifeCycle On-Road Ride for CanTeen
18th March WATCAC Rec Ride– 8:30 from Bayswater Station
25th March WATCAC Club Ride (Fitness)
Happy and Safe Pedalling,
Jennifer
